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10/26/1998 - Packet FILE COPY TIGARD WATER DISTRICT BOARD of COMMISSIONERS MEETING Serving the Unincorporated Area AGENDA Monday, October 26, 1998 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call and Introductions 3. Approval of minutes - Both minutes available at next meeting for approval a. August 24, 1998 b. September 28, 1998 4. Designation of Special District Registered Agent 5. Water Supply Update -- Ed Wegner 6. Intergovernmental Water Board Update 7. Utility Manager's Report 8. Non-Agenda Items 9. Adjournment Executive Session: The Tigard Water District Board may go into Executive Session under the provisions of ORS 192.660 (1) (d), (e), & (h) to discuss labor relations, real property transactions, and current and pending litigation issues. All discussions within this session are confidential; therefore,nothing from this meeting may be disclosed by those present. Representatives of the news media are allowed to attend this session, but must not disclose any information discussed during this session. pw\twd\10-26.agn • TIGARD WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING August 31, 1998 Members Present: David Strauss, Gretchen Buehner, John Haunsperger, Beverly Froude Members Absent: Norm Penner Staff Members Present: Mike Miller 1. Call to order: Commissioner John Haunsperger called the meeting of the Tigard Water Board of Commissioners to order at 7:05 p.m. on August 31, 1998. 2. Roll Call/Introductions All members present but Mr. Penner. 3. Visitor Comments: None 4. Approval of June 1, 1998, minutes. Commissioner Haunsperger moved to accept the June 1, 1998, regular meeting minutes as written. The motion was seconded. All members present voting AYE, the motion passed unanimously. 5. Intergovernmental Water Board Update Commissioner Froude reported that approximately 30 people from the community attended the debate at the Water Board meeting. She mentioned the receipt of two letters requesting help with water bills due to water leaks. She said that the Board discussed at length the situation of the lady who appeared before them, and voted to split the difference in her water bill. She said that the studies for the long term water supply from the Willametter continued with no final decision made until after December 1998. Commissioner Froude reported the purchase of two properties on the Willamette River by Wilsonville, Tigard, and Tualatin Valley Water District. She said that if they were not used for the treatment plant, they would be resold. She commented that the water treatment site depended on which prison site was chosen. Commissioner Froude said that the second public information newsletter would be going out soon (costing $5,000 to $6,000 each to send out). She mentioned other public relation opportunities, such as presentations to the King City and Durham City Councils, the Kiwanis, the Rotary, the --� CIT, and any other place where Liz Newton and Ed Wegner have been invited. She noted that the monthly CIT meeting, at which water issues have been discussed for the past six months, were probably the place where most citizens and neighborhoods learned of the water issue. Tigard Water District Board—August 31, 1998 Commissioner Fronde reported that the Tigard would take the lead when the raw water monitoring project began again. She mentioned a point made by Mr. Wegner that the fundamental point people were missing on the water issue was that for the last 23 years Tigard has been drinking treated and/or filtered water from the Clackamas River. She speculated that the 50%blend in use for the past two years might have resulted in some of the complaints about tap water taste and smell. Commissioner Froude mentioned that the confidential memo from Portland passed out by Mr. Wegner was no longer confidential. She said that Portland was apparently scheduled to make a presentation to the Regional Water Consortium on September 9. 6. Utility Manager Report Mike Miller reported that the Menlor Reservoir was online with a total completion date scheduled for October 31. He said that the Tiedeman valve was fully operational, enabling staff to control the opening and closing of the valve by computer. He explained how the valve worked within the system, especially during summer peak demand periods, commenting that the system was simply monitored during fall/winter/spring. Mr. Miller reported that he was hiring a Conservation Program Coordinator by the end of the month. He reviewed the position duties, including community and school outreach. Commissioner Froude reported that complaints were received at the July Intergovernmental Water Board meeting regarding gunk in the water and a strong smell of chlorine. 7. Non-Agenda Items Commissioner Buehner reported on her research into Budget Committee term lengths. She said that ORS 294.336 specifically set Budget Committee member term lengths at three years with staggered terms, and mandated that the Budget Committee, not the Board, elect the Committee Chair. The Board discussed how to handle the matter. They discussed setting up the five members in three rotations (2-2-1) to stagger the terms. They agreed to table the matter until January 1999. 8. Commissioners Comments • Commissioner Haunsperger raised the issue of public relation strategies to present their side of the Willamette River water supply situation. Mr. Miller noted staff's work on presenting information on the two options. Commissioner Strauss suggested broadening their base of organizations to which staff gave presentations. Commissioner Buehner commented that having presentations only at the various City Council meetings would not reach the people they needed to reach. Commissioner Froude explained how the CIT worked. The Commission discussed getting invitations from homeowner associations (like Highlands), posting public relation mailings on community information boards, and inviting people in the unincorporated areas to meetings. Commissioner Strauss commented that the Board's responsibilty was the unincorporated areas. Tigard Water District Board—August 31, 1998 The Board asked that the Cityscape be sent to Commissioners Buehner and Strauss. • Commissioner Buehner pointed out that the new developments on the south side of the mountain were not all in the City of Tigard. Commissioner Froude explained how the contract between the City and the County, in response to SB 122,worked to put the planning for the area within the Urban Growth Boundary in the jurisidiction of the City. She commented that these areas would eventually be annexed to the City. She mentioned that annexation was not been addressed by the SB 122 committee but all the pieces were in place for services provision. • Commissioner Buehner asked if the annexations that went to the Boundary Commission have been taken out of their district. Mr. Miller indicated that he has not yet seen the final work on that. 9. Set Next Meeting Agenda The Board discussed future meeting dates. They agreed on September 28, October 26, and November 23. 10. Executive Session The Tigard Water District Board went into Executive Session under the provisions of ORS 192.660(1)(d), (e), & (h) to discuss labor relations,real property transactions, and current and pending litigation issues. • The Board returned to regular session. A motion was made and seconded to direct the Chair to draft a letter to Stuart Cohen detailing where the Funk claim was. All members present voting AYE, the motion passed unanimously. 11. Adjournment Commissioner Haunsperger adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m. Tigard Water District Board—August 31, 1998 MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Bill Monahan, City Manager FROM: Ed Wegner RE: USA Today Article DATE: October 26, 1998 Enclosed is a Wednesday, October 21,1998, USA Today article on the water industry. The story covers issues related to EPA and state enforcement of Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations. It discusses what could happen if regulations are not enforced and points out the difficulties water utilities face in complying with the regulations. CC: Intergovernmental Water Board Members Tigard Water District Board Members Roel Lundquist, Durham City Administrator Jane Turner, King City City Manager Mike Miller, Utility Manager Rich Sattler/ Kimberly Swan, Water Quality /Conservation Coordinator . n USA TODAY• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1998. 15A SPECIAL REPORT: DRINKING WATER'S HIDDEN DANGERS Lax oversight risks A USA TODAY investigation reveals the But no one knows for sure. The most common symptoms of nations safe drinking water laws are fail- waterborne illness,nausea and diar- rhea,usually get blamed on stomach ing. Even the worst violations have just a flus or bad food.So,while the govern- 1 in 10 chance of drawing legal action. ment has for years listed contaminat- ed drinking water as a top envi ronmental health threat — the ' ''''''',"/ Centers for Disease Control and Pre- By Peter Eisler,Barbara Hansen lems diminish its promise: �; 5: vention says people with immune de- and Aaron Davis 10,-About 40,000 of the 170,000 wa- , +tficiencies should consider boiling all USA TODAY ter systems,serving about 58 million ' t people,violated testing requirements £ tap water — there's been little call for strong regulation. WASHINGTON—When it comes and purity standards last year.About -• . � "Right now, we've got a sleepy to the nation's drinking water,there's 9,500 water systems,serving 25 mil '"""" no punishment for pollution. lion people, had "significant" vio- �"� (regulatory) program nationwide, '' and we have a public that just as- Each day, millions of Americans lations, which the Environmental sumes itgetcleanwater," turn on their taps and get water that Protection Agency defines as posing will says exceeds legal limits for the "most serious u b µ Steven Walden of Texas'Water Utili- dangerouscontaminants. . - threats to public ties Division, a relatively aggressive Millions more get water More inside health." . __ oversightBeperation that isn't treated or test- 10 From 1994 r`. , y ,- "But we've got ... a lot of new ►How to find out if + threats to worry about,"Walden adds. ed properly,so there's no • our water em through the start of i t /•:,:. "And with drinking water competing telling if it's clean.Many 1997,onlyabout 10%of 4 violated the law �'' for resources with everything from • people get sick.A few of all significant violations them die. �� drew enforcement ac- ' `" !--,/,'-'.7./`. '� ` -� roads utlibraries ... there's not And most of the time, tion from government Y ,� , , much support for spending money to nobodydoes anything ►A state-by-state F c{� make (the program) work." look at water law regulators.In fact,few- k about iter fines and lawsuits Consequences are everywhere: A USA TODAY investi- enforcement, 19A . .. are imposed under •.4 ' ` ,' ' = "` ' `� °' Kwik For five years, Boston has failed to • x '' ...,� 5, ,C meet requirements that it filter its gation finds that the fed- safe drinking water t "� $M + � ."• :" water, in DeKalb,Ill., the water has eral and state programs ►1-egal bopholes, laws than any other ' r SF 7 ' "5 d Inaccurate data and e h �� w exceeded federal limits for radium charged with enforcing major environmental „ h* the nation's safe drinking '..poor reporting statute. r�,w , M k4.c t j Aa, ago; tOttawa ey were imposed 22 years water laws aren't work- Gem plague system 20A. �4f',,,,','',t4+ - §',.