CITY OF HASTINGS

2009 Annual Water Quality Report

CITY OF HASTINGS WATER QUALITY FOR 2009

Dear Customer: We are pleased to present a summary of the quality of the water provided to you during the past year. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires that utilities issue an annual "Consumer Confidence" report to customers in addition to other notices that may be required by law. The City of Hastings vigilantly safeguards its water supplies and is proud to report that our system has never had a violation of maximum contaminant levels. This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, how it compares to EPA and State standards, and the risks our water testing and treatment are designed to prevent. We are committed to providing you with information because informed consumers are our best allies.

WATER SYSTEM INFORMATION

We encourage public interest and participation in our community's decisions affecting drinking water. Regular City Council meetings occur on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month in City Hall at 7:30pm. The public is welcome.

If you have any questions about this report or any other questions pertaining to the City of Hastings drinking water, please contact Richard Friedrich, City of Hastings Water Treatment Plant at 269-945-2331 or Tim Girrbach, City of Hastings DPS Director, at 269-945-2468.

WATER SOURCE

The City Hastings is supplied by groundwater from 4 wells located within the City limits. Three of the four wells are in excess of 290 feet deep and supply a very good quality of water. The fourth well is somewhat shallower and is only used in emergencies. During the year 2008, the City of Hastings distributed 349.43 million gallons of water. This water was distributed not only to residential customers but also to industry located within the City of Hastings service area.

The State performed an assessment of our source water in 2003 to determine the susceptibility or the relative potential of contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a six-tiered scale from “very-low” to “high” based primarily on geological sensitivity, water chemistry and contaminant sources. The susceptibility of our source is Low.

A copy of the full report can be obtained by contacting The City of Hastings at 269-945-2468.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Hastings is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Crypto-sporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (l-800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

· Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

· Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

· Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

· Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

· Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

WATER QUALITY DATA TABLE

The following table lists the results of every regulated contaminant that we detected in your drinking water during the 2009 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing performed from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. The State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old.

The table contains the name of each substance, the highest level allowed by regulation (MCL); the ideal goals for public health, the amount detected, the usual sources of such contamination, footnotes explaining our findings, and a key to units of measurement.

KEY DEFINITIONS

Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Action Level or AL: The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment, or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level: The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

MRDLG: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal: The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants

ppm: parts per million, or mg\l: milligrams per liter; pCi/l: picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity); ppb: parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l); ND: Non Detectable; NA: Not Applicable; HRAA: Highest Running Annual Average.

Inorganic Contaminants

Hastings Water

(Highest Level Detected)

MCL

(Highest Level Allowed)

MCLG

(EPA Goal)

MCL

Violations

Sample

Date

Sources of Contaminant

Fluoride(ppm)

1.1

2009

Water additive which promotes strong teeth

Microbial

Contaminants

Total Coliform Bacteria

No Positive

Samples

One Positive per Month

Monthly

Naturally present in environment

Regulated in Distribution

System

HRAA and Range

MRDL

MRDLG

Chlorine (ppm)

HRAA 0.31

Range 0.23 – 0.36

4.0

Daily

Water additive for Disinfection purposes

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)(mg\l)

0.0056

2007

By-product of drinking water chlorination.

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5’s)(mg\l)

0.06

2007

By-product of drinking water chlorination.

Copper / Lead Contaminants**

90^th Percentile Value

(Action Level)

Number of sites exceeding AL

Sample

Date

Sources of Contaminant

Lead (ppb)

0 sites above AL out of 20 sites sampled

2009

Corrosion of household plumbing systems

Copper (ppb)

500

1300

0 site above AL out of 20 sites sampled

2009

Corrosion of household plumbing systems

Unregulated Contaminants

Highest Level Detected

MCL

MCLG

(EPA Goal)

Sample

Date

Sources of Contaminant

Sodium (ppm)

Unregulated

N/A

2009

Naturally present in environment

Hardness (ppm)

260

Unregulated

N/A

2009

Naturally present in environment

· High concentrations of Hardness, Sodium, & Sulfate were found in well 2. This well is only used in emergencies.

· **Regulated at Customer Tap

· Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. Monitoring helps EPA to determine where these contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants.