The City of Lewis -- April 30, 2000

This report is designed to inform you about the water quality and services that your water system provides to you. Every water system's goal is to provide customers with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.

As you may be aware, the water source for the City of Lewis is groundwater from 3 wells.

This report shows the water quality for 1999 and what it means. The bottom line is that the water that is provided to you is safe.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact: Will Goodman, City Superintendent or Greg Phillips, Mayor.

It's important that customers be aware of the efforts that are made to continually improve their water system. To learn more, please attend any of the City of Lewis regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the second Monday of each month, at 7 p.m. at the new fire house meeting room.

In the continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary to address these improvements.

The City routinely monitors for constituents in the drinking water according to federal and state laws. The table which follows shows the results of this monitoring. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. More information about contaminants and their potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

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.

Quality standards for public water systems are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for most constituents we have provided the following example. A person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the maximum drinking water standard for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

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 with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, and 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, other microbiological contaminants and information about potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline At 1-800-426-4791.

To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions.

Non-Detects (ND)- no presence of the constituent

Parts per Million (ppm)-one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or one penny in $10,000

Parts per Billion (ppb)- one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or one penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries per Liter (pCi/L)- a measure of the radioactivity in water

Million Fibers per Liter (MFL)- a measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU)- a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

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

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)- the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)- the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.

As you can see by the table, your water system had no violations. Your water system meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements and is safe.

"The City works around the clock to provide top Quality water to every tap" said William Goodman. "We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children's future".