-44:,4,'*. 3 Beach Utility Co. has refused since ►More than a guar- ��; 14, s : , � r,�nx ` i }d Na H ,' �',w 'J'' F, ,, ., 1994 to meet treatment requirements ing,undermined by inad- ter of all significant via t'.-„' ,� �'� °�'�` � �� d } ��" � equate funding, inaccu lators have been in that ` g �F , r t .g r k j L{ K * , 5° , for the water it draws directly from rate data,a soft regulatory approach category for at least three yearsr..f J ` L. ` 4-"/_";r t ' and weak political support.Even the Amongnearby Lake Erie. ppo systems with significant vio- �F�^� � � '� , � i.,,-,..;r4� Most water problems tend to be in worst violations of drinking water lations at the end of 1996,for exam- F ..5 f 4N ..t�- places no one has heard of: little laws have just a 1 in 10 chance of ple,35%still were out of compliance K- 0 4 towns,mobile home parks,rest legal action by the govern- as of Aug. 1—a year the eight- �.- . i .tstops, drawing month legal deadline past return to '` - t '� ,� private develo menu.Their smaller mentz t ., tp likely to lack At the same time, powerful new compliance or sign a binding agree- --',-.`2,-; water systemsn are more n �,y 9 €� � , .} ; �4 � � �, the equipment and staff needed to pollutants imperil the water supply, ment to do so. w w meet legal standards — arid more from hard-to-kill bacteria to industri- ►Eleven states have yet to imple _ /=;!;=.4-,,,,3-,//,',,,-,„:„',:f.._t"{ t� k 3 0 n. al and agricultural toxins. Yet water ment all of the Safe Drinking Water _ A F _ }r. F . ,,./.•.‘„.••;{_-' SiN t likely to escape regulators' toattborne systems increasinglyAct'sThe last time a major waterborne rely on aging contamination limits.At least 13 Photo illustration by Peter Freed.USA TODAY illness hit a big city was 1993,when a pipelines, deficient treatment equip- states don't meet federal guidelines parasite in Milwaukee's water killed ment and poorly trained operators to dictating that they inspect water sys- tems is so flawed that even the gov- than a quarter of all systems nation- New contamination threats 111 people and made 403,000 sick.It make the water safe. terns every three to five years.A half- ernment acknowledges that, used wide.The 9,500 systems with"signif- remains the worst outbreak in mod- USA TODAY did hundreds of in- dozen have not given their water pro- alone, it's an inaccurate measure of icant"violations make up only 6%. Most academic and government ern U.S.history,but there have been terviews and undertook a computer grams the authority to levy fines. which systems provide clean water But experts warn that the combi- studies suggest that a million or so others since,from Las Vegas to Aus- analysis of millions of records from ►The EPA has overlooked states' from the tap. nation of poor enforcement and Americans suffer gastrointestinal tin,Texas,to Alpine,Wyo. the nation's 170,000 regulated water failure to uphold safe drinking water None of this is to say that most growing threats to water purity is sicknesses each year from bad drink- Americans are beginning to notice: systems covering 1993-97, from the laws. It never has used its authority Americans don't get clean water— bound to lead to trouble. ing water,and as many as 1,000 may A recent USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup largest serving 6.6 million people in to take control of a state regulatory they do.The vast majority of people "The attitude is,'Until there's a big die.In some areas,water contamina- Poll found 47%of respondents won't New York City to tiny operations with program, and the agency is more are served by large water systems body count,there's not a problem,'" tion is suspected in cancers,miscar- drink water sty aight from the tap. just 25 customers, such as Hanks than a year behind in completing re- with good records;most serious prob- says James Elder,former head of the riages and birth defects. And the Congress and the Clinton adminis- 'IYading Post in Flagstaff,Ariz. quired assessments of the drinking leas crop up in small systems. EPA's Office of Ground Water and growing number of people who live tration have tried to address the con- Next year will be the 25th year that water programs in at least 11 states. Regulators and water system oper- Drinking Water. "We haven't docu- with weak immune systems—che- cerns. They revamped the Safe the Safe Drinking Water Act has The computer database that ators rightly note that the 40,000 wa- mented many major outbreaks, so motherapy patients,transplant recip- Drinking Water Act in 1996, provid- been law. But the newspaper's in- serves as the EPA's primary tool to ter systems that violated safe drink- everybody claims the (regulatory) ients,people with AIDS—means the vnetiaafinn fnnn,-1 fh,t a.-o•.o nrnh_ mnnilnr+1,...inn nnn....t-t:,.....,a.._.__._ ....t....,_____ .nn., Federal re ations revamped, but seriousproblems still exist p � Continued from 15Aa,. of the American Water Works Association and director of De- of more loans and grants tof trait's water system.But it"isn't helpwater systems and state "` ' �` Y going to help much. oversight programs comply This year,for example,Mich- with the law.Next year,utilities F igan's share of that money ends will start sending consumers _ , , _ -° .� up being about $30 million, detailed water quality reports : �;`:: Gordon says,compared with a "`The law certainly has made a a g 3 "capital budget for drinking wa- the situation much better than • � x x "• ter just for Detroit, (at) about it would be otherwise says � it Henry. axman, D Califs s ., t • $2 billion. Those numbers i3 C. '.rh` �Y R i P rY �, :; R wren t good. who helped shape manyof its • P P � x � • " e grnet ts are u ,but we're provisions. "But we've got to , ;, �-- , -7.,;:):'::::4.21:1-''''':-::- ;ate_ still way short,"adds David Le push for stricter enforcement „ r .� � ,,�,� �, � '�:° � � �1-4::- land, theOregondrinkingwa- and greater commitment (to • s1 terchief. "Weanonlydocompliance).We still have very • u • what's required... to the tune serious problems." �� p of what the feds give us to run ourprogram." Illness in a small town 3 w � . And what is not required is a ',,, Q � � 3 :-',,,14:,::,',:.:‘ :1',,7,,,,,:::::','-, step many see as crucial to the If state regulators had been r :I' success of drinking water laws: making the required inpec- A , V ' inspecting systems to catch tions of the water system at N R s �� Problems before they occur The Corner Store in Groveland �3 a 6 * �F- '. l _ * f' ` .� � �,,,• � �� , �� p� � , Federal guidelines say states N.Y., they would have seen an should perform "sanitary sur accident waiting to happen. .. vet's" once every three years But they never came. = � " for larger water systems,once They never found that the Ff �, ‘741'•• ,� every five for others.But those convenience shop, , a E *g= y • '41 -� -' popular p, �w � 1 are guidelines, and 13 states i. which sold gas, beer sand- :` ; � *+ a don't adhere to them. wiches and pizza,had a broken Oregon regulators did 570 chlorinator and no filtration for p• i. ::' ' 'l'.4 4 i sanitary surveys from 1993 96: the water from its shallow well " That would average out to one Theynever told the store's o - F s s p ` �,�, survey every 19 years for each erators that the water system of the state's 2,700 water sys- had to meet legal standards. � '� �� terns,USA TODAY found. On June 22, 1996, John and • � � e " ',*'�> �' a• ,," ,�' -� x ,�.. �� '� ConneCtiCnt, Indiana, Wash- Loretta Linner aid the nce. " P P � -� � � � ington and Alaska averaged at The cou le had The Corner :,,..,,,,.. °� ` p � * least 11 years between surveys 54 y in 1993-96.Hawaii didn't surve Storecater a high school gradu- ° ,� .0ation party for their dau hterYgt `* s� s timeof its 148 systems in that and bacteria from the store's . water got into the food.Salmo- - + -. As far back as 1992,congres nella and Plesiomonas shigel- • Sy Wayne scarber y for USA TODAY By Anne Ryan,USA TODAY sional investigators at the Gen loides,a rare tropical bug,poi- Hard lessons:John and Loretta Linsner,and more than 100 friends and family,got Haunted by questions:Kathleen and Lon Clark of DeKalb, Ill.,say they'll always eral Accounting Office were soned the Limners and more sick from food prepared with bad water from a convenience shop in Groveland,N.Y. wonder if it was the water that led to bone cancer that killed their son Max. urging stronger sanitary survey than 100 friends and family. rules. One reportcalled su e- They were racked by diarrhea "The message is it's equipment or operator exper- health against budget con- vet's"one of the most effective and nausea. Use. Only 568, or 13%, were loll_ ./[In� m re cern,science against politics. tools states can use to help en- OK to violate the law. "It was terrible,"John Linn seen as"recalcitrant,"meaning - In 1976, under Congress' or sure compliance(with drinking • er says. "All I could do was go You can fill atele- they had no interest in compli dens,the EPA seta"safe"limit water standards) and correct from bed to the bathroom. I phone book with ante. tars for radium — one that, based problems before they become couldn't even walk....Our(83- Only 1 percent of EPA s$449 mllQon enfearerrl98 budget went excuses, but the bot- Lawsuits and fines"are a last to clean tlririkl on scientific estimates, would serious" n9 water In fiscal year 1998, Percent of year-old) neighbor had to go to tom line is we have resort," says David Leland, total EPA enforcement dollars Luifgetetl for EPA programs allow for no more than one ra Yet neither the Safe Drink the hospital in an ambulance." Waters stems that are head of Oregon's drinking wa- dium-related death among ev ing Water Act amendments nor The Limners'story is typical: Y ter program and chief of the Total EPA er fwcement bcidget$449'million ery 10,000 people relying on a any related EPA rules set bind- Small water systems serving repeat, significant Association of State Drinking Drinking Water enforcement budget:$5.1 million contaminated water supply. ing survey requirements. er 500 people or fewer account for violators and they're Water Administrators. "We In Illinois alone,about 80 wa $cant violati6% of all ons of drinkinems with g•wa- getting off scot-if- free." It s not the tradie a more tional iful dea that roach. Other 6°�° people still exceed that limit322,000 The toll ter laws. we have to hammer these folks Drinking State and local officials say This summer, the tiny town These systems can be in re- — Erik Olson because they're polluting."EPA they don't enforce the rule be of Alpine, Wyo., permanent mote towns or in suburban de- Natural Resources In 1997, states and the EPA Superfund 41% cause, among other things, population 470,felt the brunt of velopments, mobile home Defense Council issued fines against only 215 Toxic compliance is too costly:Scores the nation's trouble in enforc parks or other communities water systems for violations of substances of communities would need ex- ing its safe drinking water laws. that haven't hooked up with runoff. Water systems, which safe drinking water laws.At the 3% pensive treatment equipment. When all was said and done, major water supplies.They can were required to test for 13 federal level, the EPA levied In DeKalb, pop. 35,000, costs the town's water had infected serve small businesses,rest ar- contaminants, now must test just $17,600 in administrative ', would run over $8 million, or scores of people with E. coli eas or public facilities such as and treat for more than 80 sub- penalties nationwide.That's the more than$230 per person. 