View the PDF version Google Docs PDF Viewer
2021 WATER
QUALITY REPORT
City of Muskegon
WATER QUALITY
EXCEEDS THE MARK!
We are pleased to report that the water we treat has never had a violation of a
contaminant level or of any other water quality standard.
This report covers the drinking water quality for the City of Muskegon (Water
Supply Serial Number 04570) for the 2021 calendar year. This information
details where our water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and state standards.
Your water comes from Lake Michigan and is treated at the City of Muskegon
Water Filtration Plant. The personnel of the Muskegon Water Filtration Plant
are committed to providing you with a safe and reliable water supply. A team
of state-certified waterworks operators work 24/7 to oversee the water
treatment and distribution processes. More than 100,000 water samples were
analyzed throughout 2021 for different chemical, physical, and
microbiological parameters. The State of Michigan and the USEPA require us
to test our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety. We met all the
monitoring and reporting requirements for 2021.
Informed customers are our best allies in maintaining safe drinking water. For
more information about your water or the contents of this report, contact the
Water Filtration Plant at (231) 724-4106.
The Muskegon
Water
Filtration Plant
treated over 4
billion gallons
of water in
2021!
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 01
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
SOURCE WATER
Our water source is surface water from Lake Michigan. The state
performed an assessment of our source water in 2004 to determine the
susceptibility or the relative potential of contamination. The
susceptibility rating is on a six-tiered scale from very low to high based
primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry, and contaminant
sources. The susceptibility of our source is moderately high. The report
notes that “histor ically, the City of Muskegon Water Filtration Plant has
effectively treated this source water to meet drinking water standards.”
In 2017, the City completed a Source Water Intake Protection Plan
(SWIPP) with the purpose of protecting the long-term viability of
Muskegon’s drinking water supply by reducing the potential risk of
surface and subsurface contamination from affecting the source water
protection area. If you would like more information about these reports,
please contact the Water Filtration Plant at 231-724-4106.
VULNERABILITY OF
SUB-POPULATIONS
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 systems 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.
USEPA/Center 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).
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 02
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
DRINKING WATER Three gallons of water
CONTAMINANTS
cost about one penny,
delivered to you 24
hours a day, seven
days a week!
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 USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-
426-4791).
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes,
streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. Our water comes from Lake Michigan. 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.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage
treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
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.
Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture
and residential uses.
Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and
gas production and mining activities.
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.
To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the USEPA prescribes regulations that limit the
levels of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Federal Food and
Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which
provide the same protection for public health.
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 03
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
TREATED WATER
QUALITY CHARTS
The tables below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected in
2021. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily
indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data
presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31,
2021. The State allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once
per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected
to vary significantly from year to year. All the data is representative of the
water quality, but some are more than one year old. Definitions for terms
and abbreviations are available on the last page.
Regulated at the Treatment Plant
Level
Substance MCL MCLG Range Year Violation Typical Source
Detected
Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge
Barium
2 2 0.02 N/A 2017 No from metal refineries; erosion of natural
(ppm)
deposits
Fluoride Water additive which promotes strong
4.0 4.0 0.75 0.68-0.81 2021 No
(ppm)* teeth
Runoff from fertilizer use; leaking from
Nitrate
10 10 0.52 0.24-0.52 2021 No septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural
(ppm)
deposits
Firefighting foam; discharge from
PFOS
16 N/A 2.2 2.0-2.5 2021 No electroplating facilities; discharge and
(ppt)*
waste from industrial waste
Total
23% removal 11-32%
Organic TT N/A 2021 No Naturally present in the environment
(23% required) removal
Carbon*
Turbidity
1 (TT) N/A 0.06 N/A 2021 No Soil runoff
(ntu)**
*The level detected for this substance is reported as a running annual average (RAA).
**Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. Turbidity must also be
≤0.3 ntu for ≥95% of measurements each month. 100% of the samples were ≤0.3 ntu each month.
