&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
      Providing Timely Drinking
      Water and Source Water
      Quality Information to You
      Community
      Des Moines Water
      Works' Project
        E  M P A C 1
      Environmental Monitoring for Public Access

           & Community Tracking

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DISCLAIMER


This document has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved for
publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recom-
mendation of their use.

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                                   EPA/625/R-01/006
                                       April 2002
Providing Timely Drinking Water
    and Source Water Quality
Information to Your Community
          Des Moines Water
            Works' Project
         National Risk Management Research Laboratory

            Office of Research and Development

           U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
               Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
                  Recycled/Recyclable
                  Printed with vegetable-based ink on
                  paper that contains a minimum of
                  50% post-consumer fiber content
                  processed chlorine free.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The development of this handbook was managed by Scott Hedges (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory) with the support of
ERG, Inc., an EPA contractor. Technical guidance was provided by the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW)
staff, EPA's Office of Water, and EPA Region 7. EPA and DMWW would like to thank the following people
and organizations for their substantial contributions to the contents of this handbook:

       Mitch Basefsky Tucson Water
       Pat Bruner, Des Moines Water Works
       Bob Dunlevy, EPA  Region 7
       Vince Dwyer, Des Moines Water Works
       Ron Hunsinger, East Bay Municipal Utility District
       Julie Hutchins Cairn, Seattle Public Utilities
       Bruce Macler, EPA  Region 9
       Dan Quintanar, Tucson Water
       Carl Reeverts, EPA  Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
       Dave Scharf, Des Moines Water Works
       Carrie Sears, Des Moines Water Works
       Connie Steffen, Des Moines Water Works

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CONTENTS


       Acknowledgments	ii
       Foreword	iii

1 .  INTRODUCTION	1
       1.1 What Do Water Utilities Do?	2
       1.2 Why Is It Important to Communicate Timely Drinking Water and Source Water
          Quality Information to the Public?	3
       1.3 Des Moines Water Works' EMPACT Project	4

2.  How  TO  USE THIS  HANDBOOK	5
3.  WATER  QUALITY MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW	7
       3.1 Introduction to Water Quality Monitoring	8
       3.2 Regulation of Drinking Water	8
       3.3 Source Water  	14

4.  DES MOINES  WATER  WORKS	17
       4.1 Overview of DMWW Operations	17
       4.2 Support Programs and Systems	19

5.  DMWW's EMPACT  PROJECT	27
       5.1 DMWW's EMPACT Project Phases	27
       5.2 DMWW's EMPACT Project Web Site	33

6.  COMMUNICATING  DRINKING WATER AND  SOURCE
       WATER  QUALITY  INFORMATION	41
       6.1 Outreach Plan	41
       6.2 Outreach Products	42
       6.3 Distribution and Feedback	44

APPENDIX  A  DMWW  DUTREACH MATERIALS	47
APPENDIX  B  GLOSSARY  OF TERMS	59
APPENDIX  C  TUCSON  WATER'S  EMPACT  WATER
                  QUALITY  PROJECT	65
APPENDIX  D  C DM M u N i CATI ON s/D UTREACH
                  PLANNING  AND  RESOURCES                           67
                                                                                                  in

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          DREWC


      The Technology Transfer and Support Division of the EPA Office of Research and Development's (ORD's)
      National Risk Management Research Laboratory initiated the development of this handbook to help inter-
      ested communities, particularly those with medium and large public water systems, learn more about the Des
      Moines Water Works (DMWW) EMPACT project. DMWWs EMPACT project provides Des Moines met-
      ropolitan community residents with timely information about the factors that affect their drinking water
      supply. ORD, working with DMWW, produced this handbook to transfer the lessons learned from the proj-
      ect and reduce the resources needed to implement similar projects in other communities.
      You can order copies of this  handbook (both print and CD-ROM versions) online at ORD's Technology
      Transfer Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl. You can also download a PDF version of the handbook from
      this site. In addition, you can  order print and CD-ROM versions of the handbook by contacting either ORD
      Publications or the Office of Water Resource Center at:


             EPA ORD Publications
             26 W Martin Luther  King Dr.
             Cincinnati, OH 45268-0001
             EPA NSCEP Toll  free: 800-490-9198
             EPA NSCEP Local: 513-489-8190
             EPA Office of Water Resource Center (RC 4100)
             1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
             Washington, D.C. 20460
             Phone: 202-260-7786
             E-mail: center.water-resource@epa.gov

      Please make sure you include the title of the handbook and the EPA document number in your request

      We hope that you find this handbook worthwhile, informative, and easy to use.
IV

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                             1
INTRODUCTION
Would residents in your community have trouble answering
these types of questions:
    •  How safe is your drinking water today?

    •  How healthy are the watersheds in and around
       your community?
    •  Could simple changes in your lifestyle help
       improve water quality in your area?
    •  How would you measure these improvements,
       and what would they mean to you and your
       family?

If so, your water utility and the community residents it serves would benefit from a project that
uses new and innovative methods and technologies to  deliver timely, accurate, and under-
standable information about the quality of drinking water and source water in your area.

