2023 Annual Water Quality Report

 This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made to provide safe drinking water.

Attencion!

Este informe contiene información muy importante. Tradúscalo o prequntele a alguien que lo entienda bien.

[Translated: This report contains very important information. Translate or ask someone who understands this very well.]

What is the source of my water?

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Our water comes from the following source(s):

Source Water Assessment

The Department of Natural Resources conducted a source water assessment to determine the susceptibility of our water source to potential contaminants. This process involved the establishment of source water area delineations for each well or surface water intake and then a contaminant inventory was performed within those delineated areas to assess potential threats to each source. Assessment maps and summary information sheets are available on the internet at https://drinkingwater.missouri.edu/. The Missouri Source Water Protection and Assessment maps and information sheets provide a foundation upon which a more comprehensive source water protection plan can be developed.

Why are there contaminants in my water?

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 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 (800-4264791).

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

1. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
2. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturallyoccurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
3. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
4. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
5. Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Department of Natural Resources prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Department of Health regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Is our water system meeting other rules that govern our operations?

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources regulates our water system and requires us to test our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety. Our system has been assigned the identification number MO5024319 for the purposes of tracking our test results. Last year, we tested for a variety of contaminants. The detectable results of these tests are on the following pages of this report. Any violations of state requirements or standards will be further explained later in this report.

How might I become actively involved?

If you would like to observe the decision-making process that affect drinking water quality or if you have any further questions about your drinking water report, please call us at 417-532-4525 to inquire about scheduled meetings or contact persons.

Do I need to take any special precautions?

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Terms and Abbreviations

Population: 6075. This is the equivalent residential population served including non-bill paying customers.

90th percentile: For Lead and Copper testing. 10% of test results are above this level and 90% are below this level.

AL: Action Level, or the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

HAA5: Haloacetic Acids (mono-, di- and tri-chloracetic acid, and mono- and dibromoacetic acid) as a group.

LRAA: Locational Running Annual Average, or the locational average of sample analytical results for samples taken during the previous four calendar quarters.

MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or 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.

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level, or 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.

n/a: not applicable.

nd: not detectable at testing limits.

NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit, used to measure cloudiness in drinking water.

ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter.

ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter.

RAA: Running Annual Average, or the average of sample analytical results for samples taken during the previous four calendar quarters.

Range of Results: Shows the lowest and highest levels found during a testing period, if only one sample was taken, then this number equals the Highest Test Result or Highest Value.

SMCL: Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level, or the secondary standards that are non-enforceable guidelines for contaminants and may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor or color) in drinking water. EPA recommends these standards but does not require water systems to comply TT: Treatment Technique, or a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

TTHM: Total Trihalomethanes (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform) as a group.

 Contaminants Report

LACLEDE COUNTY PWSD 3 will provide a printed hard copy of the CCR upon request. To request a copy of this report to be mailed, please call us at 417-532-4525. The CCR can also be found in PDF format on the internet at www.dnr.mo.gov/ccr/MO5024319.pdf.

The state has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Records with a sample year more than one year old are still considered representative. No data older than 5 years need be included. If more than one sample is collected during the monitoring period, the Range of Sampled Results will show the lowest and highest tested results. The Highest Test Result, Highest LRAA, or Highest Value must be below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) or the contaminant has exceeded the level of health based standards and a violation is issued to the water system.

Regulated Contaminants

Violations and Health Effects Information

During the 2023 calendar year, we had the below noted violation(s) of drinking water regulations.

Special Lead and Copper Notice:

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. LACLEDE COUNTY PWSD 3 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 (800-426-4791) or at EPA Safe Drinking Water website.

All contaminant sample results from past and present compliance monitoring are available online at the Missouri DNR Drinking Water Watch website. To see the Lead and Copper results, enter your water system’s name in the box titled Water System Name, then select Find Water Systems at the bottom of the page. On the next screen, click on the Water System Number. At the top of the next page, under the Help column, click on Other Chemical Results by Analyte. Scroll down to Lead and click the blue Analyte Code (1030). A Sample Collection Date range may need to be entered. The Lead and Copper locations will be displayed under the heading Sample Comments. Scroll to find your location and click on the Sample No. for results. If you assisted the water system in taking a Lead and Copper sample but cannot find your location on the list, please contact LACLEDE COUNTY PWSD 3 for your results.

Optional Monitoring (not required by EPA)

Optional Contaminants

Monitoring is not required for optional contaminants.

Secondary standards are non-enforceable guidelines for contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor or color) in drinking water. EPA recommends these standards but does not require water systems to comply.

End of 2023 Report