May 2, 2008
Dear Neighborhood/Community Leader,
Madison Water Utility is releasing its Annual Drinking Water Quality Report to coincide with National Drinking Water Week, which runs from May 4-10. Over the next week, customers throughout the City of Madison will receive the report as an eight-page newsletter in the mail.
The report describes the source of Madison’s tap water – a deep groundwater aquifer – and what citizens can do to help protect and maintain the quality and quantity of our drinking water. The report references Operation Clean Sweep for the disposal of household hazardous chemicals and unused medicines. For example, a Med Drop event is currently scheduled for June 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 121 E Olin Avenue. The report also provides links to on-line resources for reducing one’s use of toxic substances around the house, and better home and garden practices that help to conserve water.
The report also details the chemical contaminants that have been detected in Madison’s water. Most of these contaminants are naturally occurring elements that arise from dissolution of the rock that forms the underground aquifer from which the utility draws the water. These chemicals are harmless at levels found, but can cause aesthetic problems. Details are included in the report.
The annual report provides a snapshot of water quality for all of Madison’s wells. However, for more detailed information on the specific wells that serve a particular address, visit our website (madisonwater.org) or call the Water Utility (266-4654) to obtain a detailed report.
Water Utility staff is available to attend your neighborhood/community meeting and discuss drinking water quality in more depth. The utility maintains a drinking water listserv to keep citizens up-to-date on recent monitoring results and activities that impact water quality. Anyone can sign-up at,
http://lavos.wiscnet.net
/mailman/listinfo/drinkingwater quality
Sometime during the next week, fill a glass with clear, cold refreshing Madison drinking water and enjoy it while you read our Annual Report. I think you will enjoy the experience. If not, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Sincerely,
Joseph Grande
Water Quality Manager
Madison Water UtilityPhone: 266-4654
E-mail: jgrande@cityofmadison.com
Here’s the other email we got about it – out of compliance re: Radium.
Date: April 25, 2008
Subject: Notice of non-compliance for radium monitoring
Yesterday, I received a courtesy call from Tom Stunkard, our DNR representative, informing me that Madison Water Utility will be receiving a letter of non-compliance for radium monitoring that was required to be conducted in 2000-2003. Even though MWU was directed by DNR to collect a grab sample for all entry points, which the water utility did, the EPA requirement was that a composite sample be collected at each entry point. A grab sample is collected and submitted once while a composite sample involves collecting a sample each quarter of the year and combining the four quarterly samples prior to submitting one combined (composite) sample. This conflict between EPA’s monitoring regulation and DNR’s guidance impacts over 500 systems state-wide, each of which will receive a letter from the department describing the circumstances that resulted in non-compliance and action that must be taken to correct it. Letters will be mailed next Wednesday (April 30).
Upon receiving the letter, MWU and the other 500+ systems will be instructed on how to come into compliance for radium testing. The utility was already scheduled for radionuclide testing for calendar year 2008 so this change in monitoring requirements should not have any budgetary impact. The requirements will, however, require that we collect a sample from all wells – including the wells we normally shutdown in the winter – during the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. We will need to discuss how the utility proceeds with well operations for the latter part of this year and early part of next year to ensure the utility is able to collect entry point samples from the seasonal wells. Coincidentally, as part of UCMR2, MWU is also required by EPA to collect entry point samples from each well in February 2009 – a time of year in which our seasonal wells are normally out of service. Now, we should be able to coordinate well operations to satisfy both the radium and UCMR2 monitoring requirements.
DNR acknowledges it was a “screw-up” on their part; however, EPA finds that each of these systems is out of compliance and will need to public notice this non-compliance. Tom informed me that the consumer confidence report (CCR), also known as the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, will be sufficient for the public notice. The notice will be included in the 2008 CCR which must be produced and mailed to customers by July 1, 2009.
Feel free to contact me if you have questions. However, understand that I will have more information after I receive the letter from DNR next week.
It almost sounds like two different reports.
