City of Grand Island, Nebraska
Utilities Department

Annual Water Quality Report 2006

Report includes data from January 1 to December 31, 2006

Dear Water Customer, 

Included with this file is the 2006 Annual Report on the City’s water supply.  We hope you will find it interesting and informative.

Grand Island’s water source is the aquifer underlying the area.  Wells in the City and on an island in the Platte River are the source of supply.  As a ground water supply, the City’s water is hard and contains dissolved minerals that occur naturally in the aquifer. 

The source water is routinely sampled and test for a wide variety of potential contaminates, both naturally occurring and those caused by human activity such as lawn care, agricultural, commercial and industrial activity.  Over the years the City as abandoned a number of wells due to contamination in localized locations. 

The City’s water system meets all water quality standards as established by EPA and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

In the ‘70's, nitrates began to be a serious problem across Nebraska and in Grand Island.  More recently, the City is finding trace amounts of herbicides and some industrial solvents in some wells.  The below report shows the highest concentration of contaminates found in any single well.  The City routinely tests for over 100 potential contaminates, both naturally occurring and from human activity.  Nitrate tests are done on all City wells monthly, and 64 tests are conducted monthly across the distribution system for microbiological contamination.

The City will continue to work to provide a safe, reliable, and economical water supply for Grand Island.  If you have any questions, please contact the Utilities Department office at 385-5444, extension 280 or call the EPA hotlines listed in the below report.

Sincerely,

Gary R. Mader, Utilities Director

 

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made to provide safe drinking water.  For more information regarding this report, contact:
Utilities Administration, City Hall  (308)385-5444, ext. 280


City of Grand Island, Nebraska

Utilities Department

Annual Water Quality Report

Report includes data from January 1 to December 31, 2006

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made to provide safe drinking water. 

If you would like to observe the decision-making processes that affect drinking water quality, please attend the regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council.  If you would like to participate in the process, please contact the City Clerk, 308-385-5444, ext. 111, to arrange to be placed on the agenda of the meeting of the City Council.

Este formulario tiene informacion que es importante acerca del agua que usted bebe.  Consiga que alguien se lo lea en espanol.

Source of Drinking Water -

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

The source of drinking water used by the City of Grand Island is groundwater from the sand and gravel aquifer that underlies the area.

This water is pumped from wells maintained by the City of Grand Island.
Source Water Assessment Availability -

A wellhead protection area has been prepared by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.  For more information, please contact the Ground Water Section, NDEQ at (402) 471-6988.  

Contaminants Found in Drinking Water -

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that 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 at (800) 426-4791 or visiting the web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/

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, can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm water 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 storm water runoff, and residential uses.

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

Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally-occurring.

Contaminants in Grand Island's tap water will usually be from naturally occurring dissolving of minerals and from agricultural and residential activities.  Some contaminants typically associated with commercial and industrial activity have been detected.  The EPA sets Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL), to ensure public health, for both naturally occurring contaminants and those contaminants caused by pollution sources.  The Grand Island public water system meets all EPA regulations.

Water Treatment

The City of Grand Island adds chlorine to the water to protect against microbial contamination.  The City has also implemented a backflow/cross-connection prevention program to protect against contamination of the public water system. 

By direction of the Nebraska Health and Human Services office (NHHS), the City has developed a control treatment program to reduce the corrosion of copper from household fixtures by adding ortho and poly phosphates. 

Special Considerations

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 Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.

Drinking Water Regulations

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.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.


 

2006 Test Results
               
               
CONTAMINANT VIOLATION YES/NO NO. OF POSITIVE SAMPLES RANGE OF LEVELS DETECTED TOTAL NO. OF SAMPLES MCLG MCL LIKELY SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION
 
MICROBIOLOGICAL  
Total Coliform Bacteria No 0 Not applicable 768 0 Less than 5% of monthly samples Backflow or back siphonage; naturally present in the environment.
 
CONTAMINANT VIOLATION YES/NO HIGHEST LEVEL DETECTED RANGE OF LEVELS DETECTED UNIT OF MEASUREMENT MCLG MCL LIKELY SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION
 
INORGANICS  
Arsenic        7/11/05  No 2.73 <RL-2.73 ppb 0 50 Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production.
Barium           1/14/02 No 0.172 0.0921-0.172 ppm 2 2 Erosion of natural deposits; discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries. 
Copper  (Households) No 0.885 (90th percentile) 0.0143-1.14 ppm 1.3 1.3 (90th percentile) Erosion of natural deposits; corrosion of household plumbing systems; leaching from wood preservatives.
Copper  (City wells) No 0.18 <RL-0.18 ppm 1.3 1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives.
Fluoride         1/14/02 No 0.68 0.35-0.68 ppm 4 4 Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Lead No 2.31 (90th percentile) <RL-10.40 ppb 0 15 (90th percentile) Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits.
Nickel             7/1/03 No 8.17 3.02-8.17 ppb n/a 100 Erosion of natural deposits; leaching.
Nitrate-Nitrite No 8.1 0.6-8.1 ppm 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits.
Selenium       1/14/02 No 5.68 <RL-5.68 ppb 50 50 Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; discharge from mines.
 
