ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

CLIFTON WATER DISTRICT

We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets or exceeds Federal and State requirements.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Dale Tooker at 434-7328.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Board of Directors meetings.  They are held on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Water District Office located at 510 34 Road, Clifton, Colorado.

HERE IS OUR REPORT CARD     A+

The Clifton Water District Water Quality Report.  What does it mean to you, the customer?  The Water Quality Report is our report card, and we are sending it to you.  

Even though the Water Quality Report is a regulatory requirement it is our opportunity to show you how well we have done.  It is also our chance to emphasize the high quality of your drinking water and explain a few technical terms.  Each year you will receive our report card that describes how well we have done.  Here at the Clifton Water District, we do not find this task burdensome.  We find it refreshing and important to be able to share this information with you.  The fact is, this is your drinking water and we want it safe for you. 

The Clifton Water District is dedicated to providing you, our customer, with the safest and highest quality water possible.  The Mission Statement of the Clifton Water District states that   “The Clifton Water District is committed to provide water that meets or exceeds mandated standards at a reasonable cost with fair and courteous service.” 

All of us at the Clifton Water District are dedicated to you, our customer.  Providing you with safe, high quality drinking water is paramount in our responsibilities, and we take our jobs very seriously.  Our commitment to excellence is demonstrated by retaining  the most qualified and professional employees in each of our departments.  We demand advanced and continued educational training.  We pursue current technology and we employ the most efficient equipment and methods to deliver water to our customers.  Without this commitment and dedication our report card may look completely different.

Our dedication to excellence and advancement in current technology directed the Clifton Water District to utilize “state of the art” membrane technology in 1997 by building a Nanofiltration treatment facility.  Nanofiltration is more than “state of the art” it is the future of water treatment.  Nanofiltration in addition to our conventional treatment processes assures us and you of a great report card.

If you have any questions at all concerning this Water Quality Report or you would just like to talk about your water you can contact me, Dale Tooker, Manager at 434-7328 or Gretchen Loschbaugh, Laboratory Supervisor at 434-5571. 

Thank You, Dale Tooker, Manager Clifton Water

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells.  The Clifton Water District currently monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws.  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.

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

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which 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 process 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.

SO WHERE DOES MY WATER COME FROM?

The Clifton Water District is fortunate to have a dependable water supply in the Colorado River.  All of the water distributed to our customers originates from the Colorado River.  Thought by many to be a second choice for a water supply, the Colorado River is a dependable, economical and practical water supply.  The Colorado River has been the lifeline for the Grand Valley, bringing prosperity and a way of life in the west that we all enjoy.  As important as the Colorado River has been to the western slope of Colorado the vast majority of the water passes through our area to feed the thirsty west or is diverted to the eastern slope.  The further west the Colorado flows the more valuable it becomes with Nevada and California paying premium prices for Colorado River water. 

The Colorado River has a vast network of contributing watersheds that poses unique concerns for protection of our water supply from contamination.  The first level of protection is staying active in water issues that affect the Colorado River Basin.  This dedication provides the important step of controlling diversion, industry and regulations that could ultimately affect water quality.  The next level of protection is utilizing a  “state of the art” water treatment facility and qualified individuals to identify and remove potential contaminates from entering the drinking water.

The major cities and towns that the Colorado River Basin extends to are: Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Eagle, Vail, Rifle, Breckenridge, Dillon, and Silverthorne.  However with transmountain diversion, the Colorado River serves over 1.89 million people in Colorado.  The Colorado River Basin irrigates approximately 270,000 acres of land and 90% of water in the river is used for irrigation.  The Clifton Water District uses over one billion gallons of Colorado River water each year, which is only a tiny portion of the entire Colorado River.

From the Colorado River to your glass the Clifton Water District is committed to protect your water quality.

DEFINITIONS

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

This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 1999.   In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with.  To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

Non-Detects (ND)- laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l)- one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/1)  - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/l)- one part per trillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

Parts per quadrillion (ppq) or Picograms per liter (picograms/l)- one part per quadrillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000,000 years or one penny in $10,000,000,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L)- picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Million Fibers per Liter (MFL)- million fibers per liter is a measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water.  Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Action Level (AL)- the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) -  A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level - The Maximum Allowed (MCL) is 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- The Goal(MCLG) is 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.

                                                                                                         TEST RESULTS

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, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination.  Some of our data (e.g., for organic contaminants), though representative, is more than one year old.

(1) Highest reading of 1999 was 0.40 with an average of 0.03 NTU.

* Copper and Lead results reflect 90th percentile levels measured at customers’ homes..

Other contaminants tested for but not detected include synthetic organics (herbicides and pesticides), volatile organics, and total/fecal coliforms.

EPA is reviewing the drinking water standard for arsenic because of special concerns that it may not be stringent enough. Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations.

We constantly monitor the water for various constituents, some of which we have not detected in either our source or finished water. Some people may be more vulnerable to some of these constituents in the drinking water than the general population. Cryptosporidium is one such contaminant.  Although not detected, we feel it important for you to know that Cryptosporidium  may cause serious illness in immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune disorders.  These people should seek advice from their health care providers.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). 

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations.  We are proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water is SAFE at these levels.

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or man made.  Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials.  All 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 Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Total Coliform: The Total Coliform Rule requires water systems to meet a stricter limit for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are usually harmless, but their presence in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria. When coliform bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply. If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio. To comply with the stricter regulation, we may increase the average amount of chlorine in the distribution system.

Nitrates: As a precaution we will notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply.

Lead:  Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of  lead poisoning, but it can add to a person's total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced.

Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments. Thank you for understanding.

We at the Clifton Water District work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources which are the heart of our community, our way of life, and our children’s future.   Please call our office at 970-434-7328 if you have questions.