0157:H7 bacteria And the po schools and hospitals, stances, frompesticides and lowest amount under an ma- t Enforcement involving p y �k� Critics also cite continuing tentially deadly contaminant, "In the big city,there's more fertilizers to such naturally OC- jor environmental law and rivers more than one program scientific debate over how high until now associated mainly (oversight) and money to curring toxins as radon. compares to$3 million in such streams 6% 32/O the radium limit should be. with food,was established asa spend on good water systems," States are supposed to en- fines filed against air pollutors. , R "There's a question of cost serious threat to water. says Susan Seacrest, formerly force the rules with their own ►Politics. Cities, towns and Hazardous �� vs. health risk," says Ronald "We always thought we had on EPA's National Drinking oversight programs, em ow counties run a third of all waste 7% ` & y p regu ''1:!:4;•''''E';:''''' , n, Matekaitis, DeKalb's city at- the best water in the world," Water Advisory Board and now ered to go after lawbreaking bated water systems.Many oth ` a,, ,; r�r„av ..,h T ., .._s-. .. �..— - . ...•....... 1.1 UAW W .0 utc viawauu� w.,.......� '---'--.. . : . , . _ more than 3g22..� , .'."'• ''' '.4'.1!.� , �. . CSratld �,:ilowCSt amount under.al>,y ma- Lakes, one program °�� '- y , • .�+ � �� , s scientific debate over how high until now associated maim j , •-•:',- "A' ', .r ,'- a` �, or. environmental..law and 4 . 32% l a„ '.1 .4 1 tp^ paturally j r the radium limit should be. with food,was established as a I'�•, ! t '- r L,r,'`-. "* , y ��to$3 million in such :streams 0% "There's a question of cost serious threat to water. ...,� '.� .-i".1 ' 's } to en- fines filed against air polluters. .` • . -��-. . ,��; �,i�Stetes ere=supposed � � �� ` vs. health risk," saysalways thought -, 'Saida ,crest,'formerly • force the rules with their own ►Politics. Cities, towns and ' wH % , y , t Ronald "We thou t we had on EPA's National Drinking oversight programs, em¢ow- counties run a third of all regu; ,,�a-• Matekaitis, DeKalb's city at the best water in the world," Water Advisory Board and now ered to go after lawbreaking lated water systems.Many oth- torney, who contends the radi- Mayor Donn Wooden says. head of the Groundwater Foun- water systems with orders, ers — private systems run by Source:U.S.Environmental Protection Agency USA TODAY urn threat doesn't justify the We've learned a lot." dation. "Go to small towns, ev- fines and lawsuits.The EPA is businesses, homeowners asso- cleanup tab. "You can always Wyoming is the only state. erything looks clean,but many supposed to take actionresorts when a ciations or —also have Yet the EPA has never tak- "There's a question make everybody's environ- that hasn't implemented any I. have decrepit systems that no state does not—and take over a public constituency. en over a drinking water pro- of cost vs. health risk. ment safer, but how much Safe Drinking Water Act rules. one pays attention to.Then you a state's water program if it So, if regulators order a sys- gram. money should you commit?" The state has no regulatory go to a farm or a little store consistently fails to do its job. tern to buy required equipment "The message is it's OK to You can always make Such questions prompted the program for drinking water. It with a shallow well and no It's not happening.Why? or fine it for failing to meet a le- violate the law,"says Erik 01- everybody's environ- EPA to agree in 1988 to review has repeatedly declined feder- treatment ... and you better ►Money. Financial prob- gal standard, it creates budget son of the Natural Resources ment safer, but how the radium standard—a proc- al requests to set one up. bring bottled water." lems undermine drinking wa- strains and tax burdens. Defense Council."You can fill much money should ess now extended until 2000. So it's up to the EPA to regu- In The Corner Store's case, ter laws at every level. "Not infrequently, you get a a telephone book with ex- �„ For now,the old standard re- late the more than 700 public E i the New York Department of The nation's 55,000 water call from a political official—a cuses, but the bottom line is you commit. mains in place,and the result- water systems in Wyoming. r • Health, which regulates water systems that serve residential governor, a member of Con- we have water systems that ing wait-and-see has effectively And the federal agency does systems, didn't even know communities need $12 billion gress," says John DeVillars, are repeat, significant viola- — Ronald Matekaitis meant that neither state offi- that—from Denver. there was a system they should in new equipment and pipe- EPA's New England regional tors and they're getting off DeKalb's city attorney dials nor regional EPA manag- "We provide as much public have been checking.The agen- lines to meet legal require- administrator."They say,'What scot-free." ers has pursued enforcement. health protection as we can," cy hadn't registered it. ments, according to-a 1997 are you doing? This isn't pop- In DeKalb,however,that has says Jack Rychecky,who heads "The treatment certainly EPA study. ular.'" Was it the water? ical science never will know upset many residents. the EPA's Wyoming program. wasn't adequate for the kind of "Some utilities willfully vio- DeVillars and other regu- what caused Max's illness. "I'm willing to pay a lot more "It's awfully hard to be oversee- water source (the store) had," late (drinking water rules) be- lators believe drinking water In DeKalb, Ill., the notion But"we'll always wonder if it in taxes for clean water than ing water systems in Wyoming says Michael Burke,director of cause they don't like the regu- laws can work,despite political that money and politics steer was the water," says Kathleen things like roads or parks,"says from Denver." New York's Bureau of Public lations,but usually it's a matter fallout. But the toll is clear. enforcement of drinking water Clark, an accountant, who Jim Lahey,a retired accounting In Alpine,the EPA hadn't yet Water Supply. "They should of not having resources" to fix Eleven states haven't even laws does little to ease the pain blames officials' inaction for professor. "Health comes fust." completed a review meant to have been monitoring(for con- a problem, says Bevin Beau- implemented all the Safe of Kathleen and Lon Clark. the questions that haunt her Lahey and 10 other residents determine whether town water, taminants). They should have det, past chief of Palm Beach Drinking Water Act's rules.The For 22 years, state studies family. "DeKalb should have sued DeKalb in 1996 to force drawn from a local spring, had an annual inspection." County (Fla.) Water Utilities last of those rules should have found DeKalb's water has had been taking radium seriously compliance with radium rules needed chlorination or other Investigators eventually tied and a board member at the been in place by mid-995. up to twice the legal limit of ra- all along." for drinking water. Last year, treatment. The analysis would the contamination to waste American Water Works Associ- California, for example, still dium,a naturally occurring,ra- The story of how DeKalb an agreement ended the law- have shown that the water was washed into the store's well ation,a major industry group. lacks requirements that water dioactive element linked to and hundreds of other commu- suit without a trial,and the city at risk for contamination from i from a poultry farm and ma- Pursuing every violation is systems check lead or copper bone cancer,leukemia and oth- nities evade radium rules has said it will meet the radium surface runoff. nure-covered fields. "beyond the states'resources," contamination; Virginia hasn't er illnesses. Three years ago, speaks worlds about the break- standard,but not until 2002. The threat was realized just Burke says the total lack of adds Dave Spath,chief of Cali- adopted limits on chemical and the Clarks' 10-year-old son, down in enforcement of drink- Today, DeKalb blends its before July 4,when the people oversight was an anomaly but fornia's drinking water divi- radiological contaminants. Max,died of bone cancer.Med- ing water laws, pitting human well water with cleaner suppli- of Alpine began turning up concedes that state regulators sion.'We deal first with larger es to lower radium levels, but sick, many with the bloody have trouble keeping tabs on systems that have 'significant' ;,.• x g� • x „,,,,,,-,..;‘,.0•4,,,,,44,-4,1-N, ,� ��5&��1 �� s 3+�.4 even so, state estimates find diarrhea that signals E. deli's the smallest of New York's problems. With smaller sys ' '�k� • sV `« `� ,3 'A' •''''' , ` ' .�,;.,, s � � F� that tap water still exceeds the sometimes fatal attack on in- 10,000 water systems. terns, which may have an .� S� � ,r ,7,;� ' limit by 50%. testinal blood vessels. "Our problems,”he says,"are equal public health risk but to i°''' r' State and federal health offi- no different than the problems a far smallerpopulation ... n a t ' � W ' *� Tough road ahead cials swarmed in, ultimately you're seeing nationally." you get to whatever you can." The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency concluding the contamination In one respect, the Linsners State officials complain Con- identified about 9,500 public water sys- State and federal regulators probably came from animal got lucky:The bacteria that hit gress doesn't provide the funds terns in the USA that were in"significant say the problems with enforce- waste that washed into the them can kill babies, elderly promised by the Safe Drinking noncompliance"with federal drinking wa- ,,, ment of drinking water laws town's spring. They found 68 people and others with weak Water Act.Federal grants typi- ter laws during fiscal year 1997—about .. =,--a.." haven't gone unnoticed, and confirmed cases and at least immune systems. cally pay 40%of state program 6%of all water systems.These systems, many hope the answers lie in 150 suspected cases of E. coli • Now, the Linsners test their costs;states say 75% is proper. according to the EPA,"pose the most Congress' 1996 amendments to poisoning. Nineteen people well water. They never drink And EPA lacks the re- serious threats to public health." Safe Drinking Water Act. were hospitalized;two children water at campgrounds and sources to step in when states "In the last three or four and one adult were in critical avoid it in restaurants and rest fail. This year,the agency will Most `significant' years, we began to see (en- condition;no one died. areas.They even wonder about devote$5.1 million and rough- violators are small forcement) actions on the part Rychecky says the EPA has it at church socials. ly 80 staff members to enforc- systems, serving 25 to of the states drop off dramat- "taken the lessons of (Alpine) ... and most fail to do 'People say, 'Oh, we have ing drinking water laws — 500 maple ,,, testingreporting ically,and that was tremendous to heart" and is scrambling to good water. We won't have a about a quarter of what it allots or g cause for concern,"says Robert finish assessing Wyoming's wa- problem,"' Linsner says. "But to policing air pollution. 