This handbook has been designed with this goal in mind:
    To show you how one water utility—the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW)—
    is implementing a project  to provide timely drinking water and  source  water
    quality information to the Des Moines metropolitan community.
The handbook provides a detailed case study of DMWW's project to encourage medium
and large water utilities (or communities responsible for supplying drinking water) to con-
sider adopting  strategies for delivering  timely data to the public.  Although small water
systems and communities not subject to federal drinking water regulations are not likely to
have the resources to implement such a project, these entities may also find some portions
of this handbook valuable.
                        ABOUT THE EMPACT PROGRAM

 This handbook was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's)
 EMPACT program. EPA created EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and
 Community Tracking) in 1997- The program is now administered by EPA's Office of
 Environmental Information.

 The EMPACT program promotes new and innovative approaches to collecting, managing,
 and communicating environmental information to the public. Working with communities in
 156 of the largest metropolitan areas across the country, the program takes advantage of new
 technologies to provide community members with timely, accurate, and understandable
 environmental information they can use to make informed, day-to-day decisions about their
 lives. EMPACT projects cover a wide range of environmental issues, including water quality,
 ground water  contamination, smog, ultraviolet radiation, and overall ecosystem quality. To
 learn more, visit EPA's EMPACT Web site at http://www.epa.gov/empact.
                                                                           1  INTRODUCTION

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           1.1      WHAT   Da  WATER  UTILITI
          Water utilities are responsible for producing drinking water of consistently high quality for
          their consumers. EPA and the states develop and enforce standards to protect the quality of
          drinking water, and water utilities must meet these standards. Producing high quality drink-
          ing water ideally follows an approach with multiple barriers to  prevent contaminants from
          reaching consumers. The earliest possible barrier (i.e., the most ideal barrier) is watershed and
          wellhead protection, which ensures that contaminants do not enter source water. Therefore,
          strong environmental stewardship is an essential element of drinking water supply.


                              DRINKING WATER VS. SOURCE WATER

           When  considering the  responsibilities of water utilities, it is very important to distinguish
           between drinking water and source water:

           Drinking water is water that is conveyed to residences and businesses from a public water
           system. Typically, this water is treated by a water utility to make it  potable. Drinking water is
           sometimes referred  to as finished water.

           Source water (i.e., raw water) is ambient water that is accessed by water utilities to treat for
           distribution as drinking water. Source water can originate in either a surface source (such as a
           lake, river, or reservoir) or a subsurface source (such as a well).


          Water utilities collect and analyze drinking water and source water quality data to facilitate
          the following:

              •    Produce and deliver high quality water.

              •    Assure consumers and regulators that drinking water is of high quality.

              •    Continue to improve the quality of drinking water through research.

          Water utilities are challenged every day. The regulatory environment is changing.  Science
          is also changing, as is our knowledge of water quality and how it impacts consumers and
          the environment is  changing. Water utilities continually strive to improve the performance
          of their treatment and distribution systems, make improvements to meet new challenges,
          and communicate with consumers in an honest and timely manner.


                             THE WATER DATA AND TOOLS PROJECTS

           DMWW's EMPACT project is one of four Time-Critical Water Data and Tools Projects. These
           projects were formed through a partnership between the EMPACT program and EPA's Office
           of Water. Through  case studies of these four unique projects, the Water Data and Tools
           initiative is designed to demonstrate local capability to collect and  communicate water quality
           data that are meaningful, defensible, and easily accessible, and build a framework to
           encourage other communities to do the same through technology transfer and outreach.
1 INTRODUCTION

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                     WATER DATA AND TOOLS PROJECTS
   Project

   Chesapeake Bay
Locations

Baltimore, MD
Web site
Data and Tools
http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/empact   Water quality ir
                 Washington, DC



  Jefferson Parish   New Orleans, LA   http://www.jeffparish.net



  Ohio River      Cincinnati, OH    http://www.orsanco.org/empact
                 Louiseville, KY
                 Pittsburgh, PA

  Des Moines     Des Moines, IA    http://www.dmww.com/empact
                                                 support of
                                                 Pfiesteria surveil
                                                 lance

                                                 Freshwater diver-
                                                 sions and algal
                                                 blooms

                                                 Swimming and
                                                 fishing conditions


                                                 Drinking water
                                                 and source water
                                                 quality
Visit http://www.epa.gov/surf2/empact/tools.htmlfor more information on the EMPACT Water Data
and Tools Projects.

 1.2      WHY  is  IT   IMPORTANT  TO  COMMUNICATE
           TIMELY  DRINKING  WATER  AND   SOURCE
           WATER  QUALITY  INFORMATION
           PUBLIC?
All members of a community have a right to know about the current quality of their drink-
ing water because drinking water quality affects public health. The need to provide timely
drinking water quality data is most urgent when these data indicate an acute result that can
have immediate effects on a utility's customer population. Your efforts to provide your cus-
tomers with timely information on the quality  of their drinking water will  build public
confidence in  your  utility's  ability  to provide  safe,  healthy, reliable drinking water.
Businesses relying on consistently high-quality water to support a production process can
use timely water quality information to determine whether to maintain or modify their
processes. By disseminating these timely data on a Web site, you may reduce the number of
phone calls to your utility from consumers or manufacturers seeking specific water quality
test results.
From a human health perspective, the urgency for timely source water quality information
is typically less than that for drinking water quality information. However, the timeliness
of source water quality information may be critical when  spills or other environmental
emergencies occur in the watershed. The presentation of timely source water quality data
and trends on  a Web site can inform and influence the behavior of residents in your water-
shed. This heightened public awareness would not only enable local residents and public
officials to make informed decisions about land use management and water conservation
measures, but would also encourage affected groups to take a  larger and more proactive
role in instituting practices to restore  and preserve the quality of source waters.
                                                                             1 INTRODUCTION

