ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR THE CITY OF RUFUS

FOR CALENDAR YEAR, 2005

The City of Rufus is pleased to present to you our Annual Water Quality Report.

This report is an annual requirement of the Environmental Protection Agency.   Our water sources are two wells that draw from aquifers in the Deschutes basin.

We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Ron Jensen at 739-2321. 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 Wednesday of every month, at 7:30 p.m., at the Rufus City Hall.

The City of Rufus 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 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005.  Test Results will be available at City Hall.  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.

MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Well # 3

TEST RESULTS
Contaminant			Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Unit Measurement	MCLG		MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Inorganic Contaminants
Sodium Tested 9/04	N			1.	24				Erosion of natural deposits.
Barium Tested 7/04	N			2	.018 ppm	2	2		Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Copper Tested 7/04	N			.005	.0645 ppm	1.3	AL=1.3		Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Fluoride Tested 7/04	N			.2	.7 ppm	4	4		Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Lead Tested 7/04	N			.001	.7 ppm	0	AL=.015		Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Disinfection Byproducts
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)  Tested 8/05	n N			.0005	0.109  ppb	0	80		By-product of drinking water Chlorination
Haloacetic Acid (HAA5) Tested 8/05	N			.005 ppm	0.0019 ppb	NA	60 ppb		By-product of drinking water Chlorination
Radioactive Contaminants
Gross Alpha emitters		N		.930 PcI/L	.93 PcI/L	0	15		Erosion of natural deposits.
Combined Radium		N		1.40 PcI/L	1.4 PcI/L	0	5		Erosion of natural deposits.
Uranium (ug/l)		N		.000063 MG/L	.063 MG/L	0	30		Erosion of natural deposits.

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

Combined Radium 226/228.  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.

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

Lead and Copper tests were taken from five different households in Rufus.  All five tested well below the EPA limits.

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.

In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.

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.

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.

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

Maximum Contaminant Level - (mandatory language) 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 - (mandatory language) The “Goal”(MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. 

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). 

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS REPORT OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A LIST OF 40 CONTAMINANTS TESTED FOR PLEASE CALL THE CITY OF RUFUS AT 739-2321

Households should have an emergency supply of water.  A good rule of thumb is each household should store a minimum of one gallon of water per person, per day for fourteen days, plus extra water for pets.