501- ' Perciasepe, who until August ter systems. they don't know." 0,-Approach. Regulators of- 3,300 ,. 82% was the EPA's top administra- And there's new recognition ten take a soft tack with law- 9%, tor for water. "There are prob- that it takes vigilance to assure A troubled law breaking water systems. lets that need to be dealt with. clean water, no matter how 3,301 • "The people who run these were changing the system to pristine the surroundings. 10,000 The Safe Drinking Water Act systems aren't polluters;Their 2% 25-500 25% address the underlying issues." Says Mayor Wooden:"It's like is a tough one to follow—and a interest is in providing goodie 9% But there already are in- a fly flying around in a room, Peo tough one to enforce. . water," says Mike Keegan of ,;86% I dications that one of the and the fly happened to land in • Passed in 1974, the law re- the National Rural Water Asso- : Failed to Exceeded Failed to changes seen as most impor- our glass." quires any water system serv- ciation,which represents small 10,001 do proper contami- filter or tant—more money for water ing 25 or more people to regu- systems. "They shouldn't be 2°%000 testing or nant limit properly programs—won't make much larly test its water and comply treated like paint manufactur- reporting treat water difference. USA with contamination limits. ers or poultry operations." More than 100,000 Federal funding for drinking (�� But over time, the law has In fact, a 1997 EPA studyLess than 1% j water programs 'fir'• A has climbed grown increasingly complex. It found 4,258 water systems na Does not total wow because of rounding. Total exceeds 100%because a 30%since 1996,to$93.8 million �� as° has been amended again and tionwide with a chronic historytweet`°"a have,,^,than one , ''IO 0 -AG g s©unt3als��aY tnaytttau:s� � tweet*dation, 3�, - this year. THE NATIONS NOMFPAGF again to meet the new threats of significant violations of ptpt Ag�xyaata b' 'a"�'�"`'-' The added federal funding is Go online:Find out about your posed by tougher bacteria, in- drinking water laws and found a step in the right direction, water system via USA TODAY 8y Julie Stacey,USA TODAY ONLINE:www.usatoday.com dustrial waste and agricultural that most lacked needed says Steven Gordon,.president S 4 • ;a L�7LW___________________________________________________ • Concerned about your water? Here's how to find out whether your local system broke the rules If you're interested in finding out violation and enforce- Conduct your se • arch by selecting a state and then en- ulated so are not included. their local water systems if there have been any vio- • ment information for your water system,here are some tering the name of the water system.If you don't know Another option is to contact your local water sup- lations of safe drinking water laws.The move,mandat- ways to do it the water system name,select the state and county the plier or your state drinking water agency for more de- ed by Congress,means consumers will find out about ►Despite flaws in some of its data,information on spe- system serves.This will return a list of all systems sery tailed information.The EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hot- violations ranging from contaminants in the water to ciHc systems is available on the EPA's Internet Web site at that county, line at 1-800-426-4791 can provide you with the phone ' improper testing. wwwepagov/enviro/html/sdwis/sdwis_ovhtml. The database contains information on 311170,000 fed- number for your state'drinking water agency,and an- Notification will happen at least once a year,though The database shows a system's 10-year violation history, erally regulated water systems. Private wells and sys- saver other water related questions. some water systems may provide the information more as well as enforcement actions taken in response. terns serving fewer than 25 people are not federally reg- ►Beginning next year,all consumers will be told by frequently. ere wateros on aes over - . .,., ., ... _ . ,. . „,..„.„. 4 17 By Aaron Davis area in the country," says John DeV- move such dirt and harmful parasites staffers who use shotguns and other er areas because some suburbs end up USA TODAY illars, the Environmental Protection from the water. loud noisemakers to scare away ani- getting less chlorine in their water x Agency regional administrator who But it soon became obvious that the mals from the area,the water leaving than others. " Almost 30 years after The Standells oversees Boston. EPA and the MWRA had different the Wachusett reservoir is clean "They need to look at all the prob ° immortalized Boston in its hit song Today,that could change. ideas of how to clean up Boston's wa- enough to be exempt from the fil- lems," says Joel Schwartz, author of Dirty Water, the federal government The MWRA'S board of directors is ter tration law,says Douglas MacDonald, the study and a Harvard professor of has decided the drinking water there scheduled to vote whether to continue The► EPA says the city must filter. executive director of the MWRA. environmental epidemiology."Clearly, isn't just defiled,but downright danger- not filtering, or bow to a federal law- ►The MWRA, joined by city and "We can do the job without fil- there is still some water borne disease ous. suit that would make Boston spend an state officials, argue they can provide tration," MacDonald says. "It doesn't in Boston." The crux of the problem is that the additional$180 million to add filtration clean water without filtering. make any sense to spend the money." Because there's no filtration, chlo- Massachusetts Water Resources Au- equipment at a new water treatment "Our philosophy has always been to But in February,the EPA expressed rine is Boston's only line of defense. P Michael sva.aco.AP • thority,which serves about 1.6 million plant it is building. protect the source," says John Rod_ od its formal disagreement, filing suit The city has increased its use of thio EPA Administrator.Carol residents in and around Boston, The storyof how Boston has resisted man, Massachusetts' assistant secre- against the water authority and the rine by more than 30% in the last two Browner doesn't filter its water—even though federal entreaties illustrates how wa Lary of environmental affairs. "The state in federal court in Boston. years,but too much chlorine is associ- the federal government for five years ter system disputes often take years to most important thing we can do;s keep "This a system that has had a lot of ated with its own health risks. • Browner. has said it must. resolve.Residents,meanwhile,are left the growing population and animals problems.Scaring the birds away can't "Boston is going have to do some- Boston isn't the only city fighting to drink the water,unsure of its safety. away from the reservoirs" - which take care of it all,"EPA lawyer Mark thing soon,"says Payton Flemming,an about filtering. The federal govern- In 1991, when Congress made fil- provide all the city's drinking water. Stein says. . EPA spokesman. 'There are plans to 8 • ment says about a dozen water sys- tration the law unless cities can prove But the state's position was compli- Filtering isn't Boston's only prob- limit chlorine usage.Too much of it is 85®/o get terns nationwide that serve at least the source of their water is pure,there Gated by the fact that thousands of sea- lem. dangerous." IJ.J 10,000 people should be filtering their was little doubt that Boston would have gulls began using the Wachusett reser In a study due out this fall,research No one on either side would be sur- water but aren't to change its ways:nearly 80% of the voir as a bathroom in the early 1990s, ers from Harvard University say prised if the city's whole water mess good "The residents of Boston are the water samples taken in the city tested when they visited an adjacent garbage they'll report that, depending on ended.up getting settled in court and least well protected drinking water positive for the bacteria found in ani- dump to scout for food. where you live in Boston,the chances not by any agreement beforehand. i� consumers of any major metropolitan mal waste.Filtration is designed to re- Since then,thanks to daily efforts of of getting sick are twice as great as 0th Hearings are scheduled for January. water . � , - . 3 Failingto fitter Carol Browner, head of the The EPA requires certain water systems that get their water from Environmental Protection ,. r" wL �,. x ,, `,T. surface sources—lakes,rivers,reservoirs to filter it.Surface Agency, says while there are Via., � � ` ^a .; .., "x' `=z .� , 4 ' � ' waters are vulnerable a contamination,such as animal waste, some problems with imple ' y that can ose acute health risks.Below are waters stems mentation and enforcement of ; pgr l Y'; t2 k^�A �• � ;rx '�s� ,i� ,� " S.e ,� g �� ai° *� �� - P Y `' � ' �ig •••';'''':';'''''''''': b ` ;"'''''''1;:'4::: A a � s ;" , _ ' serving 10,000 or more people that should be filtean but were safe drinkLu'^i��,water laws,most not as of July the EPA says.Some systems,including New York people get safe water from the r ) City's, may be in the process of installing filtration. tap. She was interviewed by .-- Number USA TODAY about her agen- cy's role in overseeing drinking `. .- . L _ � ''" of people water regulations: 0Water system County served 4 Californias Q:Why do you think we're Desert Water Agency Riverside 125,000 seeingsuch problems with ',„.._..y.,-; - '‘, '. #' r.,,,,,,, _ - ,. .. , ._ . ,,, , ,,,... - _--,------ s- - _ ....,-..„,,,<7:-.',/,‘,-.. .„,,..:,,,,,-lb: North Tahoe PUD-Main Placer 10,000 i $� enforcement of these laws. � ,y; � �� ` _ Massachusetts A: Obviously, there are vio- - �t1 "_ MWRA(Massachusetts Water Suffolk 1,654,076 lations that occur, but 85% of l � _ ,, Resources Authority the public is getting water �� F a • Fitchburg DPW,Water Division, Worcester 39,000 from a system that essentially • �. „„ � , , Northampton Water Dept. Hampshire 30,384 does not have a violation. I � � i • p `� �` Gardner Water Dept. Worcester 19,947 think the vast majority of the _ T .� 11, ; • 7 t, Southbridge Water Supply Co. Worcester 17,000 violations that you're talking �� t� ��,._- :. 1 '�" � � - �i j Holden Water Department Worcester 15,017 about occur in the smaller-1- • ,�' - ,,,,,,C;47;44401,./;,‘ ..,.4'N Clinton Water Dept. Worcester 12,500 terns, and I think everyone ��,..''" would agree theypose the s x� - tj - 6 y .r.... ,"•-,-..„_,;•• eur ' ie., - z New York a + " h _ ,c� New York City Aqueduct Bronx, 1,000,000 greatest challenge. " Sys.(Croton) Manhattan ,� � `@ United Water New Rochelle Westchester 133,816 Qt How come the EPA has `� '. \ , _' Westchester Joint Water Works Westchester 46,000 never exercised its right to r� • r-^ / Yorktown Consold.Water Dist.#1 Westchester 33,000 take over drinking water reg- j 9 lc non illation in a data t1.nh � a r h Newburgh Consolidated n�anno ''...-,W.,;?.i` n . IL/11\1.1.1,M I L Ji ISUIU.Vvater visr.S I vvestcnesrer ;j;3 UW •4.,yr ci UI uuuiig water reg- . ulation in a state that isn't do- - t,'- • �* � �� + .1,q...,,•• •,...