THE CITY OF PARIS
2006 ANNUAL REPORT ON WATER QUALITY (Consumer Confidence Report)
MO2010624

This Annual Water Quality Report is presented to customers of the City of Paris, MO and interested parties.  This report details the quality of water delivered to users, the efforts made to provide safe drinking water and other information of interest.  If you have any questions about the information presented or need additional information, please contact us at 660-327-4334.

SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER- The City of Paris purchases all water from the MO2020421 Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission.  The water source for the CCWWC is Mark Twain Lake located in Monroe and Ralls Counties , Missouri .  Mark Twain Lake is a surface water reservoir owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  The CCWWC has entered into a contract with the Corps and the state of Missouri for purchase of water storage space in Mark Twain Lake .  The reservoir has a total of 16 million gallons of raw water per day available for drinking water purposes.  Current production average 4.0 millions of gallons per day.  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. 

INFORMATION ON WATER QUALITY – 2006 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). Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

A.           Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

B.           Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

C.           Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

D.           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 stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

E.            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.  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 infection.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers.  Environmental Protection Agency/Centers for Disease Control 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).

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 MO2010624 for the purpose 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 the report.  If you would like be observe the decision-making process that affects drinking water quality or if you have any further questions about your drinking water report, please call us at 660-327-4334 to inquire about scheduled meetings or contact persons. 

Definitions:

(1)        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. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.

(2)        MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level, or the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

(3)        TT :  Treatment Technique, or a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking  water.

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

(5)        90^th percentile: For lead and copper testing.  10% of test results are above this level and 90% are below this level.

(6)        Level Found:  is the average of all test results for a particular contaminant.

(7)        Range of Detection : Shows the lowest and highest levels found during a testing period, if only one sample was taken, then this number equals the level found.

(8)        MRLDG: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal, or the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.

(9)        MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level, or the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.

Abbreviations:

(1)                 ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter.

(2)                 ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter.

(3)                 n/a: not applicable.

(4)                 ntu: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit, used to measure cloudiness in drinking water.

(5)                 mfl: million fibers per liter, used to measure asbestos concentration.

(6)                 nd: not detectable at testing limits.

The state has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because 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.