Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2007

Why This Report?

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the Lincoln Water System to annually issue a report describing the quality of your drinking water. The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources. This report provides an overview of last year's water quality data collected from January 1 through December 31, 2007, including details about your sources of water, what it contains and how it compares to State and Federal standards.

Where Does Our Water Come From?

The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. Fortunately, our community receives its water from a self-replenishing source naturally high in quality. Lincoln's water comes from wells where the ground water is under the direct influence of surface water. In 2007, more than 12.8 billion gallons of water were pumped from these wells to serve the 243,000 people who use an average of more than 35 million gallons of water each day.

A source water assessment of our water supply has been completed by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ). The assessment includes maps, an inventory of potential contaminant sources and a determination of the vulnerability of the system to contamination. If you have any questions or would like to view the source water assessment, please call Jerry Obrist, 402-441-7571, to schedule an appointment.

Lincoln Water System Facts:

• LWS spends $1.19 million for electricity and diesel fuel to pump water to Lincoln and another $1.58 million for electricity to move water to all parts of the City.
• Energy management efforts have saved nearly $150,000 per year in each of the past three years.
• Every person in Lincoln used an average of 144 gallons of water every day in 2007 compared to 161 gallons per day in 2006.
• The City of Lincoln covers an area of more than 85 square miles.
• Lincoln Water System maintains 1,210 miles of water mains, 10,061 fire hydrants and 23,429 valves.
• 184 broken mains were repaired in 2007.
• Water services are owned and maintained by the property owner. Be sure to check the age and material of the water service when purchasing an older home. LWS can assist in obtaining this information.
• Water delivered to your home or business can vary in temperature from 41ºF to 77ºF.

Cross Connection Questions & Answers

Q: What is a cross connection?

A: A cross connection is a direct arrangement of a piping line which allows the potable water supply to be connected to a line which contains a contaminant. An example is the common garden hose attached to a sill cock with the end of the hose lying in a cesspool. Other examples are a garden hose attached to a service sink with the end of the hose submerged in a tub of detergent, supply lines connected to bottom-fed tanks or supply lines to boilers.

Should I Try to Conserve Water?

It is always advisable to use water responsibly. Conserving water is a good idea for many reasons - it saves you money, protects the environment and preserves this precious natural resource.

More than half of the water we use in the summer goes to outdoor use for gardens, shrubs and lawns. Mayor Beutler askes the community to conserve water by using the voluntary designated day watering schedule. Those with addresses ending in even numbers are asked to water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Those with addresses ending in odd numbers are asked to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Another way to conserve water outdoors is to use water-conserving plants. Recommended plants can be found in brochures developed by the Mayor's Water Conservation Task Force. Brochures can be obtained at local area nurseries. Visit the City's Web site at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: water) for other suggestions.

Were Improvements Made to the Water System Last Year?
What is Planned for This Year?

Lincoln Water System generates its revenue through water use fees collected when you pay your water bill. No property tax money is used in the operation, maintenance or construction of capital improvement projects.

This year's capital improvement budget totals $19.4 million. Capital projects completed or nearly completed in 2007-2008 include an elevated reservoir in southeast Lincoln; a large diameter pipe in Carlos Drive; and six miles of replacement pipes in the distribution system.

New projects underway include construction of a large diameter water main from Greenwood to Lincoln; replacement of the control system; expansion of the ozone system; and construction of numerous distribution mains for the continued growth of the community. In addition, more than $2.75 million is allocated for the replacement of deteriorating water mains, which have a history of breaking and interrupting water service.

What Else is Done to Protect My Water?

The residential customer, the business customer and the commercial/industrial customer all share equally in protecting Lincoln's water. One way to do this is through a "cross connection control program." A cross connection is any physical or potential connection between the drinking water supply and a source of possible contamination or pollution. The purpose of the program is to protect the drinking water supply system by either eliminating cross connections or installing approved backflow prevention devices to prevent the contamination from entering the drinking water supply.

Contaminants and pollutants can enter the drinking water supply when there is a sudden loss of pressure from heavy usage, a fire in the area or a broken water main. When that happens, contaminated water could be siphoned through the plumbing system into the public water mains. These pressure drops occur somewhere in the City almost every day. Backflow prevention devices are invaluable in preventing contaminants from entering the water supply in these situations.

Property owners/tenants have the responsibility to ensure that no cross connections exist on their property and that they are properly protected with an approved backflow prevention device. Property owners/ tenants must have these devices tested annually to ensure proper, continuous operation. A list of registered testers can be obtained from the Lincoln Water System by calling 402-441-5912. The cost of the test is the responsibility of the owner. For more information on the cross connection program, visit the City's Web site at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: water).

In addition, City ordinance requires the installation of backflow prevention devices on lawn irrigation systems. Even though State law does not require these devices to be tested, property owners are encouraged to have the devices tested annually to protect against contamination of the interior plumbing system.