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          1.3      DES  MCDINES  WATER WORKS'  EMPACT

         DMWW is the largest water utility in the state of Iowa.  Serving over 350,000 people,
         DMWW operates two major water treatment plants and pumps an average of 43 million
         gallons of water per day.
         In 1998, EPA's EMPACT program funded DMWW's EMPACT project, which provides
         Des Moines metropolitan community residents with timely information about the factors
         that affect their drinking water supply. DMWW's EMPACT project is broken into three
         phases:
             •   Phase I is the development of a data management  protocol, tools, and electronic
                links required to identify, manage, and deliver drinking water quality information
                to the project Web site.
             •   Phase II is the periodic collection, Web posting, and updating of source water
                quality information  collected from  selected monitoring sites within the Racoon
                River and Des Moines River watersheds.
             •   Phase III is the adaptation of the methods and tools developed for Phases I and II
                to existing urban runofif studies conducted by DMWW.
                      DMWW's  EMPACT project strives to encourage Des Moines residents, as
                      well as the entire watershed community, to assume a  larger role in restoring
                      and preserving the quality of source waters in the community. Project part-
                      ners include EPA's Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water (OGWDW),
                      EPA Region VII, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the United
                      States Geological Survey (USGS).  You can visit DMWW's EMPACT proj-
                      ect Web site at http://www.dmww.com/empact.

                       1.3.1    PROJECT  COSTS
                      To plan, design, develop,  install,  and  implement the three phases of its
                      EMPACT project, DMWW incurred a total cost of approximately $245,000.
                      This cost should give you an idea of how much a comparable project might
                      cost your utility. However, every project that communicates timely informa-
                      tion about drinking water and source water quality is unique to its community.
                      Therefore, the cost of your project will also be unique.
1 INTRODUCTION

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                           Z
Haw  To   USE  THIS  HANDBOOK
This handbook has been designed to show you how DMWW is implementing a project to
provide timely drinking water and source water quality information to the Des Moines
metropolitan community. The handbook intends  to encourage medium and large water
utilities (or communities responsible for supplying drinking water) to consider adopting
strategies for delivering timely data to the public. Although small water systems and com-
munities not subject  to federal drinking water  regulations are  not  likely to  have the
resources to implement such a project, these entities may also find some portions of this
handbook valuable.
The handbook is organized into the  following chapters:
    •   Chapter 3 presents an overview of water quality monitoring. Specifically, the chap-
       ter discusses the federal and state regulations and guidelines applicable to drinking
       water and source water.  It also discusses typical methods used by water systems to
       collect and disseminate information about drinking water and source water qual-
       ity. Chapter 3 is targeted toward readers who are not familiar with federal and state
       drinking water and source water regulations and guidelines. Therefore, water util-
       ity personnel are likely already familiar with the material presented in this chapter.
    •   Chapter 4 presents an overview of DMWW operations and discusses the key pro-
       grams and systems that support these operations. Specifically, the chapter discusses
       DMWWs sample  collection/analysis program, data  management system,  and
       communications/outreach program. It also discusses the integrated collection of
       software and hardware components that further
       supports DMWW's operations. This chapter is
       targeted toward all readers.
    •   Chapter 5  presents a  detailed  case  study  of
       DMWW's  EMPACT  project. The chapter
       describes the three project phases in detail and
       discusses  the  EMPACT  project  area  on
       DMWW's Web site.  This chapter  is targeted
       toward all readers.
    •   Chapter  6  focuses  on   communications
       and outreach. The chapter  discusses many  of
       DMWW's  communication/outreach  efforts.
       Chapter 6 is targeted toward personnel tasked
       with implementing an outreach plan.

    •   Appendix   A   contains   brochures   and
       pamphlets  related to  DMWW's communica-
       tion/outreach  plan,  including a  Consumer
       Confidence  Report. These  materials are dis-
       cussed in Chapter 6.

    •   Appendix B presents a glossary of terms used in
       the handbook.  This glossary is targeted toward
       all readers.
                                                       2  Haw Ta  USE THIS HANDBOOK

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             •   Appendix C presents a brief case study of the EMPACT Water Quality Project
                 implemented at the Water Quality Division of Tucson Water in Tucson, Arizona.
                 This appendix is targeted toward all readers.

             •   Appendix D presents general guidance on creating a comprehensive outreach plan
                 and provides a list of resources for presenting water quality information to the pub-
                 lic.  This appendix is targeted toward  personnel tasked with implementing an
                 outreach plan.

          Throughout this handbook, you will find lessons learned and  success stories  related to
          DMWWs EMPACT project. You will also find references to  supplementary information
          sources, such as Web sites, guidance documents, and other written materials that will pro-
          vide you with a greater level of detail.
2 Haw Ta USE THIS HANDBOOK

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                 3
WATER   QUALITY   MONITORING —
         OVERVIEW
All water-even from the healthiest rivers and lakes-contains naturally occurring substances
from the soil, surrounding vegetation and wildlife, and biological, physical, and chemical
processes. Some water sources may be contaminated by man-made chemicals or the by-
products of industrial processes.  The purpose  of water quality monitoring is to
measure the presence and  quantity of these constituents or parameters in water.
This chapter introduces the concept and measurement of water quality from the
perspective of drinking water utilities and discusses some  of the regulations and
guidelines that public water systems must follow to protect water quality.

