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Saginaw Chippewa Utility Authority

Consumer Confidence Report   &

Annual Drinking Water Report

 

 

Is My Water Safe?

 

During 2012, your tap water met all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water safety standards.  Your tribal employees vigilantly safeguard your water and supplies, and we area proud to report that your water system had no violations of maximum contaminant levels or any other drinking water quality standards this past year.  This report will give you even more information about the safety of your water supply. Please read on for additional information.  Informed customers are our best allies.

 

Do I need to take special precautions?

 

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.  Immune-comprised 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 infections.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  The EPA/Centers of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

 

Where does my water come from?

 

Water for consumer use can come from a variety of sources including rivers, lakes and other surface waters. Your Tribal supply comes from underground aquifers as groundwater to your wells. A benefit of ground water is it is naturally filtered through rocks and soil. Our tribe has four wells.  Well #3 is located off of Little Elk Road.  Well # 4 is located west of Sheperd Road.  Well #5 is located north of Remus Road and Well #6 is located north of Ogemaw.

 

The water softening plant was put into operation on April 5, 2000.  Please consider not using your home water softener for the following reasons:  your water will have an increase in the sodium (salt) content, and you water could become corrosive.  The plant was designed and is operated to provide the tribal homes and businesses with water that is balanced and softened.  Resoftening can create a tinny taste and cause you to use extra water to remove soap residues. The water plant does add fluoride to the water.  If you have an aquarium with tropical fish, check with your local pet store for proper treatment of the water to avoid harmful effects on your fish.

 

Source water assessment and its availability

 

The tribe has worked with the U.S. EPA to conduct a source water assessment.  This assessment consists of identifying the area(s) around the well(s), which need to be protected from contaminations, identifying potential sources of contamination, and determining the susceptibility of the wells to contamination.  The assessment also gives us information we need as a tribal community to make sure our drinking water is safe now and in the future. We have a copy available at the water plant for review to anyone who wishes to read it. This was updated in 2009.

 

Vulnerability Study and Emergency Response Plan

 

We are required to do a vulnerability study and file it with the EPA. This has been completed as well as the Emergency Response Plan. These are available for review at the water plant.

 

Wellhead Protection

 

Because the water we drink comes from underground wells, we all need to be careful how we dispose of harmful contaminants.  This means not dumping used oil or solvents onto the ground.  They must be taken to a recycle center, or other facility to dispose of them.

 

Why are contaminants in drinking water?

 

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 EPA?s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791). 

 

 

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 also pick-up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity.

 

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

 

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

 

Organic chemical contaminants including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by products of industrial processes and petroleum production, can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

 

Radioactive contaminants which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production, and mining activities.

 

In order to insure that the tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water that is provided by a public water system.

 

 

 

 

 

Lead and Copper

 

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you 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 can take to minimize exposure is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Ordinance Number 18

 

Per the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Water and Sanitation Authority Ordinance Number 18, there shall be no fees for services to Tribal members. Other water rates are currently as follows:

 

Non Member Residential

 

Water Service                   $25.00/month for the first 15000gallons and thereafter a rate

of $2.42 per 1000 gallons

Sewer Service                   $15.00/month

Reconnection

after shutoff           $50.00

 

New water & sewer service (permit also required)  $200.00 plus cost of sewer line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-Gaming Commercial

 

Flat fee                            5/8? Meter                      $15.00

(per Quarter)          1? Meter                                    $38.85

                             2? Meter                                    $124.20

                             Over 2? meter and up to 4? meter         $400.00

                             Over 4? Meter                            As determined on an individual basis by the

                                                                   Authority

 

Monthly Variable

Rate                      $2.42 per 1000 gallons

Sewer Rate             $2.52 per 1000 gallons (gallons charged are based on 80% of water usage)

 

Miscellaneous Fees $15.00 to tag for a shutoff

                             $15.00 for non-emergency shutoff

                             $30.00 for non payment shutoff

                             $25.00 for meter removal (snowbird)

                             $25.00 to reinstall meter (snowbird)

                             $50.00 for reconnection after shutoff           

 

 

How to identify Utility staff employees.

 

All Employees of the Utility Department of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe wear shirts that have the tribal logo on them, have a tribal employee badge and should be arriving at a residence in a company vehicle.

If you ever have a question about someone being at your residence and you are not sure if they are an employee, please call us at 772-8810 to verify that they are who they claim to be.

How can I become involved in the safety of my drinking water?

 

If you would like to become involved with your water safety, please call us at 989-772-8810.

 

 

Water Quality Data Table

 

The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report.  The presence of contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.  Unless otherwise noted, that data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report.  The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not frequently change.

 

Terms and Abbreviations used below:

 

MCLG:  Maximum Contaminant Level Goal:  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.

 

MCL:  Maximum Contaminant Level: 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.

 

AL:  Action Level:  The concentration of a contaminant, which if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

 

See table below for values

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contaminant  (Units)

MCL/AL

MCL

Your Water in mg/l

Test Date

Exceeds Action Level

Antimony

0.006 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Arsenic

0.01 mg/l

0.002 mg/l

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Asbestos

 

 

not detected

8/10/2012

NO

Barium

2 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Beryllium

0.004 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Cadium

0.005 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Calcium

 

 

28

7/25/2012

NO

Chloride

 

 

39

7/18/2012

NO

Chromium

0.1 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Cyanide

0.2 mg/l

 

not detected

8/27/2012

NO

Fluoride

4 mg/l

4.0 mg/l

0.94

7/18/2012

NO

Hardness as CaCO3 

 

 

121

7/18/2012

NO

Mercury

0.002 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Nickel

0.1 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Nitrate

10 mg/l

10 mg/l

not detected

7/18/2012

NO

Nitrite

1 mg/l

1 mg/l

not detected

7/18/2012

NO

Selenium

0.05 mg/l

 

not detected

7/19/2012

NO

Sodium

 

 

110

7/25/2012

NO

Sulfate

 

 

216

7/18/2012

NO

Total Haloacetic Acids

 

0.06 mg/l

0.001

7/20/2012

NO

Bromodichloromethane

 

0.080 mg/l

0.003

7/27/2012

NO

Bromoform

 

0.080 mg/l

0.009

7/27/2012

NO

Chlorodibromomethane

 

0.080 mg/l

0.0056

7/27/2012

NO

Chloroform

 

0.080 mg/l

0.0015

7/27/2012

NO

Total Trihalomethanes

 

0.080 mg/l

0.190

7/27/2012

NO

Maximum Potential Total Trihalomethanes

 

 

0.062

7/17/2008

NO

Lead

0.015 mg/l

 

Not Detected

6/19/2012

NO

Copper

1.3 mg/l

 

0.08

6/19/2012

NO

All water samples tested for bacteria content were negative for the test results.

Due to excellent results on previous testing the following was requested:

A Synthetic Organic Contaminants (SOC) waiver was requested in 2009.

A Dioxin waiver was requested in 2009.

Lead and Copper testing is required every three years. The test results were given to the

individual homeowners. The results listed are the 90th percentile results.

The required VOC testing was done in October of 2011 and except for the Total Trihalomethanes

listed above all compounds were not detected.