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 six wells located along Highway 51 in Independence, Oregon. In emergency situations, it is possible for us to obtain water from the City of Dallas, as we do have a joint connection with them.
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 Sarah Smith at 503-623-2016. 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 6 pm in the Rickreall Community Water Association office.
Rickreall Community Water Association 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 31, 2024. 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 may 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) of 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) of 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 quadrillions corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000,000 years or one penny in
$10,000,000,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/L)-picocuties 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 Unity (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.
Variances & Exemptions (V&E)- State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions.
Action Level-the concentration of 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. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
NITRATE:
Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10ppm 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 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.
TOTAL COLIFORM BACTERIA:
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 mail-out flyer, newspaper, television or radio.
COPPER:
Copper levels have been detected in a small percentage of past testing done. In the past, levels have been slightly higher than the MCL. The issue of lead/copper treatment is being addressed in our Master Plan.
LEAD:
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Rickreall Community Water Association is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
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.
Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water this year. 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.
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 infections by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
We at Rickreall Community Water Association work around the clock to provide top quality water to all of our customers. 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.
Please see the attached table for detects within our system.
Sincerely, The Board of Directors
President: Claude White
Vice President: Tom Thomson
Secretary/Treasurer: Chris Patoine
Board Members:
Gary Halleen
Tom Meinzer
Bryan Brown
Email: [email protected]