Section 3.1 provides a general introduction to the concept of drinking water and
source water quality monitoring related to drinking water utilities. Sections 3.2 and
3.3 discuss the federal and state regulations and guidelines that public water sys-
tems  must follow to  protect the quality  of drinking water and source water,
respectively. These sections also introduce the water quality monitoring and com-
munication requirements associated with these regulations and guidelines.
                                TO LEARN MORE

  To learn more about water quality, consult the following references and Web sites:

  •  EPA's Water Projects and Programs page at:
    http://www.epa.gov/epahome/waterpgram.htm.

  •  EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) site at:
    http://www. epa.gov/safewater/.

  •  Drinking Water: Past, Present, and Future. USEPA/OW, February 2000,
    EPA816-F-00-002.

  •  National Library of Medicine drinking water page at:
    http://www. nlm. nih.gov/medlineplus/drinkingwater. html.

  •  The National Agricultural Library Water Quality Information Center site at:
    httpillwww. nal. usda.gov/wqic.

  •  For questions about drinking water requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act
    (SDWA), contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or via e-mail at
    hotline-sdwa @epa.gov.

  •  See Appendix D for additional references.
                                         13 WATER QUALITY  MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW

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          3.1     INTRODUCTION  TO  >            DUALITY
                    M ONITORING
          The quality of water affects how we are able to use it; conversely, the way we use our water
          can affect its overall quality. The federal government, states, and localities are all involved
          in the regulation, monitoring, and control of our nation's waters to protect the quality of
          water for its intended use. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between the quality of
          drinking water and the quality of source water.


                                      PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS

           There are approximately 170,000 public water systems in the United States. EPA classifies
           these water systems according to the number of people they serve, the source of their water,
           and whether they serve the same people year-round or on an occasional basis. Public water
           systems, which may be either publicly or privately owned, provide water for human
           consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 service connections
           or serve an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days per year.  EPA has defined three
           types of public water systems:

           Community Water System: A public water system that  supplies water to the same population
           year-round. For example, the water system operated  by DMWW (a water utility) is considered
           a community water system. There are approximately 54,000 community water systems
           operated in the United States.

           Non-Transient Non-Community Water System: A public water system that regularly supplies
           water to at least 25 of the same people for at least six months per year,  but not year-round.
           Some examples are water systems at  schools, factories, office buildings, and hospitals. There are
           approximately 20,000 non-transient non-community water systems operated in the United
           States.

           Transient Non-Community Water System:  A public water system that provides water to at
           least 25 people per day in a place such as a gas station or campground where people do not
           remain for long periods of time. There are approximately 93,000 transient non-community
           water systems operated in the United States.


          The federal and state  regulations and guidelines  designed to protect the quality of these
          waters are discussed in the following sections.

          3.2    REGULATION  OF  DRINKING  WATER
          Federal  regulation of drinking water quality began in 1914, when the U.S. Public Health
          Service set standards for certain disease-causing microbes. Today, water quality is protected
          by a variety of different regulations and guidelines.

          Through the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)  established in 1974 and revised in 1986
          and 1996, Congress authorized EPA to set enforceable health standards  and required pub-
          lic notification of water utility violations and  annual  customer reports on contaminants
          found in drinking water. Under the authority of the SDWA, EPA sets standards for approx-
          imately 90 contaminants in drinking water. Currently, standards are set for the following:

              •   Microorganisms, including (but not limited to) Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia,
                  Legionella,  total coliforms (including  fecal coliform and E.  colt),  and  viruses.
                  Although some of these contaminants occur naturally in  the environment, most
13 WATER  QUALITY MONITORING—AN OVERVIEW

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        originate in human and animal fecal waste. Many of these contaminants can cause
        gastrointestinal illness if ingested. Legionella can cause Legionnaire's disease.

    •    Disinfectants  and  disinfection  byproducts,  including  (but  not  limited  to)
        bromate,  chloramines, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chlorite, haloacetic acids, and
        total trihalomethanes. These contaminants are either water additives used to control
        microbes or byproducts of the disinfection process. Potential health effects vary with
        each contaminant;  they range from eye/nose  irritation, stomach discomfort, and
        anemia to liver, kidney, and nervous system effects and the increased risk of cancer.

    •    Inorganic chemicals, including antimony,  arsenic, asbestos,  barium, beryllium,
        cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate, nitrite, sele-
        nium, and  thallium. These  contaminants  originate from a  variety  of different
        sources, including (but not limited to) discharges from industrial processes, erosion
        of natural deposits, corrosion  of pipes, and  runoff.  Potential health effects  are
        specific to each contaminant; they can include circulatory system problems, skin
        damage, intestinal polyps and lesions, increased blood pressure, kidney damage,
        nerve damage, thyroid problems, bone disease, and the increased risk of cancer.
    •    Various organic chemicals. As  with the inorganic chemicals,  these contaminants
        originate  from a variety of different sources,  including (but not limited to) dis-
        charges from industrial processes, agricultural  and municipal runoff, and leaching
        from pipes. Potential health effects are specific to each contaminant; they can
        include kidney, liver, immune system, nervous system, circulatory system, and gas-
        trointestinal problems, reproductive difficulties, anemia, and the increased risk of
        cancer.