Purifying Our Water

Thanks to the natural filtration of the aquifer, nature has already done much of the work in enhancing the quality of Lincoln's water. Our water still contains iron and manganese, which pose no health concern but can stain clothing and plumbing fixtures. To remove these unwanted elements, water is pumped to the water treatment plants. The water flows through one of two processes before it is sent to your home or business.

1. The oldest process, highly effective since the 1930s, uses aeration, chlorination, detention and filtration. An exact amount of chlorine is added to the water in a large underground reservoir. The water is held in the reservoir for up to two hours. The iron and manganese form particles which are then trapped in the sand and gravel filters. The filters are cleaned every 120 hours using a process called backwashing.
2. The second process uses ozone technology. Ozone, an extremely strong oxidizer and disinfectant, reacts quickly with iron and manganese to form particles which are then removed in the filtration process.

The next step is vital to protecting the health of our community. Once the water passes through the filters, small but exact amounts of chlorine and ammonia are added. These chemicals combine to form a disinfectant called "chloramine," which prevents the growth of bacteria in the City's water pipes. Finally, fluoride is added to help prevent tooth decay.

Repeated Testing

Our commitment to your water quality does not end when the water leaves the treatment plant. Water samples from homes and businesses throughout the City are tested daily. We work closely with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to test the water using approved EPA procedures.

We go a step farther. In addition to government-mandated testing for nearly 100 regulated compounds, our own laboratory technicians regularly test your water to make sure that the treatment process at the plant is working correctly.

Key to Test Results

• MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level: The highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• MCLG - Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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.
• N/A - Not applicable; ND - Not detected; pCi/L - pico Curies per liter (measure of radioactivity)
• NTU - Nephelometric Turbidity Unit: A measure of the cloudiness of the water.
• (a) Lincoln Peaking Wells produced 0.15 % of the water consumed in 2007.
• (b) Samples collected from homes and businesses in the distribution system.
• (c) Water from the treatment plant does not contain lead or copper. Tests for lead and copper are collected from the customer’s tap to ensure the substances have not been dissolved from the customer’s service or interior piping system.
• (d) Fluoride is added in treatment to bring the natural level of about 0.4 ppm to the optimum of 1.0 ppm.
• (e) TT - Treatment Technique
  * Action Level is the concentration of a contaminant which triggers treatment or another requirement which a water system must follow.
• (f) Samples collected quarterly in 2007.

Test Results (2007 Data unless otherwise noted)

Regulated Contaminants Tested and Not Detected:

Inorganic Chemicals:

Antimony, Asbestos, Beryllium, Cadmium, Cyanide, Mercury, Thallium. Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC’s): Benzene, Carbon Tetrachloride, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Dichloromethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Ethylbenzene, Chlorobenzene, Tetrachloroethene, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl Chloride, Styrene, Toluene, Xylenes (total).

Non-Volatile Synthetic Organic Chemicals including herbicides and pesticides:

Alachlor, Benzo(a)pyrene, Chlordane, Dalapon, Di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate, Dinoseb, Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, Diquat, 2,4-D, Endothall, Endrin, Ethylene Dibromide, Heptachlor, Heptachlor Epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Pentachlorophenol, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Simazine, Picloram, Toxaphene, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Carbofuran, Oxamyl.

Disinfection - By - Products:

Bromate.

Unregulated Contaminants Tested

Although unregulated, Lincoln Water System monitors the following contaminants:

Tested and Not Detected:

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloropropene, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,3-Dichloropropane, cis-1,3-Dichloropropene, 2,2-Dichloropropane, Bromobenzene, Bromomethane, Chlorobenzene, Chloroethane, Chloromethane, Dicamba, Dibromomethane, m-Dichlorobenzene, m-Xylene, o-Chlorotoluene, o-Xylene, p-Chlorotoluene, p-Xylene, Aldrin, Butachlor, Dieldrin, Metolachlor, Metribuzin, Propachlor, Paraquat, Methyl-T-Butyl-Ether (MTBE), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2-Dibromoethane, 2-Chlorotoluene, n-butylbenzene, sec-Butylbenzene, tert-Butylbenzene, n-Propylbenzene, p-Isopropyltoluene, trans-1, 3-Dichloropropene, Bromochloromethane, Chloropyrifos, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Hexachlorobutadiene, Naphthalene, Trichlorofluoromethane, Butylate, Cyanazine, 1,2-Dibromoethane, Fonofos, Isopropylbenzene, 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene, Trifuralin, aldicarb, aldicarb sulfone, aldicarb sulfoxide, carbaryl, methomyl, 3-hydroxycarbofuran

Lincoln Water System

2021 N. 27^th

Lincoln, NE

Chris Beutler

Mayor

Greg MacLean

Director

Public Works and Utilities