Water and Wastewater Department

Brad Mohror, Water/Wastewater Superintendent

Water/Wastewater Plant Operators:

Jim Duvall, Darren Odens, Jeff Harmon, and Bryan Mahrt

The Water Department is located at 600 S River Street

while the Wastewater Plant is just down the road at 1500 S River Street.

Water Plant

Phone: (605)234-4412

Fax: (605)234-4403

Wastewater Plant

Phone: (605)234-4411

Fax: (605)234-4403

City of Chamberlain

Annual Water Quality Report 2021

TO OUR WATER CUSTOMERS….

   We are providing this report to you because of our responsibilities to you and the importance of informing you about drinking water.

Last year the City of Chamberlain supplied you with safe drinking water by compliance monitoring and reporting, meeting all drinking water standards and satisfying all certification requirements. This is a snapshot of the quality of the water we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies.

   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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants can be obtained by calling the Environment Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

    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. The City of Chamberlain public water supply system 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 and 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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

   For more information about your water and information on opportunities to participate in public meetings, call (605) 234-4401 and ask for Nicky Gaulke.

   We serve more than 2,387 customers an average of 330,000 gallons of water per day. We get our water from surface water sources. The State performed an assessment of our source water and they determined that the susceptibility rating for contamination of Chamberlain’s water supply is medium.

   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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

   The sources of drinking water (both tap 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water before it is treated 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 stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
• Radioactive contaminants, which occur naturally or as a result of oil and gas production and mining.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

   In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

   The attached table lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year 2021.  The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.  Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in the table is from testing done January 1 - December 31, 2021. The State 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, is more than one year old.

2021_water_report_spreadsheet_final.xlsx