2006 Report to Consumers on Water Quality

City of Kirksville - Kirksville Water Plant

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made to continue to provide you safe drinking water.  The City is proud of the fine drinking water it provides through the Kirksville Water Plant license.

El informe contiene informacion importante sobre la calidad del agua en su communidad.  Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

This annual water quality report provides the following information:  source of water, test results, and finally contains important information about water quality and health.

We are proud to report that the water provided by Kirksville Water Plant meets or exceeds established water quality standards.  We are pleased with the results and are happy to show you how we have surpassed water quality standards.

Should there ever be a reason for concern about our water quality, the Kirksville Water Plant will notify you immediately.

Overview                                                                                                                                                                                        

The City of Kirksville operates a water treatment plant which provides water for the citizens of Kirksville, and for the Public Water Supply District which in turn supplies water to the citizens of rural Adair County and the cities of Novinger, Brashear, and LaPlata. The City has undertaken a program of major capital improvements to the plant to improve reliability and to achieve a maximum capacity of 6 million gallons per day. The second phase of plant improvements is almost complete.  Work completed includes new chlorine feed equipment and building upgrades, new raw water pumps with variable frequency drives, new lighting, a new electrical room, and renovation of two filters and their controls. The final phase of this project is scheduled for 2008 and will include replacement of the finished water pumps, electrical improvements, renovation of the laboratory and improvements to the secondary clarifies and chemical feed lines. The City of Kirksville, as per E.P.A. regulations, has established a Risk Management Plan for the Water Purification Plant. This plan is reviewed and updated annually.

Water Source

The City of Kirksville utilizes raw water from two surface water impoundments. The larger, Forest Lake (640 acres), is located in Thousand Hills State Park.  The smaller, Hazel Creek (530 acres) is located approximately seven miles north of Kirksville. The waters from these lakes are processed at the Kirksville Water Treatment Plant and sent to the citizens of Kirksville through the City owned and operated water distribution system and to the surrounding area through the Water Supply District of Adair County for consumption. In 2006 the City Watershed Management Commission developed a Source Water Protection Plan for the Hazel Creek and Forest Lake watersheds.  This plan was approved by the  Missouri Department of Natural Resources in May 2007.

Important Health Information

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 (800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include: Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife;  Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater; Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses; Organic chemical contaminants, including 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; and 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, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

How to Read the Water Quality Table

The results of tests performed in 2006 or the most recent testing available are presented in the table.  Terms used in the Water Quality Table and in other parts of this report are defined here.

Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: 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 or MCLG: 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.

Detected Level: The highest level detected of a contaminant for comparison against the acceptance levels for each parameter. These levels could be the highest single measurement, or an average of values depending on the contaminant.

Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

Range: The lowest to the highest values for all samples tested for each contaminant. If only one sample is tested, or no range is required for this report, then no range is listed for that contaminant in the table.

For additional information concerning the Kirksville Water Treatment Plant or water quality report, call (660)665-3720