    •    Radionuclides, including alpha particles, beta particles and photon emitters, Radium
        226 and Radium 228, and uranium. These contaminants may originate through the
        erosion and decay of natural  and man-made deposits. If ingested, they may
        potentially increase the risks of cancer. Uranium may also cause kidney toxicity.
For each of these contaminants, EPA  sets a legal limit, called a maximum contaminant level
(MCL), or requires a certain type of treatment. Water  utilities may not distribute drinking
water that doesn't meet these standards. Most states have been delegated the authority to
enforce the federal standards; state standards must be at least as strict as the fed-
eral standards.

National Primary Drinking Water Regulations are legally enforceable standards
that apply to public water systems. Primary standards protect public health by
limiting the levels of drinking water contaminants, including microorganisms,
disinfectants and  disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemi-
cals, and radionuclides. You  can visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html for
detailed information  on the contaminants  regulated by national primary
drinking water regulations.

National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations are non-enforceable guidelines
regulating contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or
aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water. Examples of these contaminants
include  metals,  pH,  total  dissolved   solids,   odor,  and  color.   You  can  visit
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.htmlfot detailed information on the  contaminants regu-
lated  by  national secondary drinking  water regulations. Although EPA recommends
                                        13 WATER QUALITY  MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW

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                   secondary standards to public water systems, the Agency does not require that these sys-
                   tems comply.  States may, however,  choose to  adopt secondary standards as enforceable
                   standards.

                                                   HEALTH EFFECTS

                    The health-related contaminants regulated by primary and secondary drinking water
                    regulations fall into  two groups according to the health effects they may cause:

                    Acute effects occur within hours or days of the time that a person consumes a contaminant.
                    People can suffer acute health effects from almost any contaminant if they are exposed to
                    extraordinarily high levels (as in the case of a spill). In drinking water, microbes such as
                    bacteria and viruses  are contaminants with the greatest chance of reaching levels high enough
                    to cause acute health effects. Most people's bodies  can fight off these microbial contaminants;
                    acute contaminants  typically don't have permanent effects. Nonetheless, when high levels
                    occur, acute contaminants can make people ill and may be dangerous or deadly for the very
                    young, the very old, or people with immune systems weakened by HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy,
                    steroid use, or other reasons.

                    Chronic effects occur after people consume a contaminant at levels over EPA's safety standards
                    for many years. The drinking water contaminants  that can have  chronic effects are chemicals
                    (such as disinfection by-products, solvents, and pesticides), radionuclides (such as radium), and
                    minerals (such as arsenic). Examples of the chronic effects of drinking water contaminants can
                    include cancer, liver or kidney problems, or reproductive  difficulties.
                   3.2.1   MONITORING  DRINKING  WATER  QUALITY
                   Water utilities perform a wide range of water quality monitoring to meet several purposes.
                   First, water utilities routinely monitor and test public water systems to ensure compliance
                   with the  more than 90 contaminants for which EPA has set  national primary drinking
                   water regulations.  Second, water utilities must also meet more stringent and additional
                   monitoring requirements set by the individual states. Finally, water utilities conduct other
                   routine monitoring as part of their day-to-day operations to ensure treatment effectiveness
                   and to ensure that finished water quality meets both health and aesthetic objectives. This
                   testing includes routine sampling as well as check sampling to confirm the results of any
                   problems  discovered during  routine  sampling. Monitoring locations and frequency are
                   based on  the parameters being monitored and are specific to each water utility based on its
                   source water type, size, treatment process, and distribution system.  Some drinking water
                   parameters are monitored constantly while others are monitored only every few years.
                   The table on the following page shows the major groups of contaminants and the minimum
                   testing frequency to comply with the monitoring requirements under EPA's  national pri-
                   mary  drinking water regulations. If a problem is  detected, there  are immediate retesting
                   requirements that go into effect and strict instructions for how the  public is informed. The
                   retesting is continued until the water system  can reliably demonstrate that it is free of prob-
                   lems.
10     13  WATER QUALITY MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW

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 CONTAMINANT
MINIMUM MONITORING FREQUENCY
 Acute Contaminants
 Bacteria
For community water systems, samples are collected
throughout each monthly monitoring period, ranging from
1 sample per month to 480 samples per month depending on
the system size. For non-community water systems, sampling
is conducted once per quarter.
 Protozoa and Viruses
Continuous monitoring for turbidity and monthly
monitoring for total coliforms, as indicators.
 Nitrate/Nitrite
Quarterly sampling for surface water systems and annual
sampling for groundwater systems.
 Chronic Contaminants
 Volatile Organics  (e.g., benzene)
Quarterly sampling at each entry point into the water
system, reduced to annual (or less frequent) sampling if
no detects.
 Synthetic Organics (e.g., pesticides)
Quarterly sampling at each entry point into the water
system, reduced to annual (or less frequent) sampling if
no detects.
 Inorganics/Metals
For groundwater systems, sampling is conducted once
every 3 years. For surface water systems, sampling is
conducted annually.
 Lead and Copper
Annual sampling is required, with the number of sites
ranging from 5 to  100, based on the size of the system.
 Radionuclides
Four consecutive quarters of sampling during initial
annual compliance period; subsequent monitoring
frequency is reduced if levels are below the detection limit.
Sample Compliance Monitoring Schedule Required Under EPA Regulations.

