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System Vulnerability of
We are pleased to report that the water we treat has never had a Sub-populations
Overview
violation of a contaminant level or of any other water quality
The Muskegon Water standard. Some people may be
Filtration Plant is a This report contains a summary of the quality of the water more vulnerable to
conventional drinking provided to you during 2020 and details where our water comes contaminants in drinking
water treatment plant from, what it contains, and the risks our water testing and water than the general
with a capacity of 40 treatment are designed to prevent. The personnel of the population. Immuno-
million gallons per day. Muskegon Water Filtration Plant are committed to providing you compromised persons
Our customers include with a safe and reliable water supply. Informed customers are such as persons with
the City of Muskegon, our best allies in maintaining safe drinking water. cancer undergoing
Fruitport Township, chemotherapy, persons
Muskegon County Our state-certified laboratory runs over 8,000 tests a year, who have undergone
Northside, Muskegon including collecting water samples at various stages of the organ transplants,
Township, the City of treatment process as well as throughout the distribution system. people with HIV/AIDS
North Muskegon, the These samples are analyzed for many different chemical and or other immune systems
City of Norton Shores, microbiological parameters. disorders, some elderly,
and the City of Our sophisticated laboratory equipment can detect substances at and infants can be
Roosevelt Park. very minute levels. Drinking water, including bottled water, may particularly at risk from
reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some infections. These people
Our water comes from contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily should seek advice
Lake Michigan. The state indicate our water poses a health risk. For more information about drinking water
performed an assessment about contaminants and potential health effects, call the from their health care
of our source water in U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. providers. U.S.
2003 to determine the EPA/Center for Disease
susceptibility or the Control guidelines on
relative potential of appropriate means to
contamination. The lessen the risk of
susceptibility rating is infection by
on a six-tiered scale Cryptosporidium
from very low to high and other microbial
based primarily on contaminants are
geologic sensitivity, available from the Safe
water chemistry, and Drinking Water Hotline
contaminant sources. (800-426-4791).
Get Involved!
The susceptibility
of our source water is CUSTOMER VIEWS WELCOME!
moderately high. Meetings that deal with decisions about our source water
DID YOU KNOW?
are conducted through the Muskegon Conservation
District at (231) 773-0008. Four gallons of
water cost about
The Muskegon Water Consult our website at www.shorelinecity.com or contact one penny, delivered
Filtration Plant the Water Filtration Plant at (231) 724-4106. to you 24 hours a
treated over 4 billion For further information, see U.S. Environmental Protection day, seven days a
gallons of water in Agency (EPA) water information at week!
2020. www.epa.gov/safewater.
C I TY OF MUSKE GON TREATE D W ATE R QU AL I TY C HART
The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected in 2020. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Sources of Drinking Water
Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2020. The State allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include
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. rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. Our water comes
Regulated at the Treatment Plant 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,
Substance MCL MCLG Level Detected Range Year Violation Typical Source radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence
Barium (ppm) 2 2 0.02 N/A 2017 No Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in
source water include: Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria,
Fluoride (ppm) 4.0 4.0 0.72 0.65-0.79 2020 No Water additive which promotes strong teeth which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural
Nitrate (ppm) 10 10 0.9 0-0.9 2020 No Runoff from fertilizer use; leaking from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits livestock operations and wildlife. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and
metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater
PFOS (ppt) 16 N/A 3 0-3 2019 No Firefighting foam; discharge from electroplating facilities; discharge and waste from industrial waste runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production,
Total Organic 22% removal 17-33% mining or farming. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety
TT N/A 2020 No Naturally present in the environment of sources such as agriculture and residential uses. Radioactive contaminants,
Carbon (20% required) removal
which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and
Turbidity (ntu)1 1 (TT) N/A 0.08 N/A 2020 No Soil runoff mining activities. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and
1Turbidity
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 volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and
each month. 100% of the samples were ≤0.3 ntu each month. petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater
runoff, and septic systems. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink,
Regulated in the Distribution System the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations that limit the levels of certain
contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Federal Food and
MRDL MRDLG Level Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled
Substance Range Year Violation Typical Source
or MCL or MCLG Detected water which provide the same protection for public health.
