Section 1. Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for the City of Elgin, 1999

Section 2. The Annual Quality Water Report for the City of Elgin is hereby presented. This report is to inform you about the quality of the water delivered within the City. The City is committed to providing a safe and dependable supply of drinking water for our community. Our water source is from three deep wells, (approximately 150 feet deep). The primary well is located at the Boise Cascade mill next to Phillips Creek, south of the plywood plant. The secondary well is located on the west side of Highway 82, just south of the little league ball fields. This well is used to provide additional water when there is a fire demand. The third well is located east of 5^th Street on Alder. This well is used occasionally to supplement the system when there is a high water demand.

Section 3. Our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.

Section 4. If you have any questions about this report or about your water utility, please contact the City Office at 180 N. 8^th, 437-2253. We want our customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled city council meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the City Hall.

Section 5. The City of Elgin routinely monitors for constituents in our drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The table in Section 7 below shows the results of our monitoring for the period ending June 1, 2000. As water travels 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 expected to contain at least small amounts of chemicals. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. In fact, trace minerals found in ground water can be a source of minerals essential to good health.

Section 6. In the table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms the following definitions are provided:

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

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.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nano-grams per liter (nano-grams/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 Pico-grams per liter (pico-grams/l) - one part per quadrillion corresponds to one second in33,000,000 years or one penny in $10,000,000,000,000.

Pico-curies per liter (pCi/L) - pico-curies per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Millirems per year (mrem/yr) - measure of radiation absorbed by the body.

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 - 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. MCL's 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.

Section 7. The testing performed on the water sources for the City of Elgin found no violations. Coliform tests are conducted twice a month at various locations throughout the system. There has been no positive coliform test since October1997. Re-sampling of that test resulted in no further positive tests indicating that the original sample was not valid.

Since April of 1990, the City has tested for a variety of regulated and unregulated chemical constituents. 54 synthetic organic chemicals including pesticides and herbicides and volatile organic contaminants have been tested for several times. None of these chemicals has been detected in the City water supply. The latest testing was in May 2000.

Eighteen inorganic chemicals including lead and copper were also tested for. Of these, only four were detected as listed below. None of the detected substances even approached the allowable limits.

A separate set of tests for copper and lead were preformed using 10 samples from household taps. These samples were taken from water that had stood undisturbed over-night in household plumbing. One of these samples showed a trace amount of lead at the very limit of detection and 7 had a trace amount of copper, the highest of which was 1/26th the allowable limit.

The source of the copper and lead detected was from the household plumbing, not from the City supply. If you have a concern that your house plumbing could cause lead contamination of your water, running water before use can reduce or eliminate this risk; see Section 9 below.

Tests for existence of radioactivity were also made in 1996. The levels detected are listed below.

Section 8- Health Effects Language

Microbiological Contaminants:

(1) Total Coliform. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

(2) Fecal coli-form/E. Coli. Fecal coli-forms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

(3) Beta/photon emitters. Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit forms of radiation known as photons and beta radiation. Some people who drink water containing beta and photon emitters in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

(4) Alpha emitters. Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

(5) Combined Radium 226/228. Some people who drink water containing radium 226 or 228 in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Inorganic Contaminants:

(6) Arsenic. Some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

(7) Barium. Some people who drink water containing barium in excess of the MCL over many years could experience an increase in their blood pressure.

(8) Fluoride. Some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones. Children may get mottled teeth.

(9) Lead. Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

(11)Nitrate. Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.

Section 9. 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.

Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant you should ask advice from your health care provider.

Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home's water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Section 10. We constantly monitor for various constituents in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements. This past year, 1999, we had reporting violations as listed below. Note: this does not pose a threat to the quality of our water supply.

Violation History PWS ID: 00273 .... ELGIN WATER DEPARTMENT