3.2.2  PUBLIC  NOTIFICATION  OF  DRINKING  WATER
          Vl OLATION S
Federal regulations require that water utilities notify the people they serve when any violation of
a drinking water contaminant standard has occurred or any other situation has occurred that
may pose a short-term risk to health. As utilities test their water, they may discover that levels of
certain contaminants are higher than federal or state standards. These conditions may occur due
to a change in local water conditions, heavy rainstorms, or an accidental spill of a hazardous sub-
stance. Water utilities  may  also fail to collect one or a series of their required samples  at the
scheduled interval. Any time a water utility fails to meet any EPA or state standards for drink-
ing water  (including missing required samples or collecting them late), the utility must inform
the people who drink the water.
                                          13 WATER QUALITY MONITORING—AN OVERVIEW
                                                                  11

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                 Depending on the severity of the situation, water utilities have from 24 hours to 1 year to
                 notify the people they serve of a violation. EPA specifies three categories, or tiers, of pub-
                 lic notification. For each tier, water utilities have different amounts of time to distribute the
                 notice and different ways to deliver the notice:
                 Immediate notice (Tier 1): Any time a situation creates the potential for immediate human
                 health impacts, water utilities have 24 hours to take whatever steps are necessary to notify
                 people who may drink the water. In these situations, water utilities must use mass media
                 outlets such as television and radio, post their notice in public places, or personally deliver
                 a notice to the people they serve.
                 Notice as soon as possible (Tier 2): Any time a water utility distributes water that hasn't
                 been treated properly or contains contaminants at levels that exceed EPA or state standards,
                 the utility must notify the people it serves as soon as possible, within 30 days of the viola-
                 tion as long as the situation does not pose an immediate risk to human health. The water
                 utility must provide notice through the mail or via hand delivery to residences and through
                 posting in conspicuous places for other persons served by the water system.
                 Annual Notice (Tier 3): When a water utility violates a drinking water standard  but the
                 violation does not have a  direct impact on human health (for example, failing to take a
                 required  sample on time), the utility has up  to 1 year to provide a notice of this situation
                 to the people it serves. This extra time gives  water utilities the opportunity to consolidate
                 these  notices and send  them with annual water  quality reports (Consumer Confidence
                 Reports,  described below).
                 Regardless of their tier classifications, all notices must include the following:
                     •   A description of the violation that occurred, including the potential health effects.
                     •   The population at risk and whether alternate water supplies should be used.

                     •   What the water utility is doing to correct the problem.
                     •   Actions consumers can take.
                     •   When the violation occurred and when the water utility expects it to be resolved.
                     •   How to contact the water utility for  more information.
                     •   Language encouraging broader distribution of the notice.

                 In addition to Tier  1 and Tier 2  notices, EPA requires that water utilities place annual
                 drinking water quality reports into  the hands of the people they serve. These reports, called
                 Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), enable consumers to make practical, knowledge-
                 able decisions about  their  health and their environment. Water utilities  may enhance their
                 reports as they wish; however, each report must provide  consumers  with  fundamental
                 information about their drinking water.

                 The first of these reports came out in 1999; water utilities  now publish reports by July 1
                 every year. CCRs are the centerpiece  of the  "right-to-know"  provisions in the  1996
                 Amendments to the  SDWA. The Amendments contain  several other provisions aimed at
                 improving public access to information about drinking water, including the annual public
                 water system compliance report and improved public notification in cases where drinking
                 water is not meeting a contaminant standard. You can read more  about these reports at
                 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccrl.html. In addition, examples of CCRs from DMWW are
                 included in Appendix A.
12     13 WATER  QUALITY MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW

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              WHAT DETERMINES THE PUBLIC NOTIFICATION TIER?

The following violations, situations, or conditions require Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 notifications. For
more information on the Public Notification Rule, visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/pn.html.

Tier 1

•  Fecal coliform violations; failure to test for fecal coliform after an initial total coliform sample tests
   positive.

•  Nitrate, nitrite, or total nitrate/nitrite maximum contaminant level (MCL) violation; failure to
   collect a confirmation sample.

•  Chlorine dioxide maximum residual disinfectant level (MRDL) violation in the distribution
   system; failure to collect required samples in the distribution system.

•  Exceedence of the maximum allowable turbidity level (if elevated to Tier 1 by the primacy agency).

•  Special notice for non-community water systems with nitrate exceedences between 10 mg/L and 20
   mg/L, where the system is allowed to exceed 10 mg/L by the primacy agency.

•  An outbreak of a waterborne disease or other waterborne emergency.

•  Other violations or situations determined by the primacy agency.

Tier 2

•  All MCL, MRDL, and treatment  technique violations, except where a Tier 1 notice is required.

•  Monitoring violations, if elevated  to Tier 2 by the primacy agency.

•  Failure to comply with variance and exemption conditions.

•  Turbidity consultation: When public water systems have a treatment technique violation resulting
   from a single exceedence of the maximum allowable turbidity limit or an MCL violation resulting
   from an exceedence of the 2-day turbidity limit, they must consult their primacy agency within 24
   hours. The primacy agency will then determine whether a Tier 1 notice is necessary. If consultation
   does not occur within 24 hours, the violation is automatically elevated to Tier  1.

Tier 3
•  Monitoring and testing procedure violations, unless the primacy agency elevates the violation to
   Tier 2.

•  Operation under a variance and exemption.

•  Special public notices such as a fluoride secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL)
   exceedence or the availability of unregulated contaminant monitoring results.
                                            13  WATER  QUALITY  MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW      13

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                                WHAT'S IN A CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT?