Chlorine (ppm) 4.0 4 1.21 0.08-1.70 2020 No Water additive used to control microbes
Trihalomethanes (ppb)2 80 N/A 45.1 25.5-76.9 2020 No Byproduct of drinking water disinfection Information About Lead
Haloacetic acids (ppb)2 60 N/A 31 16-49 2020 No Byproduct of drinking water disinfection If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially
for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily
0 positive from materials and components associated with service lines and home
E. coli See note3 0 N/A 2020 No Human or animal fecal waste
samples plumbing. The City of Muskegon is responsible for providing high quality
2During the August 2020 monitoring period, we collected samples for trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. The samples were received by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and
drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing
Energy (EGLE) Drinking Water Laboratory within the monitoring period, but they were not analyzed. The laboratory’s delay in notifying us of this situation prohibited us from recollecting the components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can
samples within the monitoring period, and we received a monitoring violation for not having sample results for August 2020. EGLE acknowledged that their laboratory was unable to maintain the minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds
level of service required for analyzing samples needed for compliance with drinking water regulations. As a result, we are now using the services of a different certified laboratory. This violation did to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you have a lead
not pose a threat to the quality of the drinking water. Samples collected on September 3, 2020 returned us to compliance and levels of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were below their MCLs. service line it is recommended that you run your water for at least 5 minutes
3E. 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
to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you
routine sample, or (3) the supply fails to analyze total coliform-positive repeat sample for E. coli. 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
Regulated at the Customer’s Tap can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water
Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Level
Substance AL MCLG Range Year Samples Above AL Typical Source
Detected4
Lead (ppb) 15 0 4 0-8 2020 0 Lead service lines, corrosion of household plumbing including fittings and fixtures; erosion of natural deposits Terms and Abbreviations
Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded,
Copper (ppm) 1.3 1.3 0.1 0.0-0.3 2020 0 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits
triggers treatment or other requirement that a water system must follow.
4Ninety(90) percent of the samples collected were at or below the level reported for our water. Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in
Our water supply has an estimated 11,529 lead service lines out of a total of 12,892 service lines. drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.
MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
Additional Monitoring Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant
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 that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as
regulation of those contaminants is needed. feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a
Substance Average Level Range Year Typical Source
disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that
Calcium (ppm) 36 34-39 2020 Naturally present in the environment addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
Magnesium (ppm) 12 12-13 2020 Naturally present in the environment Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a
drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk
Hardness (ppm) 140 130-151 2020 Naturally present in the environment to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to
Sodium (ppm) 12 10-13 2020 Naturally present in the environment control microbial contaminants.
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE):
Sulfate (ppm) 31 23-37 2020 Naturally present in the environment
The state agency that has the primary enforcement authority in Michigan for
Brominated haloacetic acids (ppb) 11 9.6-13 2020 Byproduct of drinking water disinfection the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
N/A: Not applicable
Chlorate (ppb) 224 222-225 2015 Runoff from agricultural use
ND: not detectable at testing limit
Chromium (ppb) 0.35 0.35-0.35 2015 Discharge of steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter
Hexavalent chromium (ppb) 0.075 0-0.15 2015 Erosion of natural deposits; industrial contaminant ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter
ppt: parts per trillion or nanograms per liter
Total molybdenum (ppb) 1.1 1.0-1.1 2015 Erosion of natural deposits; industrial contaminant Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level
Total strontium (ppb) 123 122-124 2015 Erosion of natural deposits; industrial contaminant of a contaminant in drinking water.
ntu: nephelometric turbidity units
Total vanadium (ppb) 0.27 0.25-0.28 2015 Erosion of natural deposits; industrial contaminant
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