� .:.c Newburgh Consolidated Orange 16,000 ,� ~, .; ing a good job? u� • South Carolina A: I'm not sure that kind of i . " `� ,_ Greenville Water System Greenville 259,602 protracted,• • ugly fight is going •. getyougreatest level of o -t om' ,1 Washington to the .. 0� Aberdeen,City of/Water Dept. Grays Harbor 18,000 public health protection. Our � �"� > a'. 1-Other unfiltered MWRA watersystems in the Boston area,servinga total of 1.6 million ;� '' abilityto provide the resources r .a people.include Boston Water&Sewer Commission and the following water departments:Quin ` kt•ti ,,- y 1" Newton:Somerville;Framingham;Waltham;Medford;Malden;Brookline;Arlington;Revere;�' to run one of those programs :. - ,c _•• ";: i '3 .,,�4� ,. w, ..., *• '1'''' '-.,1: Wobum:Everett:Watertown;Lexington;Norwood:Needham;Melrose:Milton:Saugus:Belmont; wouldexpense come at the a of By David Kamerman for USA TODAY Chelsea;Stoneham,Winchester; ancon;Marblehead;Winthrop:Wint roSwampscott;andWeston. •may • • Source:U.S.Environmental Protection Agency setting new standards(for con- One tactic for clean water.John Vento pilots the boai while Steve Klisiewicz fires a blank gun to scare away offending seagulls in the Wa- taminants in water),of provid- chusett Reservoir in Massachusetts.The birds can contaminate the water supply. USA TODAY ing grant money to the states. • • .,, What we have done is to Studies suggest millions of Americans could get sick each year ed) at cresources,te est job of protecting the public. By Peter Eisler concluded that about 7.1 million lems are far more likely to cause nau- - food poisoning. They let them run USA TODAY Americans suffer nausea or diarrhea sea and diarrhea than any mortal epi- ,a k their course over a few days and rare- Q: EPA devotes far less each year from bad water.The inquirydemic. ' - • ly see a doctor. Even if they do get money and far fewer people There's no telling precisely how suggested that as many as 1,200 die as But gastrointestinal illnesses from _ help, doctors rarely do the kinds of to regulating drinking water many Americans get sick each year a result bad water have become increasingly tests that can peg bad water as the cul- than to enforcing other major from drinking bad water. But it's safe Other reports, including a widely common, according to academic and prit environmental laws.Is drink- to say.there are a lot more of them circulated CDC study, suggest the government studies. The illnesses ,a In the rare cases when doctors find ing water a lower priority? than anyone knows about. number of illnesses is closer to 1 mil , '-- yo pose what many researchers see as a bad water is behind an illness, there A: I don't think that's the From 1993 to 1996,the most recent lion,with about 900 deaths. serious public health threat with life °., generally is no requirement that they right way to evaluate it. We years for which the Centers for Dis- And a soon-to-be published report threatening consequences, particular- particularly important report it. have a antic ev ease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the EPA suggests only about ly to people in weakened medical con- "Nobody really has any idea of how responsibility under the Safe has records,there were 52 confirmed 230,000 peopleget sick eachyear dition. a manypeople are gettingsick and d - DrinkingWater Act to set the � � P P Y outbreaks of waterborne illness that from contaminated drinking water, Waterborne illness "is not simply ',.• ing,"says Rebecca Calderon,a water- national standards.And that is sickened 408,000 people and killed with about 50 deaths. the concern of past generations, (it) <., -- , borne-disease expert at the EPA. something we do and no state 111.All the deaths and 403,000 of the Pinning down the problem is "ex- must remain on the current public The medical community is especial- can do. If you look at how illnesses were linked to a 1993 bad wa- tremely difficult," says Ron Linsky of health agenda," Morris and Levin ly concerned by the threat that cryp- we've invested our resources,it ter outbreak in Milwaukee. the National Water Research Institute, wrote in a 1995 study. But"addressing = tosporidium and other bacteria pose has been on that side of the... Researchers say those numbers which was founded by water suppliers (those)concerns...will require more '' to the rising number of people with equation. barely scratch the surface of what's to study drinking water issues."There reliable data." weak immune systems, such as can- really going on."I would say the cases are so many other ways that pathogens Most of the studies that have been CH Diagnostic and Consulting Service.Inc. cer patients getting chemotherapy,or- Q: It seems other envi- we learn about are the tip of the ice- are transferred into the human condi- done on waterborne disease focus on New peril:Cryptosporidium in drinking gan transplant recipients and AIDS pa- ronmental programs within berg," says Deborah Levy, a water- tion—you kiss somebody,you touch nausea and diarrhea from bacterial water,magnified 1,000 times. tients. The elderly, pregnant women EPA get a lot more money borne-disease expert at the CDC. your face with dirty hands. How do contamination, the most prevalent and infants also face greater risks and staffing.Why? But it's extremely difficult to quanti- you differentiate where the disease is drinking water threat. There's virtu- are too many possibilities, from bad water. A:We've made a decision... fy the true toll.Consider the disparity coming from?It's very difficult" ally no data on less common water- Even getting a, handle on illness For five years, the CDC has main- that the best thing we could do in the studies: There's no suggestion that the Unit- related ailments,such as cancers link- from microbes,such as cryptosporidi- tained a standing recommendation was get federal dollars into the An investigation by Robert Morris ed States is returning to an era when ed to radon, radium and some indus- urn, the bug behind the Milwaukee that Americans with those conditions state coffers, that that was of the Medical College of Wisconsin waterborne plagues such as cholera trial and agricultural pollutants. It's outbreak,is a daunting task. should consider boiling their water be- where you would get the great- and Ronnie Levin of the U.S. Envi- and typhoid were leading causes of almost impossible to pin a specific The problem is that people tend to fore drinking it, regardless of its est public help....Within a dif- ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) death. Today's drinking water prob- cause in most cancer cases — there attribute stomach problems to flus or source. ficult balanced budget situa- tion, this administration has stood firm for new federal dol- Powerful newpollutants imperil drinkingwater thes going to enha wage, r suppy the same time,enhancing our ability to set standards. By Peter Eisler sewage or industrial waste much technical challenges." growing nitrate threats. come even more complicated now Q:How big a concern is the USA TODAY more today than 20 years ago. Back Sometimes, even the most rigor- "We got lucky with mother na- that it's known that increasing chlo- current state of the drinking then,an operator could forget to put ous efforts to combat contamination ture,"says L.D.McMullen,who runs rine levels poses its own problems. ? Just a few decades ago, it seemed in chlorine one day. If you did that can't do the job. the city's water works. "We've still Studies now show that high chlo- water program. the nation had won the war on bad now, there's a very good chance In 1992, Des Moines' water works got a problem." rine concentrations can react with A: We have of drinking(a) generallyte water. Modern pipelines, chlorina- you'd have a (disease) outbreak." spent$4 million to install the world's • Water systems face similar chal- acids in water to create trihalo- high quality o water, tion and sewage treatment had all Since 1974,the number of contam- largest system for removing nitrates, lenges in some of the new, hard-to- methanes — compounds linked to but we cannot have take vathgi for but wiped out virulent, waterborne inants regulated by the Safe Drink- which are components of fertilizers kill bacteria that crop up with grow- spontaneous miscarriages and vari- wgranted.We to be ly l - ingWater Act has grown from 13 to and manure that plague manyagri- ingfrequency. ous cancers. In response, the Envi- ing have howto tobe do a constantlylook- plagues. j p g g - q y' p at to do a better job. But the truth has proved more 83,ranging from dioxin,an industrial cultural areas and carry serious Among the most feared is cryp- ronmental Protection Agency is pro- ., No one is suggesting that complicated — and elusive. Provid- and agricultural byproduct, to such risks for infants and pregnant worn- tosporidium,the parasite that pollut- posing new rules limiting THMs and we don't have our challenges. ing Americans with clean drinking naturally occurring toxins as radon. en. ed Milwaukee's water in 1993,killing 'other possibly dangerous "disinfect- Certainly the smaller (water) water is getting tougher every year. System operators must do scores of Yet this spring, the 'city warned 111 people and sickening more than ion byproducts" in drinking water. systems pose a set of chal- Today,water system operators are water tests a year, yielding thou- that its tap water still was likely to 403,000. It was the worst case of wa- Grappling with new contaminants lenges. Certainly there are battling a host of new threats, from sands of results. exceed legal nitrate limits because terborne illness in modern U.S.histo- and legal standards forces water sys- states that have done a better heartier bacteria to increasingly tox- The rules "resulted in improve- farmers used so much fertilizer dur- ry.The•city's treatment system at the tems"to strike a really fine balance," job than other states.But what is industrial pollutants, pesticides ments in water quality, and systems ing the 1997 drought. But unusually time wasn't good enough to kill the says Jeffrey Griffiths of Tufts Univer- we've got to do is to keep at it and fertilizers• have done their best to deal with heavy rains ended up diluting con- bug, which can evade conventional sity's School of Medicine. "When each and every single day. "The margin for error is closing," them,"says Diane VanDe Hei, exec- tamination enough to keep levels in filters and is resistant to chlorine, you're dealing with things like cryp- says Dennis Juranek of the Centers utive director of the Association of check. But the city now is spending most systems' main defense. . tosporidium on one hand and sponta- More: for Disease Control and Prevention. Metropolitan Water Agencies. "But another$30,000 to upgrade its high- The struggle to control cryptospo- neous miscarriages on the other ... ►Special report continues on "Water utilities are presented with there is a lot to do.There are a lot of tech treatment system to handle ridium and other bacteria has be- there are no easy answers." Pages 19A, 20A and 22A. New consumer reports K ,„, �� 1 -....:,:,,,:ii,:-,,,!