We're pleased to present to you this Annual Quality Water report for the year 2008.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day.  Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.  We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.  We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. 

We purchase our water from the Northern Kentucky Water Service District that is treated surface from the Ohio and Licking Rivers. A source water assessment has been completed. The following is a summary of the susceptibility analysis that is part of the source water assessment. Several areas of concern are related to the extensive development of transportation infrastructure, the potential for spills high degree of impervious cover and polluted runoff.  Areas of row crops and urban and recreational grasses introduce the potential for herbicide, pesticide, and fertilizer use – possible non-point source contaminants. Bridges, railroads, ports, waste handlers or generators, and Tier II hazardous chemical users in the area introduce the potential for spills or leaks of hazardous materials. Landfills and permitted discharges are relatively high in number for a supply area. Other areas of concern include several segments of streams already assessed as having impairments, power line rights-of-way with potential herbicide use, and residential septic tanks leaking must also be taken into account. The entire report is available at Northern Kentucky Area Development District, 22 Spiral Dr, Florence, Ky 41042. Phone 859-283-1885

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Joyce Bryan at 485-4383.  I'm pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements.  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 the Walton Community Center located behind the Walton City Hall at 40 N. Main Street at 7:30pm.

The City of Walton Waterworks routinely monitors for contaminants 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, 2008.

Regulated Contaminants in the Water Supply

The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells.  As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and in some cases, radioactive material, and pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Drinking water, including bottled water may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. More information about the  contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, U.S. EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provide by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled which must provide the same protection for public health.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

 Microbial Contaminants. Examples include viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic Contaminants. Examples include salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.

Pesticides and Herbicides. These may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff and residential uses.

 Organic Chemical Contaminants. These include synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, also, come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

 Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally- occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM). The current MCL for TTHM is 80 ppb. Although the TTHM annual average in our water is below the MCL it has been detected at a few sample locations above the MCL. We are including the following health effects language. Some people who drink water containing THM in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection By Products Rule (DBPR).
The DBPR is an EPA Federal Regulation. The DBPR requires water systems to conduct an Initial Distribution System Evaluation (IDSE). The distribution system locations with high concentrations of THM’s and HAA’s Water Systems will use the results from the IDSE along with the current compliance locations to select more representative compliance locations to comply with the Stage 2 DBPR  the City of Walton Water Works is monitoring between August 2007 and May 2008. The range of the monitoring results for August through May 2008 for the THM’s was 28.3 -139ug/l. The range of the monitoring results for August 2007 through May 2008 for the HAA’s was 29.7-179ug/l.

There are many sources of cryptosporidium (crypto) and other microbial contaminants. For example, food such as unwashed fruits and vegetables (especially from a foreign country), swimming pools, recreational water, day care centers, pets and nursing homes are common sources.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that can live in the intestines of humans and animals and can cause the disease cryptosporidiosis The Northern Kentucky Water District has tested the Ohio and Licking Rivers for cryptsporidium, and cryptosporidium on a monthly basis. In 2006, there were two months in which crypto was found in the Ohio River and four months in which it was found in the Licking River. The Ohio River occurrences averaged 0.09 per liter while the Licking River occurrences averaged 0.17 per liter. In 2007and 2008, there was only one month that crypto was found. This occurrence was in the Licking River. No occurrences were found in the drinking water. NKWD’S testing and treatment standards of the water supply are far beyond the testing required by the EPA. Our treatment standards are much higher than those required by law and are continuously being improved. For example, our drinking water turbidity is 100 times better than the standard set by the EPA.

Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule (UCMR)

The 1996 Safe Drinking water Act Amendments required the EPA to publish a list of unregulated contaminants that are to be monitored, From this monitoring the EPA will decide if the contaminant will added to the list of contaminants for possible new drinking water standards. The UMCR contains the new list of contaminants that the public water systems are required to monitor. The NKDW completed the monitoring requirements of the UCMR in 2002. There were no detections for any of the new contaminants required. Results are available upon request. For more information please call 859-578-9898.

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 continue to look for ways to loop the water system to provide a better quality of water.  The final source water assessment for our system has been completed and is contained in the Boone County Water Supply Plan.  A summary of the system's susceptibility to potential sources of contamination is The Ohio and Licking Rivers.  The plan is available for inspection at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of contaminants.  The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects may be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791)

We at the City of Walton Waterworks 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.  If you have any questions, please call or write to us:

 
CITY OF WALTON
WATER WORKS
MAYOR PHILLIP W. TRZOP
40 N MAIN ST
P.O. BOX 95

WALTON, KENTUCKY 41094-0095

859-485-4383
JULY 1, 2009