Consumer Confidence Report

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

We're very pleased to provide you with this year's Annual Quality Water Report. We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you over the past year. Our goal is and always has been, to provide to you a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. Our water source is from deep basalt wells , we draw from the Willow Creek aquifer.

This report shows our water quality and what it means.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact the City Of Heppner at 676-9618 . 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 meetings. They are held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm.


The City Of Heppner routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 1999. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk.

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 - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years , or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Action Level - 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
Inorganic Violation Level Unit MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
Contaminants Y/N Detected Measurement

Arsenic N .0008 ppb N/A 50 Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from
orchards ; from electronics production wastes

Barium N .0071 ppm 2 2 Discharge of drilling wastes ; discharge from refineries; erosion of natural
deposits

Cadmium N .0001 ppb 5 5 Corrosion of galvanized pipes; erosion of natural deposits ; discharge from metal
refineries ; runoff from waste batteries
and paint

Chromium N .0003 ppb 100 100 Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion
of natural deposits

Copper N .1500 ppm 1.3 AL=1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems;
erosion of natural deposits ; leaching from
wood preservatives

Fluoride N .5000 ppm 4 4 Erosion of natural deposits; water additive
which promotes strong teeth; discharge
from fertilizers and aluminum factories

Lead N .0036 ppb 0 AL=15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems;
erosion of natural deposits

Nitrate N .7000 ppm 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from
septic tanks sewage; erosion of natural
deposits

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We're proud that your drinking water
meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned that 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 substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. 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 have increased the average amount of chlorine in the distribution system.

Nitrates: As a precaution we always 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.

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 microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Please call our office if you have questions.

We at the City of Heppner 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.