FORT KENT WATER DEPARTMENT

416 West Main Street

Fort Kent, Maine 04743

Phone:  834-3003   Fax:  834-3126

E-Mail- watersewer@fortkent.org

Website: http://www.fortkent.org/

2010 Consumer Confidence Report

For the Fort Kent Water Department System

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

(Created 2/17/11)

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 189,241 gallons per day in 2010.  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.

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:  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. Fort Kent Water 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 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

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).

The following contaminants were tested for:

Microbiological Contaminants       

 1. Total Coliform Bacteria     

 2. Fecal coliform and E.coli   

3. Turbidity

Radioactive Contaminants    

 4. Beta/photon emitters          

 5. Alpha emitters                   

6. Combined radium               

     Uranium          Radon                                

Inorganic Contaminants       

 7. Antimony              

 8. Arsenic                              

 9. Asbestos                

10. Barium                                          

11. Beryllium              

12. Cadmium              

13. Chromium            

14. Copper                              

15. Cyanide                            

16. Fluoride                            

17. Lead                                 

18. Mercury (inorganic)          

19. Nitrate (as Nitrogen)         

20. Nitrite (as Nitrogen)

21. Selenium                           

22. Thallium               

Synthetic Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides                                                                                    

23. 2,4-D                                

24. 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)              

25. Acrylamide                       

26. Alachlor                

27. Atrazine                

28. Benzo(a)pyrene (PAH)     

29. Carbofuran                       

30. Chlordane             

31. Dalapon                            

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

46. Hexachlorocyclo-pentadiene

47. Lindane

48. Methoxychlor

49. Oxamyl [Vydate]

50. PCBs [Polychlorinated phenyls]

51. Pentachlorophenol

52. Picloram

53. Simazine 

54. Toxaphene

Volatile Organic Contaminant

55. Benzene

56. Carbon tetrachloride

57. Chlorobenzene

58. o-Dichlorobenzen

59. p-Dichlorobenzen

60. 1,2 - Dichloroethane

61. 1,1 - Dichloroethyle

62. cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene

63.  trans - 1,2 Dichloroethylene

64. Dichloromethane

65. 1,2-Dichloropropane

66. Ethylbenzene

66a. Methyl-Tertiary-Butyl-Ether (MTBE) (Maine MCL)

67. Styrene

68. Tetrachloroethylene

69. 1,2,4 -Trichlorobenzene

70. 1,1,1 - Trichloroethane

71. 1,1,2 -Trichloroethane

72. Trichloroethylene

73. TTHM [Total trihalomethanes]

74. Toluene   

75. Vinyl Chloride

76. Xylenes

The following contaminants were tested for:

This report shows our water quality and what it means.

In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations that you might not be familiar with.

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.

Running Annual Average( RAA ) : The average of all monthly or quarterly samples for the last year at all sample locations.

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.

YOUR WATER SYSTEM

2010 PUMPING

The Water Department pumped 72,629,370 gallons of water in 2009. In 2010 we pumped 69,073,370 gallons. This is a decrease of 3,556,000 gallons. Since 1976 the maximum pumped was 258,500,000 gallons, this was in 1976, and the minimum pumped was in 2008.Our total from 1976 to 2010 is about 4.477 Billion gallons. This would fill a pool one mile long by one mile wide by 21 feet deep.

2010 WATER PROJECTS

The Water & Wastewater Department applied for, and received, a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development ( USDA) Grant / Loan for upgrades to the Systems in the amount of  $531,000 loan and $2,605,000 Grant. A FEMA contribution of $364,000 brings the total project estimate to $3.5 Million.  The Water Department projects were completed in February of 2011,Project 1, replacement of Well house #1 and piping from the well. Project #2 a water booster pump station located on Village road. Project #3, replacement of approximately 2600 feet of 6” cast iron water line to 12” Ductile Iron water line, from the Fort Kent Town Office to Pelletier’s Florist   

EMPLOYEE CORNER

We currently have four full time employees. Greg Bernier, who has been with the Department for 15 years, holds a Class IV Water Treatment license and a Class IV Water Distribution license. Ricky Berube, who has been with the Department 11 years, holds a Class II Water Treatment license and a Class II Water Distribution license. Justin Michaud has been with the Department for 1 year. Mark Soucy, who has been with the Department 13 years, holds a Class IV Water Treatment license and a Class IV Water Distribution license.

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 2010 to December 31, 2010.  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.