2007 WATER QUALITY REPORT


We are pleased to present the 2007 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report to our valued customers. This report is designed to inform the public about the quality of the water MUPB delivers every day. Our goal is to provide you with a safe and reliable supply of drinking water. We want you to be aware of the efforts that are continually made to improve the water treatment process.

Our water source is the Licking River. The Licking River is a surface water source. The intake is located in Rowan County. The Morehead Utility Plant Board is committed to ensuring the highest quality of drinking water. Our water quality meets or exceeds all local, state, and federal regulations.

The Morehead Utility Plant Board routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water in compliance with federal and state laws. The following pages include a table that explains the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2007.

Activities and land uses upstream of the Morehead Utility Plant Board’s source water can pose potential risks to your drinking water. Under certain circumstances, contaminants could be released that would pose challenges to water treatment or even get into your drinking water. These activities, and how they are conducted, are of interest to the entire community because they potentially affect your health and the cost of treating your water. Activities immediately upstream of your water supply intake are of special concern because they provide little response time to the water system operators. An analysis of the susceptibility of the Morehead Utility Plant Board’s raw water supply to contamination indicates that the susceptibility potential is generally moderate. There are a few areas of high concern near the raw water withdrawal site. Farming sites located in the area present the possibility for the impact from the application of pesticides and fertilizer. Bridges and major road ways used to access the Cave Run Lake recreational area also pose a threat to the intake should an accidental release of a harmful substance be introduced into the water source. Another source of potential concern in the critical protection area is a small wastewater package treatment plant located in the area. A small commercial airport and the presence of two underground storage tanks are also considered to be significant sites of concern. Other sites of medium concern include a marina, a fish hatchery, the presence of an underground storage tank and a small grocery/gas station, and a manufacturing industry. The complete Source Water Assessment is available at the Water Treatment Plant for inspection.

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. It can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
a.) microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
b.) inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, and 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 ad 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, 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 shall provide the same protect for public health.

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 may be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Special Information Available:


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 persons and infants -- can be particularly at risk to infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).



IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Tests Showed Coliform Bacteria in
MOREHEAD UTILITY PLANT BOARD


Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, and what we did to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Standards require that no more than1 sample per month may show the presence of coliform bacteria.

During the month of September 2007 we took 16 samples for coliform bacteria. 2 of our samples showed the presence of coliform bacteria.

What should I do?
You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.

What does this mean?
This is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified immediately. Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves. Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the treatment or distribution system (pipes). Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present. We did not find any of these bacteria in our subsequent testing, and further testing shows that this problem has been resolved.

What happened? What was done?
One of our routine monthly samples tested positive for Total Coliform. We re-sampled upstream, original site and downstream per Division of Water requirements. The upstream and downstream samples came back negative. The original site tested positive for Total Coliform which is a tier ll violation. Morehead Utility Plant Board flushed the lines again and all tests came back negative.

For more information contact: MIKE NICKELL
Phone: 606-784-8313
Mailing Address: 135 SOUTH WILSON AVE. MOREHEAD KY 40351

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by: MOREHEAD UTILITY PLANT BOARD
Public Water System ID #: Ky-1030292 Date 2/26/2008

Spanish - Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre la calidad de su agua beber. Tradúzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.



2007
PARTICULATE TEST RESULTS
  Allowable Levels Highest Single Measurements Lowest Monthly % Violation Y/N Likely Source
Turbidity Never more than .1 NTU. Less than 0.3 NTU 95% of samples (All other filters)(TT). .15 NTU 100% N Soil Runoff
Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfections and provide a medium for microbial growth.
Turbidity is a measure of treatment performance and is regulated as a treatment technique.
Turbidity is measured in Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), and is a measure of the clarity of the water.
Turbidity in the excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.


Contaminant [Code]
(units) 		MCL MCLG Highest Detection Range Date Of Sample Violation Likely Source of Contamination
Total Coli-form
Bacteria [3100]
%Positive Samples 		2 or more positive samples per month 0 2 positive
samples 		0 9-3-2007
9-4-2007 		Y Naturally present in environment
Total Organic Carbon(ppm)
Measured as (ppm)
reported in Ratio 		TT N/A 1.00 Lowest Average .27-1.28 (Monthly Ratios) N/A N Naturally present in environment
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
(ppb) 		60 N/A 45 Annual
Average 		16.2-73.6 2nd Quarter 2007 N Naturally present in environment
TTHM
[total trihalomethanes]
(ppb) 		80 N/A Average 52 20-68 N/A N By-product of drinking water chlorination
* Monthly ratio is %TOC removal achieved to the % TOC removal required. Annual average of the monthly ratios must be 1.00 or greater for compliance.


INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS
Contaminant [Code]
(units) 		MCL MCLG Highest Detection Range Date Of Sample Violation Likely Source of Contamination
Barium
[1010](ppm) 		2 2 .022 .022 03-07 N Discharge of drilling waste, discharge from metal refineries, erosion of natural deposits
Fluoride
[1025](ppm) 		4 4 1.09 .58-1.55 02-07 N Erosion of natural deposits, water additive - promotes strong teeth, discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Chlorine (ppm) MRDL
4 		MRDLG
4 		.84
(annual avg.) 		.30-1.52 3rd Quarter
2007 		N Water additive used to control microbes
Copper
[1022](ppm)
0 site>al 		1.3 1.3 90th percentile
.16 		.003-.22 06-06 N Corrosion of household plumbing system; erosion of natural deposits; leeching from wood preservatives
Nitrate(as Nitrogen)
[1040](ppm) 		10 10 .144 0.1-.144 03-07 N Runoff from fertilizer use; leeching from septic tanks; sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Radium
[4030] 		5 0 1 0.1-1 9-12-02 N Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit forms of radiation known as photons and beta radiation. Some people who drink water containing beta particle and photon radioactivity in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.


DEFINITIONS
Non-Detect (ND) Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.
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) MCL is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL's are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technologies.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) The "goal" (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is known or expected risk to health. MCLG's allow for a margin of safety.
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) A unit of measurement used to measure the amount of turbidity in water.
Parts Per Million (ppm) One part per million corresponds with one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts Per Billion (ppb) One part per billion corresponds with one minute in 2,000 years or one penny in $10,000,000.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Goal (MRDLG) The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG's do not reflect the benefits of use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
Action Levels (AL) The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.