Annual Drinking Water Quality Report - 2005

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made by the WESTCHESTER water system to provide safe drinking water. The source of drinking water used by Westchester is Purchase. For more information regarding this report, contact: Michael Del Re at 708/345-0041

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Source of Drinking Water

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater 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, and can pickup 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 EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (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 storm water 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 storm water runoff, and residential uses. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum productions, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm 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 ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

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 systems 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/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 (800-426-4791).

Source Water Assessment Availability

The Illinois EPA considers all surface water sources of community water supply to be susceptible to potential pollution problems. The very nature of surface water allows contaminants to migrate into the intake with no protection only dilution. This is the reason for mandatory treatment for all surface water supplies in Illinois. Chicago's offshore intakes are located at a distance that shoreline impacts are not usually considered a factor on water quality. At certain times of the year, however, the potential for contamination exists due to wet-weather flows and river reversals. In addition, the placement of the crib structures may serve to attract waterfowl, gulls and terns that frequent the Great Lakes area, thereby concentrating fecal deposits at the intake and thus compromising the source water quality. Conversely, the shore intakes are highly susceptible to storm water runoff, marinas and shoreline point sources due to the influx of groundwater to the lake.

Throughout history there have been extraordinary steps taken to assure a safe source of drinking water in the Chicagoland area, from the building of the offshore cribs and the introduction of interceptor sewers to the lock-and-dam system of Chicago's waterways and the city's Lakefront Zoning Ordinance. The city now looks to the recently created Department of the Water Management, Department of Environment and the MWRDGC to assure the safety of the city's water supply. Also, water supply officials from Chicago are active members of the West Shore Water Producers Association. Coordination of water quality situations (i.e., spills, tanker leaks, exotic species, etc) and general lake conditions are frequently discussed during the association's quarterly meetings. Also, Lake Michigan has a variety of organizations and associations that are currently working to either maintain or improve water quality.

Finally, one of the best ways to ensure a safe source of drinking water is to develop a program designed to protect the source water against potential contamination on the local level. Since the predominant land use within Illinois' boundary of Lake Michigan watershed is urban, a majority of the watershed protection activities in this document are aimed at this purpose. Citizens should be aware that everyday activities in an urban setting might have a negative impact on their source water. Efforts should be made to improve awareness of storm water drains and their direct link to the lake within the identified local source water area. A proven best management practice (BMP) for this purpose has been the identification and stenciling of storm water drains within a watershed. Stenciling along with an educational component is necessary to keep the lake a safe and reliable source of drinking water.

2004 Water Quality Data

Definition of Terms

Maximium Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): 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.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): 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.

Level Found: This column represents an average of sample result data collected during the CCR calendar year. In some cases, it may represent a single sample if only one sample was collected.

Range of Detections: This column represents a range of individual sample results, from lowest to highest that were collected during the CCR calendar year.

Date of Sample: If a date appears in this column, the Illinois EPA requires monitoring for this contaminant less than once per year because the concentrations do not frequently change. If no date appears in the column, monitoring for this contaminant was conducted during the Consumer Confidence Report calendar year.

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

Action Level Goal (ALG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. ALGs allow for a margin of safety.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

mg/l: milligrams per liter or parts per million - or one ounce in 7,350 gallons of water

ug/l: Micrograms per liter or parts per billions - or one ounce in 7,350,000 gallons of water

average: Regulatory compliance with some MCLs are based on running annual average of monthly samples.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): the highest level of disinfectant allowed in drinking water

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): the level of disinfectant in drinking water below which there is

no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs allow for a margin of safety.

ppm : parts per million

ppb : parts per billion

ppt : parts per trillion

pCi/l : picoCuries per liter (measurement of radioactivity)

nd: Not detectable at testing limits.

n/a: Not applicable

City of Chicago 2004 Water Quality Data

Note: The State requires monitoring of certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Therefore some of this data may be more than one year old.

Violation Summary Table for the City of Chicago

Violations for your system:
No Violations were recorded for the City of Chicago during this CCR reporting period.

Village of Westchester 2004 Water Quality Data

Note: Chlorine residuals are taken daily from our water treatment facility. In addition, 16 chlorine residuals are taken monthly throughout our distribution system in concert with routine bacteria/coliform sampling.

Note: The State requires monitoring of certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Therefore, some of this data may be more than one year old.

Violation Summary Table for the Village of Westchester

Violations for your system:
No Violations were recorded for the Village of Westchester during this CCR reporting period.

Water Quality Data Table Footnotes

Turbidity : Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of water quality and the effectiveness of our filtration system and disinfectants.

Unregulated Contaminants: A maximum contaminant level (MCL) for this contaminant has not been established by either state or federal regulations, nor has mandatory health effects language. The purpose for monitoring this contaminant is to assist USEPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water, and whether future regulation is warranted.

Fluoride: Fluoride is added to the water supply to help promote strong teeth. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends an optimal fluoride range of 0.9 mg/l to 1.2 mg/l.

Sodium: There is not a state or federal MCL for sodium. Monitoring is required to provide information to consumers and health officials that are concerned about sodium intake due to dietary precautions. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, you should consult a physician about this level of sodium in the water.