FORT KENT WATER DEPARTMENT

416 West Main Street

Fort Kent, Maine 04743

Phone: 834-3003 Fax: 834-2229

E-Mail- watersewer@fortkent.org

2006 Consumer Confidence Report

For the Fort Kent Water Department System

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

(Created 5/15/07)

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.

WATER SOURCE

Our water source is derived via two wells located east of the Fort Kent business district. Well #1 was drilled in 1960 and has a depth of sixty-two feet. Well #2 was drilled in 1979 and is sixty-five feet deep. Both are made of metal casing and gravel constitutes most of the surrounding soil. These two wells serve a population of more than eighteen hundred people and have pumped an average of 219,830 gallons per day in 2006. Chemicals that were used consisted of Sodium Hypochlorite for disinfection, Sodium Fluoride that promotes strong teeth, and aeration for a higher pH and Radon removal.

WATER QUALITY

The Maine Drinking Water Program, in cooperation with local public water suppliers (PWS), has conducted a statewide assessment of the risks to public water supply wells and intakes from human activities. All wells were rated on the current and future risk for contamination by both acute contaminants, like bacteria, and chronic contaminants, like petroleum hydrocarbons. The Fort Kent Water Department assessment is as follows, Existing Risk of Contamination Based on Well Type and Site Geology: Moderate Risk. Existing Risk of Acute Contamination: Low Risk. . Existing Risk of Chronic Contamination: Moderate Risk. Future Risk of Chronic Contamination: Moderate Risk. For more information on the Source Water Assessment Program, please call the Water Department or the Drinking Water Program at 287-2070.

A Wellhead Protection Plan was established in June 1995. A copy of this plan is available upon request.

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 Mark Soucy, Fort Kent Water Department Head, Tel: 834-3003 or 3463. 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 held on the Second and Fourth Monday of every month.

The Fort Kent Water Department 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 1 2006 to December 31, 2006. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. 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 will find many terms and abbreviations that 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) or 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.

pos – positive samples.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Action Level (AL) - the concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The 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 (MCLG) - The 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.

The following contaminants were tested for:

Microbiological Contaminants 46. Hexachlorocyclo-pentadiene

1. Total Coliform Bacteria 47. Lindane

2. Fecal coliform and E.coli 48. Methoxychlor

3. Turbidity 49. Oxamyl [Vydate]

Radioactive Contaminants 50. PCBs [Polychlorinated biphenyls]

4. Beta/photon emitters 51. Pentachlorophenol

5. Alpha emitters 52. Picloram

6. Combined radium 53. Simazine

Uranium 54. Toxaphene

Radon Volatile Organic Contaminant

Inorganic Contaminants

7. Antimony 55. Benzene

8. Arsenic 56. Carbon tetrachloride

9. Asbestos 57. Chlorobenzene

10. Barium 58. o-Dichlorobenzene

11. Beryllium 59. p-Dichlorobenzene

12. Cadmium 60. 1,2 - Dichloroethane

13. Chromium 61. 1,1 - Dichloroethyle

14. Copper 62. cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene

15. Cyanide 63. trans - 1,2 -Dichloroethylene

16. Fluoride 64. Dichloromethane

17. Lead 65. 1,2-Dichloropropane

18. Mercury (inorganic) 66. Ethylbenzene

19. Nitrate (as Nitrogen) 66a. Methyl-Tertiary-Butyl- Ether (MTBE) (Maine MCL)

20. Nitrite (as Nitrogen)

21. Selenium 67. Styrene

22. Thallium 68. Tetrachloroethylene

Synthetic Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides

23. 2,4-D

24. 2,4,5-TP (Silvex) 69. 1,2,4 -Trichlorobenzene

25. Acrylamide 70. 1,1,1 - Trichloroethane

26. Alachlor 71. 1,1,2 -Trichloroethane

27. Atrazine 72. Trichloroethylene

28. Benzo(a)pyrene (PAH) 73. TTHM [Total trihalomethanes]

29. Carbofuran 74. Toluene

30. Chlordane 75. Vinyl Chloride

31. Dalapon 76. Xylenes

32. Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate

33. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

34. Dibromochloropropane

35. Dinoseb

36. Diquat

37. Dioxin [2,3,7,8-TCDD]

38. Endothall

39. Endrin

40. Epichlorohydrin

41. Ethylene dibromide

42. Glyphosate

43. Heptachlor

44. Heptachlor epoxide

45. Hexachlorobenzene

The following contaminants were tested for:

