City of Hamtramck

2008 Consumer Report on Water Quality

Published June 2009
A MESSAGE TO OUR CONSUMERS
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations
which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottle water, which must provide the same
protection for public health.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

We invite public participation in decisions that affect drinking water quality. The Hamtramck City Council holds a
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meeting every 2 & 4 Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. For more information
about your water, or the contents of this report, contact Ms. Cheryl Karpinski, Water Supervisor at 313-876-7700.
Press 1 for the Public Services Department or visit our website at www.hamtramckcity.com. For more information
about safe drinking water, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov/safewater/index.html .

IS MY WATER SAFE?
Last year, as in years past, your tap water met all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state drinking
water health standards. The Hamtramck Water Department and DWSD vigilantly safeguards its water supplies. We
have met all the monitoring and reporting requirements for 2008.

DO I NEED TO TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS?

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, and infants can be particularly
at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by
Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-
4791).

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY?

Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water that the general population. It is
possible the lead levels at you home may be higher that at other homes in the community as a result of materials
used in your homes' plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your homes' water, you may wish
to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water for consumption.
Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.
WHERE DOES MY WATER COME FROM?
The Hamtramck Water Department purchases water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD),
which provides high quality drinking water to approximately 4.3 million people in 126 southeastern Michigan
communities. The system uses water drawn from two intakes in the Detroit River; one to the north near the mouth
of Lake St.Clair and one to the south near Lake Erie. The water is then directed to four large water treatment plants
for processing.
LEAD IN YOUR DRINKING WATER
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. Hamtramck 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 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 from the Safe
Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

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SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT & IT'S AVAILABILITY
Your source water comes from the Detroit River, situated within the Lake St.Clair, Clinton River, Detroit River, Rouge
River, Ecorse River, in the U.S. and parts of the Thames River, Little River, Turkey Creek and Sydenham watersheds in
Canada. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, The Detroit
Water and Sewerage Department and the Michigan Public Health Institute performed a source water assessment in 2004
to determine the susceptibility of potential contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a seven-tiered scale from “very
low” to “very high” based primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry, and contaminant sources. The susceptibility
of our Detroit River source water intakes were determined to be highly susceptible to potential contamination. However,
all four Detroit water treatment plants that use source water from the Detroit River have historically provided satisfactory
treatment of this source water to meet drinking water standards.
DWSD has initiated source-water protection activities that include chemical containment, spill response, and a mercury
reduction program. DWSD participates in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit discharge program
and has an emergency response management plan.
If you would like to know more about this report or a complete copy of this report , please visit the Detroit Water and
Sewerage Department's website at www.dwsd.org or contact the Water Quality Manager at (313) 926-8102

WHY ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN MY WATER?

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs,
springs, and wells. Our water comes from surface waters. 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. 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 Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking
Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
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, urban stormwater
runoff, and residential uses.
*Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial
processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic
systems.
*Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and
mining activities.

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM
Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen found in surface water throughout the U.S. Although filtration removes
Cryptosporidium, the most commonly used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100% removal. Our monitoring indicates
the presence of these organisms in our source water. Cryptosporidium was detected once, during a 12 month period at
our Detroit River intake plants. Current test methods do not allow us to determine if the organisms are dead or if they are
capable of causing disease. Ingestion of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infection.
Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Most healthy individuals can overcome the
disease within a few weeks. However, immuno-compromised people, infants and small children, and the elderly are at
greater risk of developing life-threatening illness. We encourage immuno-compromised individuals to consult their doctor
regarding appropriate precautions to take to avoid infection. Cryptosporidium must be ingested to cause disease, and it
may be spread through means other than drinking water.

UNREGULATED CONTAMINANT MONITORING

Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. Monitoring helps the
EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants. Beginning in
July 2008, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept (DWSD) began monitoring quarterly for unregulated contaminants under
the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 2 (UCMR2). All the UCMR2 contaminants monitored on List 1 & List 2 in
2008 were undetected.

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 Water Quality Data Table
These tables are based on tests conducted by DWSD in the year 2008 or the most recent testing done within the last five
calendar years. They conduct many tests throughout the year, however, only tests that show the presence of a
substance or required special monitoring are shown here. The table below is a key to the terms used in the tables.