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 04
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
Regulated in the Distribution System
MRDL,
MRDLG
MCL, Level Typical
Substance or Range Year Violation
or Detected Source
MCLG
TT
Water additive
Chlorine
4 4 1.21 0.32-1.63 2021 No used to control
(ppm)
microbes
Byproduct of
Trihalomethanes
80 N/A 43 13-33 2021 No drinking water
(ppb)
disinfection
Byproduct of
Haloacetic acids
60 N/A 24 7.4-16.6 2021 No drinking water
(ppb)
disinfection
Human or
See 0 positive
E. Coli 0 N/A 2021 No animal fecal
Note* samples
waste
*E. coli MCL violation occurs if: (1) routine and repeat samples are total coliform-positive and either is E. coli-positive, or (2) the supply fails to take all
required repeat samples following E. coli-positive routine sample, or (3) the supply fails to analyze total coliform-positive repeat sample for E. coli.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause
serious health problems, especially for
Regulated at the Customer's Tap pregnant women and young children. Lead in
drinking water is primarily from materials and
components associated with service lines and
home plumbing. The City of Muskegon is
responsible for providing high quality drinking
Level Samples water but cannot control the variety of
Substance AL MCLG Range Year Typical Source materials used in plumbing components.
Detected* Above AL
When your water has been sitting for several
hours, you can minimize the potential for lead
Lead service lines, corrosion of exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds
Lead household plumbing including to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or
15 0 4 0-8 2020 0 cooking. If you have a lead service line, it is
(ppb) fittings and fixtures; erosion of
recommended that you run your water for at
natural deposits
least 5 minutes to flush water from both your
Corrosion of household home plumbing and the lead service line. If
Copper you are concerned about lead in your water,
1.3 1.3 0.1 0.0-0.3 2020 0 plumbing systems; erosion of
(ppm) you may wish to have your water tested.
natural deposits
Information on lead in drinking water, testing
methods, and steps you can take to minimize
*Ninety (90) percent of the samples collected were at or below the level reported for our water. exposure is available from the USEPA’s Safe
Our water supply has 10,509 service lines of unknown material assumed to be lead out of a total of 12,881 service lines. Drinking Water Hotline or at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead
Additional Monitoring
The following substances are unregulated contaminants for which the U.S. EPA has not established drinking
water standards. Monitoring helps the U.S. EPA determine where certain contaminants occur and whether
regulation of those contaminants is needed.
Substance Average Level Range Year Typical Source
Naturally present in
Calcium (ppm) 38 35-44 2021
the environment
Naturally present in
Magnesium (ppm) 13 12-15 2021
the environment
Naturally present in
Hardness (ppm) 148 140-170 2021
the environment
Naturally present in
Sodium (ppm) 12 10-15 2021
the environment
Naturally present in
Sulfate (ppm) 34 30-37 2021
the environment
Haloacetic Acids Byproduct of drinking
34 27-46 2020
(HAA9) (ppb) water disinfection
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 05
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
TERMS AND
ABBREVIATIONS
Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if
exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirement that a water
system must follow.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): 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.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): 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 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 Level Goal (MRDLG): The level
of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or
expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the
use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
N/A: Not applicable
ND: not detectable at testing limit
ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter
ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter
ppt: parts per trillion or nanograms per liter
Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce
the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
ntu: nephelometric turbidity units
Get Involved!
Meetings that deal with decisions about our source water are
conducted through the Muskegon Conservation District at
(231) 773-0008.
For further information, see U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) water information at www.epa.gov/safewater.
Thank You
We will update this report annually and will keep you informed of
any problems that may occur throughout the year as they happen.
Copies are available at Muskegon City Hall (933 Terrace St) and the
City of Muskegon Public Service Building (1350 East Keating Ave).
CITY OF MUSKEGON
PAGE 06
WATER QUALITY REPORT 2021
Sign up for City of Muskegon Emails