Kalamazoo

The City of Kalamazoo Public Hydrant System is the second greatest groundwater-based drinking water program in Michigan and it is ranked one of the cheapest for water prices out of the twelve greatest systems within the condition. Only 3% of the Earth’s water is usually freshwater. Approximately thirty percent of freshwater is usually groundwater. The City of Kalamazoo has a state of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) authorized the Wellhead Protection Plan and has been granted the national Exemplary Source Water Safety Award by the American Water Works Relationship. The City has also been a recipient of The state of Michigan Wellhead Protection System Award multiple times and been awarded the Michigan “Richard Husby Public Awareness Award” for its Wellhead Safety Program education attempts. Kalamazoo has also been specified a Groundwater Protector Community by the Groundwater Foundation every year seeing that 1998. Kalamazoo’s drinking water system provides nineteen million gallons of water on a general day to 123, 000 customers inside 10 jurisdictions. The device includes approximately 823 miles of watermain and 5, 970 hydrants. Our system utilizes limited treatment through chlorine, fluoride, and phosphate additives. Two stations are equipped with air flow strippers and flat iron removal capabilities. Groundwater is the source of water for everyone in Kalamazoo County. Groundwater is situated beneath the ground surface area in the spaces among sand and small particles. Groundwater is usually preferred over surface area water in this area because it is relatively abundant, simple to extract, and generally does not have harmful bacteria. However, groundwater can also be vulnerable to contaminants if any splatters, leaks, or getting rid of harmful chemicals occur at or perhaps beneath the ground surface area. Wellhead Protection The town of Kalamazoo includes a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) approved Wellhead Safety Program, and continues to be awarded the nationwide Exemplary Source Drinking water Protection Award by American Water Functions Association. The City is a recipient of the Michigan Wellhead Safety Program Award too many times and been granted the Michigan “Richard Husby Public Consciousness Award” for its Wellhead Protection Program education efforts. Kalamazoo is designated a Groundwater Guardian Community by Groundwater Foundation each year since 1998. The town of Kalamazoo Wellhead Protection website www.protectyourwater. the net has particular information about the City of Kalamazoo Water System, related ordinances, great links to other websites, and information about stormwater and other surface drinking water issues. The state of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality performed Resource Water Assessments to evaluate the susceptibility of most public water supply resources to contamination. The susceptibility rating is usually on a six-tiered level from “very low” to “high” centred primarily on geologic sensitivity, water biochemistry, well construction and contaminant sources. The susceptibility rating from the cities (then) nineteen wellfields was: Modest (2 wellfields), Modest High (12 wellfields) and High (5 wellfields). For more information concerning these ratings or maybe the WHPP, please get in touch with the Water Resource Department Manager at (269) 337-8737 or check out www.protectyourwater. net. As a City of Kalamazoo water supply customer, you can help ensure that water you are drinking in your home and organization remains safe. Stop cross-connections with the Associated with Kalamazoo’s water supply making sure the project that all backflow avoidance devices are installed, checked out and properly managed by licensed and certified plumbers because required by condition and local plumbing rules. What is a “cross-connection”? Cross-connections are arrangements of piping or appurtenances through which the backflow of undesirable materials could enter the admissible (drinking) water program. Help prevent cross-connections: • Do not submerge tubes in buckets, swimming pools, tubs, sinks or perhaps process tanks. • Do not use apply attachments without a backflow prevention device. The harmful chemicals used in your yard are toxic and are fatal if consumed. • Do purchase and install backflow prevention devices (hose bib vacuum breakers) for all threaded sinks around your home or perhaps business. They are economical and available at equipment stores and home-improvement centers. • By no means install sprinkler devices, fire suppression devices, or boilers with chemical additives without correct backflow prevention products. • Ensure that your softener drain line comes with an air gap between the drain line as well as the receiving drain. • Residential and Industrial establishments connected to the city and county water system need to properly abandon almost all water wells onsite and provide abandonment info to the City of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Environmental Community Health Division. What is a “backflow”? Backflow is water streaming in the opposite path of its regular flow. Backflow enables contaminants to enter the drinking water system through cross-connections. The excess material may come coming from sources connected to your own house or facility’s inner or external domestic plumbing. A backflow inside the water system could be created in areas that experience a sudden lack of pressure. Pressure adjustments can occur as a result of drinking water main breaks, open fire department usage, or perhaps during times of hydrant flushing. If any of these circumstances occur in your area, you must flush your lines before using the drinking water to minimize iron contaminants and other undesirable pollutants that may be present. Get rid of your taps simply by starting in your bathroom facility or power sink, and exercising towards your food support area. The City of Kalamazoo is devoted to providing safe and reliable drinking water to Kalamazoo and its encircling communities and offers consistently conformed with the 1991 A safe drinking water supply Act Lead and Copper Rule and everything revisions of the guideline. Effective and Safe Water Treatment The City has used a corrosion control program since 1956 that works to reduce drinking water corrosiveness to plumbing, fittings and fittings containing lead and copper. To ensure a great optimized strategy, the town of Kalamazoo works routine monitoring of corrosion control guidelines within the water circulation system and screening for lead and copper in customers’ homes. Our General public Services Department regularly evaluates the most effective corrosion control methods obtainable and additional ways to additional enhance this program. Business lead Service Replacement A proactive annual capital improvement program has been around place for over 20 years to address lead support replacements. With support from the Foundation intended for Excellence, the City of Kalamazoo has been capable to replace a greater number of business lead services each year. Additional potential funding resources are also being discovered to replace lead support lines as quickly as possible until all have been changed. Staff continue to upgrade this program and keep abreast of, keep up on, be in the know, keep up to date, be well-informed with any becomes the program by the Condition of Michigan. Drinking water Quality Monitoring The town of Kalamazoo performs a lead and copper monitoring plan at least every single three years to adhere to federal and condition lead and copper mineral regulations. This program focuses on homes that are prone to have the highest concentrations of lead within their drinking water and contains those with lead support lines as well as homes with copper domestic plumbing built before business lead solder was banned in the late 1980s. 2016 lead testing suggested that 90 percent of water examples contained less than four parts per billion dollars. The EPA's actions level for business lead is 15 ppb at the 90th percentile, which means 90% of families tested must have a lead concentration of 15 parts every billion or much less. In 2014, a 90th percentile consequence of 13 parts every billion resulted in client concerns regarding the business lead concentrations in their water. It was determined the high result was the first part due to incorrect sampling techniques and plumbing fixture choices and was not associated with lead concentrations inside the system. This resulted in a commitment by the City of Kalamazoo to do the lead and copper monitoring 12 months ahead of schedule found in 2016, and use only trained sample staff. In 2016, te.

.. ...