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
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Contaminant (Units)
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MCL/AL
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MCL
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Your Water in mg/l
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Test Date
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Exceeds Action
Level
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Antimony
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0.006 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Arsenic
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0.01 mg/l
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0.002 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Asbestos
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not detected
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8/10/2012
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NO
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Barium
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2 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Beryllium
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0.004 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Cadium
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0.005 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Calcium
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28
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7/25/2012
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NO
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Chloride
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39
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Chromium
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0.1 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Cyanide
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0.2 mg/l
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not detected
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8/27/2012
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NO
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Fluoride
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4 mg/l
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4.0 mg/l
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0.94
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Hardness as CaCO3
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121
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Mercury
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0.002 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Nickel
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0.1 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Nitrate
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10 mg/l
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10 mg/l
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not detected
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Nitrite
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1 mg/l
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1 mg/l
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not detected
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Selenium
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0.05 mg/l
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not detected
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7/19/2012
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NO
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Sodium
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110
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7/25/2012
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NO
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Sulfate
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216
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7/18/2012
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NO
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Total Haloacetic Acids
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0.06 mg/l
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0.001
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7/20/2012
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NO
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Bromodichloromethane
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0.080 mg/l
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0.003
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7/27/2012
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NO
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Bromoform
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0.080 mg/l
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0.009
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7/27/2012
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NO
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Chlorodibromomethane
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0.080 mg/l
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0.0056
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7/27/2012
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NO
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Chloroform
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0.080 mg/l
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0.0015
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7/27/2012
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NO
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Total Trihalomethanes
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0.080 mg/l
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0.190
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7/27/2012
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NO
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Maximum Potential Total Trihalomethanes
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0.062
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7/17/2008
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NO
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Lead
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0.015 mg/l
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Not Detected
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6/19/2012
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NO
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Copper
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1.3 mg/l
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0.08
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6/19/2012
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NO
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All water samples tested for
bacteria content were negative for the test results.
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Due to excellent results on
previous testing the following was requested:
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A Synthetic Organic Contaminants
(SOC) waiver was requested in 2009.
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A Dioxin waiver was requested in
2009.
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Lead and Copper testing is
required every three years. The test results were given to the
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individual homeowners.
The results listed are the 90th percentile results.
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The required VOC testing was done
in October of 2011 and except for the Total Trihalomethanes
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listed above
all compounds were not detected.
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