MCLG MCL,
or TT, or Your Range Sample
Contaminants MRDLG MRDL Water Low High Date Violation Typical Source
Disinfectant Residuals & Disinfection By-Products – Monitoring in Distribution System
(There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.)
Total Trihalomethanes N/A 80 11.1 2.6 18.4 Feb-Nov No By-product of drinking water
(TTHM) (ppb) 2008 chlorination
Haloacetic Acids NA 60 5.5 1.4 4.6 Feb-Nov No By-product of drinking water
(HAA5) (ppb) 2008 disinfection
Disinfectant 4 4 0.76 0.67 0.85 Jan-Dec No Water additive used to control
(Chlorine) (ppm) MRDGL MRDL 2008 microbes
Disinfectant 10 10 0.6 1.7 3.6 Jan-Dec No Water additive used to control
Bromate (ppb) 2008 microbes
Inorganic Contaminants – Annual Monitoring at Plant Finished Tap Water
Fluoride (ppm) 4 4 0.99 NA NA 9/9/08 No Erosion of natural deposits; Water
additive which promotes strong
teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and
aluminum factories

Nitrate (ppm) 10 10 0.30 NA NA 9/9/08 No Runoff from fertilizer use;

Leaching from septic tanks,
sewage; Erosion of natural deposits
Barium (ppm) 2 2 0.01 NA NA 6/9/08 No Discharge of drilling wastes;
Discharge from metal refineries;
Erosion of natural deposits
2008 Microbiological Contaminants – Monthly Monitoring in Distribution System
Fecal coliform/E. coli 0 0 0 NA 2008 No Human and animal fecal
(positive samples) waste
A violation occurs when a routine sample and a repeat sample, in any given month, are total coliform positive, and one is also fecal
coliform or E. coli positive.
Presence of
Total Coliform (positive 0 Coliform 0 NA 2008 No Naturally present in the
Bacteria greater
samples/month) that 5% of environment
monthly
samples
2008 Turbidity – Monitored every 4 hours at Plant Finished Tap Water
Highest single measurement Lowest monthly % of Violation – Yes/No Major sources in drinking
cannot exceed 1 NTU samples meeting turbidity water
limit of 0.3 NTU (min 95%)
0.06 NTU 100% No Soil runoff
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.

Your Sample # Samples Exceeds

MCLG AL Water Date Exceeding AL AL Typical Source
2008 Lead & Copper Monitoring at Customer’s Tap
Copper - action level at 1.3 1.3 0.088 June- 0 No Corrosion of household
consumer taps (ppm) Sept plumbing systems; Erosion of
2008 natural deposits
Lead - action level at 0 15 10 June- 1 No Corrosion of household
consumer taps (ppb) Sept plumbing systems; Erosion of
2008 natural deposits

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 Regulated Contaminate Treatment Technique Running annual Violation Typical source of
2008 average Yes/no Contaminant
Total Organic Carbon ppm The Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal ratio is calculated as the ratio Erosion of Natural
Between the actual TOC removal requirements. The TOP was measured deposits
Each month and because the level was low, there is no requirement for
TOC removal
2008 Special Monitoring
Contaminant MCGL MCL Level Detected Source of
Unregulated contamination
Sodium (ppm) N/A N/A 4.8 Erosion of natural
deposits
Unit Descriptions-
Term Definition
ppm ppm: parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L)
ppb ppb: parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (µg/L)
NTU NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units. 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.
positive samples/month positive samples/month: Number of samples taken monthly that were found to be positive
positive samples positive samples/yr: The number of positive samples taken that year
NA NA: not applicable
ND ND: Not detected
NR NR: Monitoring not required, but recommended.

Important Drinking Water Definitions

Term Definition
MCLG MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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.
MCL MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: 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.
TT TT: Treatment Technique: A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant
in drinking water.
AL AL: Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment
or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Variances and Exemptions Variances and Exemptions: State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment
technique under certain conditions.
MRDLG MRDLG: Maximum residual disinfection level goal. 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.
MRDL MRDL: Maximum residual disinfectant level. 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.
MNR MNR: Monitored Not Regulated
MPL MPL: State Assigned Maximum Permissible Level

For more information please contact:

Cheryl Karpinski
3401 Evaline
Hamtramck, MI 48212
313-876-7700 Option 1
E-Mail: ckarpinski@hamtramckcity.com
Website: www.hamtramckcity.com

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