                   CCRs must provide consumers with the following fundamental information about their
                   drinking water:

                   • Identification of the lake, river, aquifer, or other drinking water source.

                   • A brief summary of the susceptibility of the drinking water source to contamination based
                     on  the source water assessments that states are currently completing.

                   • Directions on how to get a copy of the water system's complete source water assessment.

                   • The level (or a range of levels) of any contaminant found in local drinking water along with
                     EPA's legal limit (MCL) for comparison.

                   • The likely source of that contaminant in the local drinking water supply.

                   • The potential health effects of any contaminant detected in violation of an EPA health
                     standard and a description of the utility's actions to restore safe drinking water.

                   • The compliance of the water system with other drinking water-related rules.

                   •  An educational statement for vulnerable populations about  avoiding Cryptosporidium.

                   • Educational information on nitrate, arsenic, or lead in areas  where these contaminants are
                     detected at levels greater than 50% of EPA's standard.

                   • Phone numbers for additional sources of information, including the water utility and
                     EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
                  3.3      SOURCE  WATER
                               In contrast with drinking water, federal regulation of source water quality has
                               been less detailed and has allowed for more flexibility in the monitoring and
                               reporting of source water quality. While many states, water utilities, and local-
                               ities have watershed and  wellhead protection/management  programs, the
                               1996 SDWA Amendments placed a new focus on source water quality. The
                               1996 Amendments  require states to  implement Source Water Assessment
                               Programs (SWAPs) to assess areas serving as drinking water sources and iden-
                               tify potential threats to these sources. You can read more about source water
                               assessments at http:llwww. epa.gov/safewater/protect/assessment. html.
                               By 2003, states are required to complete a source water assessment for every
                               public water system. Each SWAP will  be  uniquely tailored to state water
                               resources  and drinking water  priorities.  However, each  assessment  must
                               include four major elements:

                     •   A delineation  (or map) of the source water assessment area.
                     •   The potential  sources of contamination in the delineated area.
                     •   The susceptibility of the water supply to those  contamination sources.
                     •   Public release  of the assessment results.
                  State SWAPs have been reviewed and approved by EPA; states and localities are currently in
                  the process of developing source water assessments. These assessment reports will be pro-
                  vided to the public in a variety of ways. Some states plan to convene public workshops, while
                  others will have copies available at public libraries, local government  offices, or water sup-
14
13 WATER  QUALITY MONITORING—AN OVERVIEW

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pliers. Many states also plan to post the assessment summaries on the Internet. In addition,
the results  of the assessments will be included in the annual water quality reports that
community water systems are required to prepare  for  the  people they  serve.  You can
find links to  each  state's  drinking  water  and  source water  protection  pages  at
http-.llwww. epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo. html.
In addition to the source water assessment requirements of the  SDWA Amendments, all
surface source waters are federally regulated by the Clean Water Act (CWA)  and the rules
and regulations that have  been developed  under that authority. The CWA impacts those
sources (both point sources and nonpoint sources) that contribute pollutants to the nation's
surface waters. Point sources are  stationary locations or fixed facilities from  which pollu-
tants are discharged. Nonpoint sources  are diffuse sources of pollutants  associated with
land use or groundwater flow. Examples include runoff from agriculture, forestry, or urban
activities. You can learn more about the CWA and  all associated programs and require-
ments at http://www.epa.gov/ow.

3.3.1   MONITORING  SOURCE  WATER  QUALITY
Typically, source water quality monitoring  is conducted by water utilities to determine the
quality of water feeding the water treatment system and adjust the treatment process based
on raw water  characteristics. In addition, many localities and water utilities conduct source
water monitoring  as part  of  their watershed and  wellhead  protection/management
programs.
Water utilities are not required by the regulations under the  Safe Drinking Water Act  to
provide source water quality monitoring results to either EPA or the public, but they may
choose to do  so through program-specific outreach products,  such as Web sites.
                                         13 WATER QUALITY MONITORING—AN OVERVIEW     15

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                        CLEAN WATER ACT PROGRAMS THAT IMPACT SURFACE SOURCE
                                                    WATER QUALITY

                    The Water Quality Criteria and Standards Program. This program includes a compilation of
                    national recommended water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life and human
                    health for approximately 150 pollutants. These criteria have been published pursuant to
                    Section 304(a) of the CWA and provide guidance for states and tribes to use in adopting
                    water quality standards. These water quality criteria cover the following types: aquatic life,
                    biological, drinking water, human health, and nutrient. You can find out more about this
                    program at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards.

                    The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permitting Program. This
                    program requires that all point sources discharging pollutants into waters of the United States
                    obtain an NPDES permit. These permits implement water quality standards and effluent
                    limitations guidelines that have been developed for specific industrial categories. You can find
                    out more about this  program at http://www.epa.gov/owm/npdes.html.

                    Nonpoint source programs such as the Total Maximum  Daily Load (TMDL) Program.
                    Under Section 303(d) of the CWA, states, territories, and authorized tribes are required to
                    develop lists  of impaired waters. These impaired waters do not meet water quality standards
                    that states, territories, and authorized tribes have set for them, even after point sources have
                    installed minimum required levels of pollution control technology. The TMDL rule requires
                    that these jurisdictions establish priority rankings for waters on the list  and develop TMDLs
                    for these waters. A TMDL not only specifies the  maximum amount of a pollutant (its
                    loading) that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards but also allocates
                    pollutant loadings among point and nonpoint sources. While TMDLs  have been required  by
                    the CWA since 1972, until recently states, territories, tribes, and EPA have not developed
                    many. Several years ago, citizens' organizations began bringing legal actions against EPA
                    seeking the listing of waters and the development of TMDLs. To  date,  there have been about
                    40 legal actions in 38 states, and EPA is under court order or consent decrees in many states
                    to ensure that TMDLs are established, either by the state  or by EPA. Currently, EPA is
                    working to develop changes to the TMDL regulations. Until then, the  current TMDL rule
                    remains in effect. You can find out more about this program at http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl
                    and at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps.