TEST RESULTS
Contaminant	Date	Results	Unit Measurement	MCL	MCLG		Likely Source of Contamination
INORGANICS
Barium	4/25/05	.0028	ppm	2 ppm	2 ppm	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits.
Copper (8)	6/8/05	0.60 90^th% Value	ppm	AL= 1.3 ppm	1.3 ppm	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Fluoride (3)	1/5/06	1.48 Highest level found.	ppm	4 ppm	4 ppm	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Lead (8)	6/28/05	9 90^th% Value	ppb	AL = 15 ppb	0 ppb	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits
Nitrate (as Nitrogen)	2/8/06	0.92	ppm	10 ppm	10 ppm	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Radionuclides Radon Screen (5)	2/10/03	19	PCi/l	4000 pCi/l	300 pCi/l	Erosion of natural deposits.
Gross Alpha Screen	2/8/06	0.151	PCi/l	15 pCi/l	0 pCi/l	Erosion of natural deposits.
Microbiological Total Coliform	2006	0	pos	1 pos	0 pos	Naturally present in the environment.

NOTES:

1. Total Coliform Bacteria: Reported as the highest monthly number of positive samples, for water systems that take < 40 samples per month.

2. Arsenic: The U.S. EPA adopted the new MCL standard in October 2001. Water Systems must meet this new standard by January.

3. Fluoride: Fluoride levels must be maintained between 1-2 ppm, for those water systems that fluoridate the water.

4. Nitrate: Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. 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 for advice from your health care provider.

5. Radon: The State of Maine currently recommends follow-up action (treatment) for Radon levels in drinking water above 20,000 pCi/L. the U.S. EPA is considering setting lower standards for Radon in drinking water.

6. Gross Alpha: Action Level over 5 pCi/L requires testing for Radium. Action level over 15pCi/L requires testing for Radon and Uranium.

7. Uranium: The U.S. EPA adopted the new standard of 30 ppb, in December 2000. Water systems must meet this new standard by December 2003.

8. Lead /Copper: Action levels are measured at consumer’s tap. 90% of the tests must be equal to or below the action level.

9. TTHM/HAA5: Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) are formed as a by-product of drinking water chlorination. This chemical reaction occurs when chlorine combines with naterally occurring organib matter in water.

All other regulated drinking water contaminants were below detection levels.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. 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.

Lead: Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, but it can add to a person's total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminates 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 lesson the risk of infection by microbiological contaminates are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

YOUR WATER SYSTEM

The Fort Kent Water Department has recently changed billing software. The transition has been tough at times but should result in a better billing system. The look of our bills has changed and now we have the ability to notify our customers of upcoming events, meeting dates, etc. If you have any suggestions, concerns or comments about the new billing system or anything else, please let us know.

2006 PUMPING

The Water Department pumped 86,443,000 gallons of water in 2005. In 2006 we pumped 80,237,120 gallons. This is a decrease of 6,205,880 million gallons. This is the least amount of water pumped on record for Fort Kent Water. Since 1976 the maximum pumped was 258,500,000 gallons, this was in 1976, and the minimum pumped was in 2006.Our total from 1976 to 2006 is about 4.2 Billion gallons. This would fill a pool 1 mile long by 1 mile wide by 20 feet deep.

EMPLOYEE CORNER

We currently have four full time employees. Greg Bernier, who has been with the Department for 12 years, holds a Class IV Water Treatment license and a Class IV Water Distribution license. Ricky Berube, who has been with the Department 7 years, holds a Class II Water Treatment license and a Class II Water Distribution license. Jerad Royal, who has been with the Department 6 years, holds a Class II Water Treatment license and a Class II Water Distribution license. Mark Soucy, who has been with the Department 10 years, holds a Class IV Water Treatment license and a Class IV Water Distribution license.

WEB ACESS

The Town of Fort Kent currently has a web site at http://fortkent.org/. In 2007 we hope to have more water information like rates and schedules, progress reports on ongoing projects and any other information that may be needed. If there is anything you would like to see on this web page, please let us know.

If you have any questions about this information or about the quality of your water, please call us at the Town Office: 834-3003. Treatment Plant: 834-3463.