-,--:: 2 Iowa officials 8 wont tell whole storyz j w accusedf o By Peter Eisler ,-Awie,,,,, -% , leets.It also makes it tough to chlorine trucks to send to v�z a , � - falsifying USA TODAY weed out violations not worth neighborhoods that yield a , f' pursuing. positive sample for bacteria. ,a � a .......,. water tests Beginning next year, con "We need to track down The trucks flush that section of r sumers :1.:;':1111 must be informed at (significant violations) and kill the system, killing off the or `.` s ' �' A � least once a year by their wa- them,"says John Montgomery ganisms and making sure a ; ,a M By Peter Eisler ter system of anyviolation of of the National Rural Water follow-uptest won't find any4i _ <� ' safe drinking waer laws. Association, which represents evidencof contamination. k�, =tk >x .l o*Si! 3 USA TODAY The congressionally man- small waters tems.But"a lot It's a perfectlylegal,accept- N g Y Ys g It's extremely rare dated Consumer Confidence of the violations (regulators) ed way of dealing with imme >,ir j 1 for water system oper Reports will mark the first are going after...aren't really diate health threats.But it can - �, , ,- ators to be accused of s. time that all consumers will risks to public health." mask underlying problemY; learn whether their tapwater What are the most si mf- There are more devious tac falsifying data from wa g �"< ° ; f � ter quality tests. But has had too many contami- icant reporting problems? tics:Putting a water sample in '-_--�, ' , � � earlier this month, Io- nants, for example, or wheth- ►Thousands of water sys- the microwave before sending 7 s wa's attorney general er their water system is doing tems give regulators inaccu it to the lab is a sure way to kill o! • filed criminal charges P1; the right kind of quality test- rate results from required any bacteria; dropping a little ,- f• , in just such a case. ing. tests. Government audits sug- chlorine in the jar does the ,° r''' ,.' _ Thanks to these reports, gest one in 10 water systems job, too. Tnic officialswater at the contamination in (drinking) have submitted flawed results "It's common knowledge I • municipal Ftreat- ment plant in Fairfield, water will no longer be invisi- at least once, either because that if you do those things,you ;;�� Iowa, were accused of ble," President Clinton said in operators sampled improperly won't get a positive test re x ,,r11�,` filing fraudulent results an August speech.People"will or because they intentionally suit," says Joe Janczy, who a ' {,..„ . �. � �. � � ` � on turbidity tests. see at a glance whether their falsified data. oversees Wisconsin's drinking w ' Turbidity refers to drinking water is safe ... and ►Thousands of violations water program for the EPA. a �„ ._ the cloudiness of water they will know what they have of safe drinking water laws go "How much does it happen? ',,ati ,,,,,-.70:,, ' and is an indicator of to work with and what they unrecorded in databases used It's impossible to know" s� � � � r xi F,.. must work toward." to track compliance and steer In 1995,the EPA's inspector � ' •- � -� : �� possible contamina- But in all likelihood, those regulatory policy. One recentgeneral audited monitorin .re tion. Some research g has linked high turbid- reports won't show the corn- audit suggests 16% of all vio- suits from a national sample �;=s 3 �' ',,,,;:„.,::::::,,,;::,,.,,,,t2: it to stomach illness- plete picture. lations are not in the EPA of water systems and found ,ttt, T� , - es Legal loopholes make it database that serves as the that 12%had provided errone x According to investi- easy for water systems to main repository for records on ous data at least once in the M x: gators' affidavits, the avoid citations for serious water systems nationwide. previous four years. About • , ` .--%,' -- plant operator and an roblems. Some use tempo- ►Thousands of violations 58% of the mistakes involved -: * P P s assistant repeatedly rary fixes to obscure contami- are triggered for problems sampling or testing errors; nation threats; some manip- that carry little or no public out 42% appeared to be de- 3 ce' covered up turbidity ab levels that were three ulate results of water quality health risk.Water systems that liberate falsification. . '£ times above the point at tests. file results from water quality - ' � 4 � � , ��E which they should have Conversely, critics charge, tests a few days late can get No tests at all ' �. ' i 1 , ,,;; issued a boil-water no- because reporting rules are the same citation as those that - tice to the city's nearly u� poorly conceived and often don't test at all. Then again,some water sys- y. ,-,b , .s 10,000 residents. misapplied, many violations tems don't monitor the water i' f _ .z �° ,, , '�F t ',F<, . °� The two water plant that do get picked up are for Monitoring troubles at all. � � a .-: � �� . � operators, both relatively minor problems. Offenders may rack up vio 44° i - ,� ? -, charged with"felonious "A lot of the regulations Most problems with poor re- lations,but they usually go un- F . ' lT.. _ A misconduct in office," don't reflect agreat under- porting on violations of safepunished: Of the 162,264 mon- By nm Dillon USA TODAY are accused of altering standing of ... many of the drinking water laws are rooted itoring violations recorded Water tests:Eileen Thornburg,a chemist with the Fairfax County,Va.,Health Department tests local testing logs and falsely problems we're facing," says in the rules for monitoring for nationally in 1996, records drinking water for traces of copper,one of 83 contaminants regulated under drinking water laws. reporting to regulators Jim Melstad, chief of Mon- contamination. show about a third had been that turbidity was with- tana's drinking water program Water systems must sample corrected or had drawn for- crazy," adds Paul Schwartz, battery of 30 to 40 chemicals That kind of relatively mean- in normal parameters. and former board member of regularly for more than 80 mal enforcement action — who lobbies on water issues they've never found,"says Den- ingless violation, some regu- State and federal offi- the Association of State Drink- contaminants, often at mut- fines, lawsuits or legal orders for Clean Water Action,an en- nis Juranek, a water-borne- lators say, diverts attention cials acknowledge'that ing Water Administrators. So tiple locations, yielding thou- —by the end of 1997. vironmental group. "If a sys- illness expert at the Centers for from water systems with real it is difficult in most "compliance reports and vio- sands of test results. If con- "We currently have a lot of tem isn't monitoring properly, Disease Control and Preven- troubles. And sometimes, the cases to root out and lations reports have great po- taminants are found, more monitoring violations ... and there's no way to know wheth- tion. "It's a real burden." states that do the best job track- prove such problems. tential to confuse what's going tests are required to confirm we've decided to begin col- er the water is safe." What's more, even a slight ing problems look the worst. This case "is unusu- on." whether there is truly a vio- lecting a lot of the data our- But just as some monitoring delay in submitting monitoring States and water systems al,"says Bob Brammer, The consequences go be lation. selves,so a lot of those will go violations mask problems,oth- results is a violation of safe "that do a good job of violation spokesman for the yond keeping consumers in Last year,83% of the 40,000 away," says Robert Munari, ers are relatively insignificant. drinking water rules. determination and reporting state attorney general's the dark. water systems that violated who runs Arizona's drinking Regulators and water sys- "You could have a laboratory get penalized because they office. "The affidavits In a regulatory program safe drinking water laws did water program. "But we're tem operators complain that that's testing samples for 500 show more (problems)," says indicate there was that takes enforcement action so for improper monitoring. probably going todiscover a the rules often require sys- water systems, and if they file Miguel Del Toral,a manager at someone on the inside against just one in 10 water Even when a system is mon- lot of water quality problems tems to test for contaminants their analyses late, that's 500 the EPA regional office that who knew they were systems with "significant" vio itoring properly, results don't that have gone unnoticed." that aren't a threat in their reporting violations we have to oversees central states' water falsifying data.We got a lations of the law,poor report- always tell the whole story. "A lot of people will tell you part of the country. deal with,"says Jeff Gordon of programs. Those "that do not complaint." ing hampers officials' ability In New York City,for exam- that monitoring violation are, "You've got systems that are Pennsylvania's Department of ...adequately track and report to target high-priority prob- ple,the water department has minor problems, but that' " s being forced to test for this Environmental Protection. violations look better." Nebraska files lawsuit EPA'sis data stream no11uutcr1 by in reiirww1T Y Nebraska files lawsuit s. - s o i u e s ` i inaccuracy • contesting EPA power By Barbara Hansen are erroneous. USA TODAYLast month, in a congres- The Environmental Protec- in Water systems the USA sionally mandated compli- By Peter Eisler ney problems. ance report, EPA acknowl- USA TODAY The Safe Drinking Water tion Agency's primary tool for edged that it had serious data Act's lead and copper rules took ensuring the safety of the na- There are more than 170,000 public water systems in the USA and its territories.The Environmental problems after finding that The federal government has effect at the end of 1992. But it tion's drinking water is an im- Protection Agency classifies water systems into three types,based on the population served: 16%of violations in 1996 were spent years pressuring Nebras- wasn't until last year that EPA pressively massive database missing from the database. ka to take legal action against officials wrote to the state's containing millions of records Types of Water systems New York, for example, water systems that exceed legal health and human services di- on the USA's 170,000 public failed to report a significant limits for copper contamina- rector asking for a "firm com- Community Non-community,non-transient Non-community transient water systems. number of violations,accord- tion.Now,the state's turning the mitment"to force scores of wa- Serves same Serves at least 25 of the same Serves transient populations in non- But the database is so ing to a 1998 EPA review of its tables:it's suing the feds. ter systems exceeding the flawed and plagued with dirty Population year round, people at least 6 months residential areas,such as camp drinking water program. In a case filed in U.S.District copper limits to come into corn- such as residences. a year,such as schools, grounds,motels and problems argues pliance. data — incomplete, outdated * factories and hospitals gas stations, Further surfaced Court in July, the state and incorrect information — w with their own rest stops when EPA posted violation that the Environmental Protec- Then, this year, the EPA that even the government ac- water supplies. and resorts. and enforcement data on its tion Agency has no authority to toughened its stance.It ordered knowledges it's a poor way ofv. 4, Web site earlier this year. make states enforce federal Nebraska to take