We, here in Calumet City, draw 100% of our drinking water from Lake Michigan (supplied by Chicago 10% and Hammond 90%). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.), Lake Michigan's water has greatly improved in quality in the past twenty years.
Each year, on a monthly basis, our water is tested by State approved laboratories for a wide range of possible contaminants. Drinking water, includeing bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminates does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminates 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 advise about drinking water from their health care providers. USEPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the USEPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. Additional information regarding your water may be obtained by calling the Water Department (708) 891-8155 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Public Council meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, where your Alderman may be contacted for additional information.
I am pleased to inform the residents of Calumet City that we have not had any violations or contaminations for the calendar year 2000, nor have we had any violations for more than 5 years.
We are supplying a list of some of the contaminations, along with a detailed explanation on the possible health effects and the way they relate to our everyday living.
Sincerely,
Dennis
R Bonic
Water Superintendent
City of Calumet City
The sources of drinking water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs,
springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through
the ground, it can dissolve naturally occurring minerals and radioactive
materials, and pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals
or human activity. These may be 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 may be naturally occurring or result from
urban storm runoff, industrial of 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 use. Organic chemical contaminants,
including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products
of industrial processes and petroleum production, may also come from gas
stations, urban runoff and septic systems. Radioactive contaminants,
which may 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, the USEPA prescribes
regulations that 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 protections.
Definitions:
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or 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.
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level, or 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.
AL: Action Level, or the concentration of a contaminant which, when
exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system
must follow.
TT: Treatment Technique or a required process intended to reduce the
levels of a contaminant in drinking water.
Abbreviations:
nd: not detectable at testing limits;
n/a: Not applicable;
ppm: Parts per million or milligrams per liter;
ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter;
ppt: parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter; ppq: parts per quadrillion,
or picograms per liter;
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit, used to measure cloudiness in
drinking water;
%<0.5NTU: Percent samples less than 0.5 NTU;
MFL: Million fibers per liter, used to measure asbestos concentration;
mren/yr: millirems per year, used to measure radiation absorbed by
the body;
pCI/I: picocuries per liter, used to measure radioactivity;
# pos/mo: number of positive samples per month;
% pos/mo: percent of positive samples per month.
In most cases, the "Level Found" column represents an average
of sample result data collected during the CCR calendar year. The "Range
of Detection column represents the range of individual sample results,
from lowest to highest that were collected during the CCR calendar year.
If a date appears in the "Date of Sample" column, the Illinois
EPA requires monitoring for this contamination less than once per year
because the concentrations do not frequently change. If no date appears
in the column, monitoring for this contaminate was conducted during the
CCR calendar year.