RADIOCHEMICALS  
Gross Alpha      2004 No 27.3 2.7-27.3 pCi/L     Erosion of natural deposits.
Net Gross Alpha     10/4/2004 No 0.6 Not applicable pCi/L 0 15 Erosion of natural deposits.
Combined Radium     2002 No 0.3 Not applicable pCi/L 0 5 Erosion of natural deposits.
Uranium Mass   2001-2004 No 26.3 Not applicable ug/L 0 30 (Quarterly avg.) Erosion of natural deposits.
Combined Uranium 03/09/2004 No 28.4 17.3-28.4 pCi/L n/a n/a Erosion of natural deposits.
 
SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEM.  
Atrazine      No 0.40 <RL-0.4 ppb 3 3 Runoff from herbicide used on row crops.
 
DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS  
Total Trihalomethanes No 19.3 10.4-19.3 ppb NA 80 By-products of the chlorination process.
Total Haloacetic Acids No 5.2 2.5-5.2 ppb NA 60 By-products of the chlorination process.
 
UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS LEVEL DETECTED RANGE OF LEVELS DETECTED UNIT OF MEASUREMENT        
Sulfate        12/08/2003 247 31-247 ppm        
             
Regulated and Unregulated Contaminanats Tested and Not Detected: vinyl chloride; 1,2-dichloroethane; chlorobenzene; ortho-dichlorobenzene; ethylbenzene; m,p-xylenes; styrene; bromomethane; chloroethane; tetrachlorethylene; cis-1,2-dichlorethene; ortho-chlorotoluene; para-chlorotoluene; dibromomethane; meta-dichlorobenzene; bromobenzene; bromochloromethane; n-butylbenzene; 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene; tert-butylbenzene; hexachlorobutadiene; isopropylbenzene; 1,1-dichloroethylene; para-isopropyltoluene; naphthalene; para-dichlorobenzene;1,1-trichloroethylene; carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane; 1,2-dichloropropane; trans-1,2-dichloroethylene; 2,2-dichloropropane; 1,1-dichloropropene, 1,2-dichloropropane; 1,1,2-trichloroethane;1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane; 1,2 3-trichloropropane; n-propylbenzene; sec-butylbenzene; dichlorodifluoromethane; fluorotrichloromethane; 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene; 1, 2, 4-trimethylbenzene; 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene; 1,3-dichoropropene; alachlor; aldrin; benzopyrene; bulachor; butylate; clordane; chlorpyrifos; cyanazine; dieldrin; endrin; dyfonate;gamma-BHC; hepachlor; heptachlor epoxide; hexachlorobenzene; hexachlorocylclopentadiene; methoxychlor;  metribuzin; propachlor; simazine; trifluralin;  aldicarb; aldicarb sulfone;
 aldicarb sulfoxide; carbaryl; carbofuran; 3-hydroxycarbofuran; methomyl; oxamyl(vydate); ethylene dibromide; dibromochloropropane; PCB's; 2,4-D; 2,4,5-TP; pentachlorophenol; dalapon; dicambe; dinoseb; picloram; acifluorfen; glyphosate; diquat; paraquat; endothall; dioxin, antimony; cadmium; mercury; thallium; chromium, beryllium; cyanide; metolochlor; chloromethane; perchlorate; EPTC; 2,6-dinitrotoluene; 2,4-dinitrotoluene; molinate; terbacil; acetochlor; 4,4-DDE; MtBE; nitrobezene; trichlorethene; toluene; 1,1-dichloroethane; benzene; total DCPA.
               
MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level):  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.
MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal):  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.
AL (Action Level):  The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
PPB:  Parts per billion       PPM:  Parts per million      pCi/L:  Picocuries per liter (measurement of radioactivity)      <RL:  Less than reporting limit
             
Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants less than six months of age.  High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome.  If you are caring for an infant, ask advice from your health care provider.
             
Note:  The state requires monitoring of certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently.  Some of our data may be  more than one year old.
             

Information presented on this site was obtained from sources whom we deem reliable; however, we do not guarantee accuracy. Information presented is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the City of Grand Island or the Grand Island Utilities Department. Users of this site should verify all information.

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