legal action to monitoring whether people I / States complained that the in- drinking water standards. force 64 communities to use are getting clean water from Community water sytems make up nearly a third of all public water systems,but serve by far the formation was out of date— What's more, the state claims special treatment techniques to the tap. most people —about 249 million. or just plain wrong. Congress exceeded its legal bring the copper level in their "EPA is aware of inaccu- The Idaho Division of Envi- bounds in imposing any stan- water within federal limits. racies in the Safe Drinking Commll ity systems serve most people ronmental Quality was so dards in the first place. Nebraska's answer was to Water Information System," alarmed about inaccuracies Because the Safe Drinking file the suit. the agency's Web site warns. Number of water systems Number of people served that it asked EPA to remove Water Act"purports to regulate As in safe drinking water dis- t "We are working with the 248.9 Idaho data from the Web site local public water systems lo- putes in dozens of states,what's 898 states to improve the quality 95° million until corrections could be cared wholly within state behind much of the Nebraska of the data." made. boundaries,"the suit says, it in- suit is money.The states take is- Despite spending six years USA TODAY's investiga- fringes "upon the power re- sue with federal regulation of and $11 million overhauling 54,684 tion and complaints by the served to the states by the 10th drinking water contaminants the database,it still isn't work- states have prompted EPA to Amendment to the U.S. Consti- that are especially prevalent ing.And critics say the govern- dramatically step up efforts tution." within their boundaries. ment's inability to know which to clean up its database. A Many legal experts expect Some states have trouble water systems are providing 20,097 61 15.9 new "multi-part action plan" the suit—the first of its kind— with nitrates or radon or lead. dirty water and which are do- million million announced by EPA includes to fail. In Nebraska,the issue is copper. ing well make any attempt to 1111=1111111M211 fixing programming glitches, Still, it's a good example of In Hastings,Neb.,population enforce clean-drinking-waterCommunity Non-transient Transient Community Non-transient Transient doing more data audits, fol- the tensions that have marked 23,000,officials say it would cost laws nearly impossible. lowing up more aggressively the state-federal relationship on the city about $1 million for "It's unthinkable that you Sauce.US.Environmental Protection Agency when problems are found and drinking water regulation since treatment equipment needed to could have a good enforce- By Sam Ward.USA TODAY meeting with the states to fur- the Safe Drinking Water Act's bring the water system in line ment system without a good ther identify and resolve initial passage almost 25 years with the copper standards,plus data system," says James El- worked. tems aren't meeting safe drink- ture. Looking at the database problems. ago. And if it is successful, it another$250,000 a year to cut der, former director of the The database is supposed to ing water standards. alone, one can't tell where The database "has turned could herald similar lawsuits by excess copper levels in just six EPA's Office of Ground Water contain state-reported violation But dirty data, caused by a problems exist and how well out to be a very complex sys- dozens of states looking to re- homes. and Drinking Water. Elder and enforcement information host of problems,including lax safe drinking water laws are tem, and we're doing it on the write the way drinking water "There are some legitimate made the decision in 1991 to on all federally regulated pub- reporting by states, confusion enforced. fly while we're changing the suppliers are supervised. legal issues (here) and they overhaul the database,describ- lic water systems, from those about what information is sup- USA TODAY,as part of its in- law," says Robert Perciasepe, In fact, the EPA hasn't been should be resolved by the feder- ing the database in place at serving big cities to the small- posed to be reported and tech- vestigation of the nation's clean EPA's top administrator for particularly tough in pushing al courts," says Nebraska At- that time as "not worth its est,with just 25 customers. nical glitches in transferring drinking water enforcement, water until August. "But clear- Nebraska to enforce the act's torney General Don Stenberg. weight in paper."He left at the It's supposed to be used by data from state programs to found that records of violations ly,the enforcement component limits on copper contamination, He says the suit could go as far beginning of 1995 before seeing the EPA to monitor state water the federal system, makes it and punishment of bad water is not completed by any stretch which is believed to cause gas- as the Supreme Court,so it may whether the new system programs and tell which sys- tough to get a complete pic- systems often go unreported or of the imagination." trointestinal illnesses and kid- take years to resolve. Sydney, Australia, was forced to boil its water 7 MR By J.Taylor Buckley until September. Known as one of the most by 700 businesses and individ- ; ' 6 USA TODAY One of the two parasites modern, progressive cities in uals, some of whom claim the „V' - found in the water was the the world and famed for its op- water made them sick. No Even such model modern same one blamed for more era house,Sydney,until recent- deaths have been attributed to cities as Sydney, Australia — than 100 deaths in Milwaukee ly, sold its tap water in bottles the contamination. host to the 2000 Olympic in 1993.The Sydney outbreak is labeled"good enough to bottle, Further efforts to resolve the ,,,, Games—can find their water believed to have been caused too good to waste." problem await recommends z -' , .,"5 on the"don't drink"list. by decaying animals in the wa- The crisis was made more tions of a special board. Those ,' it , E . ;'_ y''� �' �° ''1 Just this summer, Sydney ter supply or heavy rains after embarrassing by Sydney wa- recommendations, expected ---'7.--',_i - "" • rel. • -" r' "`"'`"'� �11 Water Corp. Ltd. found para- a dry spell. ter's having just completed an next month,coincide with a vis -�--.- , ,-,.., ;,�„„, sites at its main treatment plant Bars quit serving drinks with ad campaign featuring Olym- it by the International Olympic - a '" �; -;. and warned the city's 3 million ice; bottled water disappeared pic athletes praisingthe cit 's Committee, which has already `'' residents not to drink the tap from stores; hospitals cut back water for its purity. expressed concern that the wa- ' water.The crisis,declared July on surgeries for fear of in- The water company is now ter might not be drinkable for By Steve Bacon.AP 30, triggered boil-water alerts fecting patients. the target of a lawsuit brought the 2000 Games. Sydney:City has water problems,too. Parasites were found at the main treatment plant. • . • • • ' ' t t - - 0 • ' p - • • Solutions -offered - •Radon uIn wa �r• Problem boils down • Highest tisk for radon in water By Peter Eisler to danger vs. cost USA TODAY EPA estimates about 20 million people get water contaminated with radon, a naturally occurring carcinogen found in the bedrock.The shaded areas How to improve America's safe drinking water laws often By Aaron Davis have the highest natural occurence of radon. becomes a debate over whether there's enough money to en- USA TODAY litii;iiii;;;00.04„ ....„ 44t00.. . force them—but that's not the only answer. - Via. "We have to be constantly looking at how to do a better job," The Environmental Protection Agency says Carol Browner,administrator of the Environmental Pro regulates more than 80 contaminants inailL!:: ,,,,:!ir\� �' ` tection Agency. "We have to be vigilant" drinking water.But one of the more dan i Here are a few of the solutions that regulators,water suppli- gerous threats—radon—is not among ers and consumer advocates are talking about them. k w .. . . „,,... .. . . ►Tougher enforcement.Many experts agree that,when it The National Academy of Sciences lg comes to water systems that don't have any interest in corn- joined the EPA last mopth in saying that t '= ` `' plying with safe drinking water laws,a harder line is needed. •nearly 200 people die each year from raAt' • m• They want more aggressive use of fines, legal orders and don in tap water.The naturally occurring ... ... ..... . lawsuits when offers of help and prodding don't do the trick. carcinogen,without odor or taste,is in the ; . . ,. ..„„ .• . States that haven't given their drinking water programs the water of 20 million Americans. power to levy fines and file lawsuits have little leverage But since 1991, Congress has blocked �." against scofflaws; those that haven't put federal safety stan- the EPA from implementing proposed ,a„.„,: , dards into law have even less. limits for radon in drinking water. �,q, The EPA"needs to be more aggressive in overseeing states' The fight over radon typifies the de- 1.7�' programs,"says Eric Olson of the Natural Resources Defense bate that often hamstrings efforts to regu ,s9e photo by Jack Ainsworth.AP Council."If a state has given up on enforcement,EPA should late drinking water.Is the risk of a partic- Source:U S Geological Survey . B. Albert.USA TODAY to bl Bob Smith, R-N.H.,has led efforts be taking over its program,but EPA hasn't done a very good ular contaminant worth the cost of to block the EPA's proposed radon limits. job on that" cleaning it up? ► Oversight.There is evidence that many violations of safe And many hope the resolution of the West and the Northeast,to spend a lot of to prioritize." EPA officials argue that the answer is drinking water laws, particularly the problems incurred b.y radon issue,which is supposed to be set- money on new treatment equipment The What should be the priority,he adds,is not to ignore the need for limits on radon small systems, could be corrected by more active state in- tied next year,will yield a new approach cost of simply running that equipment is taking care of radon in the am in water,but to try to control all pathways spection programs. to settling such debates. estimated at about$272 million a year. That's because the National Academy for radon exposure.Besides,officials say, "If you make contact with (system operators),get to know "It comes down to whose risk and Sen.Bob Smith,R-N.H.,who has led ef- of Sciences' estimate that 200 die each the cost of controlling water-related ra- them,tell them what's expected of them,it makes a real dif- whose cost,"says Greg Helms,an EPA of- forts to block implementation of the year from radon in water pales next to its don deaths is relatively low—about$3 ference,"says Joe Power,who runs Alabama's drinking water ficial who helped write the agency's pro- EPA's proposed radon limits, says that other finding—that 19,000 die annually million per death. program.His inspectors visit every water system at least once posed radon limits for water.'With drink- price is simply too high. from radon in the air,usually by breath- "There was an informal benchmark a year. ing water... (people)see the cost more "It's not a perfect world,"says Smith, ing radon gas trapped in basements.Ei- that $6 million to $8 million per (life Many say that Congress needs to require water systems to directly,so there is more debate." who represents a state where the vast ther way,the result is lung cancer(radon saved)was about as much as we were go- get checkups every few years — instead of using today's In radon's case, the EPA's proposed majority of all well-water systems would in drinking water causes lung cancer be- ing to spend,"Helms says. guidelines, which carry no legal weight. Others back initia- limits would force about 27,000 water sys- not meet the EPA's proposed radon limit cause it's released as a gas during show- In the world of environmental regu- • tives such as the Partnership for Safe Water,which teams reg- terns,mostly in the mountain states of the "If you have limited resources,you have ers). lation,he adds,"that's pretty cheap." ulators and industry experts in the field to help systems im- prove their operations. . ►Changes in the law.Despite Congress' 1996 Safe Drinking • Water Act revisions, many suggest more regulatory changes. g.'