We test the drinking water quality for many  constituents as required by State and Federal Regulations. This report shows  the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 - December 31, 2004.

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Type of water source(s) in use:  Surface Water

Your water comes from Lake Mendocino. The District has an  intake structure and pump station on the west side of Lake Mendocino  at Winery Point. The water flows by gravity to our reservoir above  the District office. A separate pipeline delivers raw lake water to  the Districts treatment plant where we treat it to remove several contaminants  and also add disinfectant to protect you against microbial contaminants.

Drinking Water Source Assessment information: An assessment  of our source water was completed in April 2001 and is available for  review in the District Office during normal working hours, 8AM-5PM,  Monday - Friday.

Our Board of Directors meets on the first Thursday of every  month at 7:00 pm in the District Office at 2370 Webb Ranch Road, Redwood  Valley, California. The District welcomes public involvement at these  meetings.

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, and can pick up substances  resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in  source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that  may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock  operations, and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals that 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 organic  chemicals that are byproducts 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.

In order to ensure that tap water is  safe to drink,  USEPA and the State Department of Health Services (Department) prescribe regulations  that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public  water systems. Department regulations also establish limits for contaminants  in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 list all of the drinking water contaminants  that were detected during the most recent sampling for the constituent.  The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate  that the water poses a health risk. The Department requires us to monitor  for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations  of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to  year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, are more  than one year old.

RAA- Results are based on a running  annual average and may not reflect current compliance with MCLs.

Additional General Information on Drinking  Water

All 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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and  potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPAs Safe Drinking  Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

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.  USEPA/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 Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Summary  Information for Contaminants Exceeding an MCL or AL, or a Violation of any Treatment or Monitoring and Reporting Requirements

About  our Odor violation - *Odor* threshold was found at levels  that exceed the secondary MCL of 3 units. The odor MCL was set to protect  you against unpleasant aesthetic affects such as taste and odor. The  high odor threshold levels are due to naturally occurring organic materials.  Since violating this MCL does not pose a risk to public health, the  SDHS allows the affected community to decide whether or not to treat  to remove it. Treatment may result in a small increase in the cost of  your water. Some slight changes to treatment technique have already  been implemented to help reduce some odor. If you are concerned about  any violation of a secondary MCL, you should discuss it with your elected  representatives or the General Manager.

About  our Color violation - *Color* was found at levels that  exceed the secondary MCL of 15 units. The color levels are due to naturally  occurring organic material. The color MCL was set to protect you against  undesirable clarity of your water. The color violation does not pose  a risk to public health. Some treatment changes have been implemented  already to remove color from the water.

About our [TTHMs] Total  Trihalomethanes and [HAAs] Halocetic Acids Violation -  The regulation for these chemicals was adopted by the Department January  2005. These same levels of chemicals in your drinking water in 2004  were not exceeding the MCL. As we have previously reported to you,  we are working diligently, and in cooperation with the Department to  keep the levels of these chemicals, as well as other contaminants, as  low as possible. The water we are treating at this time, and since  January 2005 is below the MCL. We are reporting the violations due  to the levels present in 2004. Some people who use water containing  trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience  liver, kidney, or central nervous system problems, and may have an increased  risk of getting cancer. Some people who drink water containing halocetic  acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk  of getting cancer.

Table 7 - sampling results showing TREATMENT  OF SURFACE WATER SOURCES
Treatment Technique * (Type of approved filtration technology  used)	Conventional Filtration
Turbidity Performance Standards ** (must be met through the water treatment process)	Turbidity of the filtered water must: 1 - 1 - Be less than or equal to  0.5 NTU in 95% of measurements in a month. 2 2 - Not exceed 1.0 NTU for more  than eight consecutive hours. 3 - Not exceed 2.0 NTU at any time.
Lowest monthly percentage of samples  that met Turbidity Performance Standard No. 1.	99.1%
Highest single turbidity measurement  during the year	1.27
The number of violations of any surface  water treatment requirements	0

 

*A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant  in drinking water.  11 minute duration.

** Turbidity (measured in NTU) is a measurement of the cloudiness  of water and is a good indicator of water quality and filtration performance.  Turbidity results which meet performance standards are considered to be in  compliance with filtration requirements.