�'� �,, States often don't tie drinking water programs to those 1A � ; meant to stop pollution of streams, lakes and aquifers. If water systems have contamination problems, "we can L�, cf � make them drill new wells," says Michael Dean of Oklaho ma,�L � .s�� :�, , .11:,-,.- ti ma's drinking water program."But we can't do anything to at- tack gA � tack the polluters at the source." 3 fat at ;� p$�� Many also want changes in rules that steer water quality x� � f " z � p� testing because the current one-size-fits-all approach doesn't ,k • provide flexibility for specific local problems. E x� ' � k I.Money. Water system operators note that the average > �A .. American pays less for water—about$18 a month—than r�� , w r. for cable TV That must change,they say given that water sys • 4%02 tems nationwide need about$12 billion in new pipelines and ` y V pX� treatment equipment. J U St •W h yo U Ve o r, There must be a "national commitment" to rebuilding J 1 a '' 'k drinking water infrastructure, "like we saw with roads, with t �j ( {. }s & E 1 ��3 �� ,-:',.:,'".:•':':'::11, 4g:!„. X ;��fi,, � airports and, most recently, with (sewer) systems,"says Ed- cleared e a r e d your U r p u l e i t, ward Means III, a manager with the Los Angeles water sys- 4. � p .'�� x tem. "The political side of the equation tends to recoil when • you talk about raising rates,... (but)one of the messages that � z time for dinner. 1 �� : � .� . . people need to be getting out is,`Folks,your rates are going to �: 7w , I ,,," S.. go up.— z . ►System consolidation. There's great support for consoli 3 r a � dating small systems to create fewer systems with larger cus- .. .: y _ t FF ' 1,,,,,,.., Y tomer bases and more resources to bring in good staff and ,- - •••,.:,,Y,,,,:-,,', .. ,-..,,,, :„ equipment. y . +� 8k Federal law encourages states to launch programs aimed at ..-7,:,;-:-',',.,..,:,.4..V.,';.;,%.,, ;.,„8 �-0,F.-:, �' romotin smalls stem mer ers, but man believe there ” P g Y g Y •• � needs to be a more aggressive effort. ; o%k I dating small systems to create fewer systems with larger cus- ,., tomer bases and more resources to bring in good staff ands j w f equipment. ,; E y Federal law encourages states to-launch programs aimed at • , n �r promotingsmalls stem mergers, but manybelieve there g � . eeds to e a more aggressive effort. �� s#3 "When we talk about restructuring other utilities,like eleci. ZK trical utilities,we tend to think about breaking things apart," a �" says Janice Beecher,a researcher at Indiana University."With . : .l �' f e i water we need to think about bringing things together and... `° k', i x ;,g k (realizing) economies of scale.' � � y a, , s .�,� �, £s'zu� y,pS � � f � '-','.'..4• °`' �x�'.. Cost to meet current regulations , , , ?� ,} , ¢ - Residential water systems need to spend$12 billion on t� • infrastructure to meet Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, � F according to a 1997 EPA survey.About$10 billion of the money n is needed to protect against bacterial contamination that can ,,-..?,,--,,3,-, z„4V t� : cause gastrointestinal illness and,in some cases,death.This is� � ,,, %-A is how much each state needs to spend,the EPA says. P '. Total cost' Cost per , r Y State (in millions) household .y .sem W, Alabama $74.6 $46 Alaska 36.6 171 - K4 4'7' Arizona 195.0 116 , # Arkansas 416.1 438 fi �� y California 1,816.0 164 `� �3 r Colorado 219.4 146 • �-03 Connecticut 80.3 65 � < ; k Delaware 4.6 17 � Florida 328.1 58 = 7t Georgia 311.9 115 � ' Hawaii 38.7 99 �t� a Idaho 20.7 48 ��h � Illinois 329.9 76 • v � Indiana 136.9 62 � � • g Iowa 67.8 61 Dinner was an easy decision. x r � s Y x� Kansas 244.8 249es Kentucky 116.7 79 Because at Four Points Hotels'by Sheraton we Y , Kyr Louisiana 176.1 112 1 ,� Maine 58.5 121 "fes� . Maryland 12o.a 65 provide the things you need to get the job done ; %� Massachusetts 43t0 186 e .. c'� „:„..„,„,,,,,,.,.44g Michigan 414.7 116 Essentials the other hotels a Minnesota 55.8 32Restaurant ... Mississippi 8.0 8 consider extras. Like a restaurant Missouri 142.6 69 � Montana 29.8 87 �� Nebraska 1692 268 and room service Meeting roams. Nevada 41.5 67 Meeting Rooms -, • ;'''''4.;-,1; New Hampshire 36.0 82 - ' ' A (m.'Ie s enter, And surprisingly, for less New Jersey 175.6 61 ;, �� New Mexico 33.7 54 than yQU C expect.:For reservations or to Room Service New York 1,245.0 185 North Carolina 152.4 55 become a Sheraton Club International s : North Dakota 30.6 124 �� Ohio 598.7 141 ., . Fitness Center : Oklahoma 263.0 208 member call 1-800-325-3535, Oregon 163.1 131 'Pennsylvania 404.4 88 your travel professional or click > Rhode Island 44.8 119 South Carolina 166.9 121 to WWW.fourpointS.COm. ,,/[..1, South Dakota 31.7 116 Tennessee 165.5 81L✓! Texas 1,037.6 151 �'i l Utah66.9 105 Ti t � a ` Vermont33.4 147 + 11 Virginia 360.8 144 Washington 291.5 136 ►1 u T t, s West Virginia 141.9 199 t:,iUd2 rrrsf,errl 4 t 1p��, a + Wisconsin 172.7 89 sherat0n Wyoming 38.3 208 w,�.,,oa,pj:..a.. Join Sheraton Club International today by calling 1-800-247-CLUB or did(to www.fourpoints.com and you will earn ClubMiles r 1-Total costs in 1995 Dollars.Totals exclude ntrastructure costs for water systems serving : 4 '� which can be used for free nights and free flights!And as part of our Stay-4-Free offer,every 4 slays at a Four Points Hotel before o r reservations nonresidential populations.such as schools.hospitals.Damp grounds and gas stations.The x5' totals above may include costs for project components that are not required for Safe Drinking , ,>"/ ,"� Dec.31,1998 will earn you a free night at any Four Points Hotel.Members must receive SCI credit for stays to qualify Water Act compliance but are undertaken at the same time as required components.Data not . Maximum of five free night awards per member.See certificate for full terms and conditions.All SCI terms and conditions apply. C 1-800.325.3535 available for the Dist.of Columbia Source:USA TODAY analysis of U S Environmental Protection Agency data by Barbara Hansen. Ccs;cot Household bused on the number of households in 1996. USA TODAY , , Oct98 )ate Lake O. in Bull Run TVWD in Well#1 in Well#2 in Well#3 in Total MG MG in Demand MGD in MGD MGD MGD MGD MGD Pur./Prod. Storage in MG 10/1/98 0 3.4 1.93 0.241 5.571 13.16 5.741 10/2/98 0 3.38 1.91 5.29 13.31 5.14 10/3/98 0 6.49 1.93 8.42 16.63 5.1 10/4/98 0 5 1.91 6.91 18.34 5.2 10/5/98 0 3.29 1.92 5.21 20.9 4.9 10/6/98 0 3.29 1.89 5.18 21.2 4.88 10/7/98 0 3.22 0.389 3.609 20.01 4.799 10/8/98 0 3.36 1.369 4.729 20.05 4.689 10/9/98 0 3.32 1.95 5.27 20.67 4.65 10/10/98 0 3.3 1.93 5.23 21.24 4.66 10/11/98 0 3.31 0.867 4.177 20.58 4.837 10/12/98 0 3.3 1.47 4.77 20.59 4.76 10/13/98 0 3.33 0.385 3.715 19.75 4.555 10/14/98 0 3.32 1.43 4.75 19.98 4.52 10/15/98 0 3.32 0.735 4.055 19.56 4.475 10/16/98 0 3.32 0.536 3.856 18.92 4.496 10/17/98 0 3.31 0.535 3.845 18.09 4.675 10/18/98 0 3.32 0.535 3.855 17.21 4.735 10/19/98 0 3.31 0.535 3.845 16.41 4.645 10/20/98 0 3.34 0.657 3.997 15.86 4.547 10/21/98 0 2.66 1.52 4.18 15.42 4.62 10/22/98 0 3.14 1.37 4.51 15.4 4.53 - 10/23/98 0 3.18 0.32 3.5 14.37 4.53 10/24/98 0 4.59 0.32 4.91 14.71 4.57 10/25/98 0 7.54 0.712 8.252 18.18 4.782 10/26/98 0 10/27/98 0 0 10/28/98 0 0 10/29/98 0 0 10/30/98 0 0 10/31/98 0 0 Averages 0 4.141667 1.915 0.241 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 4.86544 17.25667 4.76144 Page 1 BOUNDARY COMMISSION GOING AWAY PARTY Please Join Us In: • Celebrating the accomplishments of the Boundary Commission during its almost 30 years of existence • Recognizing the volunteers who have served on this important state commission • Saying good-by to the old system and welcoming in the new MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1998 6:00 - 8:00 PM (Comments at 7:00) Northwest Natural Hospitality Room 220 NW 2nd Avenue, Portland (Parking After 5:00 pm north of 2nd & Everett) (Old Town MAX stop) Hors d'oeuvres. No-host bar. R.S.V.P. by November 9th to 643-5346 Office of the Secretary of State Archives Division Vii\ ROY TURNBAUGH PHIL KEISLING Director Secretary of State A►1I 800 Sumer Street NE ' m' Salem,Oregonon 97310 Suzanne Townsend (503)373-0701 •• Deputy Secretary of State ..•. Facsimile(503)373-0953 October 15, 1998 Tigard Water Dist. Att: Registered Agent C/O 13125 Hall Blvd SW Tigard, OR 97223 Dear Registered Agent: We are attempting to update our information for the registered agents pertaining to special districts in Oregon. According to the ORS chapter 198. 340 one of the responsibilities of special districts is to file with the Secretary of State a notice of the registered office and registered agent. --� Please make a copy of the enclosed form for your future use, complete one copy and send it to the Official Documents Section of the Secretary of State. Secretary of State Official Documents 800 Summer St. NE Salem, OR 97310 Sincerely, Rita F. Perry Official Documents enclosure WWW Server—http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us • Internet E-mail—reference.archives@state.or.us Oregon Genealogy Listsery—or-roots@archivel4.sos.state.or.us NOTICE OF DESIGNATION OF SPECIAL DISTRICT REGISTERED OFFICE AND REGISTERED AGENT , (Secretary) (Financial Officer) (Chairman of the Board) of this district, a municipal corporation, organized under the provisions of ORS Chapter 198, certify that 1. Pursuant to a resolution of the District Board, duly adopted, the registered office of this district is: (Street Address of Registered Office,City, Zip) 2. The registered agent in Oregon at such registered office is: (Name of Registered Agent) IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this district has caused this instrument to be executed in its name by the (Secretary) (Financial Officer) (Chairman of the Board) of the District this day of , 19 (Name of District) B y: (Secretary) (Financial Officer) (Chairman of the Board) STATE OF OREGON ) ) ss. County of _ _ _ __ _ _ ) Signed before me on by Notary Public - Oregon My Commission Expires: INSTRUCTIONS: A new form must be filed each time a change Is made in either the registered agent or the registered office. There Is no fee for filing this form. Please send the form to: Secretary of State Rrchiues Diuision 888 Summer St. NE Salem, OR 97310 Revised: February, 1994