                    EPA's Clean  Lakes Program. The Clean Lakes Program was established in 1972 as Section
                    314 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide financial and technical assistance
                    to states in restoring publicly owned lakes. The early focus of the  program was on research
                    and development of lake restoration techniques and evaluation of lake conditions. The Clean
                    Lakes Program regulations promulgated in 1980  redirected the program activities to diagnose
                    the current conditions of individual lakes and their watersheds, determine the extent and
                    sources of pollution, develop feasible lake restoration and  protection plans, and implement
                    these plans. The CWA Amendments of 1987 expanded the program to include state-wide
                    assessments of lake conditions. EPA has encouraged states to use these assessment funds to
                    develop the institutional and administrative capabilities needed to carry out their lake
                    programs. You can find  out more about this program at http://www.epa.gov/owow/lakes.
16      13 WATER QUALITY MONITORING—AN  OVERVIEW

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                                   DES   MOINES   WATER   WORKS
DMWW is the largest municipal water utility in the state of Iowa. Serving over 350,000
people, DMWW operates two water treatment plants and pumps an average of 43 million
gallons of water per day. This chapter briefly discusses many of the day-to-day operations
conducted at DMWW and introduces some of the key programs and systems that support
DMWW's  operations.

4.1      OVERVIEW  OF  DMWW   OPERATIONS
DMWW is located on the banks of the Raccoon River in the city of Des Moines. The util-
ity draws source water from the Raccoon River, the Des  Moines River, an  infiltration
gallery, and several wells. The infiltration gallery is a large horizontal well constructed in
the sand and gravel adjacent to the Raccoon River. It yields river water and groundwater
that  have been naturally filtered through the sand and gravel. DMWW selected these
source water supplies based on the quality of these waters and the utility's ability to treat
these waters.
DMWW maintains an emergency supply of source water in  the Maffitt Reservoir. This
reservoir, constructed for DMWW during the 1940s,  is located southwest of the Des
Moines metropolitan area within 600 acres of wooded land;  the area is popular for fishing
and hiking. To enhance the quality of water in the reservoir, DMWW recently purchased
105 acres of surrounding farmland  to provide watershed protection.
DMWW operates two drinking water treatment plants: the  Fleur Drive plant  and the
Maffitt plant. The Fleur Drive plant (considered the main plant) has the capacity to treat
100 million gallons of source water per day. It is operated by DMWW staff on a continu-
ous basis. The Maffitt plant was constructed to address reliability issues that arose when a
serious flood put the Fleur Drive plant underwater and out of service in 1993. In addition
to providing a backup for the main plant, the Maffitt plant provides an additional 25 mil-
lion gallons of drinking water per day for the growing Des Moines population. The Maffitt
plant is in  service  on a continuous basis; it is adjacent to the Maffitt Reservoir, located
about 10 miles southwest of the main plant, outside of the Raccoon River flood  plain.
Typically, DMWW operates the Maffitt plant remotely.
Both of DMWW's treatment plants use a multi-step process to treat source  water. The
typical treatment process used at the Fleur Drive plant is  illustrated in the diagram on
page 18 and briefly described below.
   •   Source water for the Fleur Drive plant  is obtained from the Raccoon River, the Des
       Moines River, and the infiltration gallery system.

   •   Powdered activated carbon  is fed into river water to remove man-made and natu-
       ral  organic chemicals (thereby improving the taste  and odor).  Ferric  chloride is
       added to remove particulates. The pre-treated river  water is then combined with
       water from the infiltration gallery.

   •   The combined water is softened with soda ash and/or lime. Alum or ferric chloride
       is added to remove  minerals and other particles from the softened water.
                                                          4  DES MOINES WATER  WORKS     17

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                    RIVER
                                                    CHEMICAL
                                                     ADDITION
                                                                                  DISTRIBUTION
                                                                           CHLORINATION &
                                                                           FLUORIDATION
                  Typical treatment process used at DMWW's Fleur Drive Plant


                     •   The pH of the water is adjusted with carbon dioxide, and the water is stabilized
                         with polyphosphate.
                     •   The water is filtered through layers of sand to remove any remaining particles.
                     •   When  increased  levels  of nitrate are possible in river water, DMWW treats the
                         water in its nitrate removal process.
                     •   Fluoride is added to the water to aid in the prevention of tooth decay, and chlorine
                         is added as a disinfectant to kill bacteria. The treated drinking water is stored in a
                         clear well until it is pumped into the distribution system.
                 Water at the Maffitt plant is treated using a similar multi-step process. Because source water
                 for this plant is usually obtained exclusively from  wells, DMWW does not pre-treat this
                 water as it does river water. Also, DMWW does not operate a nitrate removal process at
                 the Maffitt plant because nitrate is typically found at low levels in the well water.
                 Through more than 800  miles  of underground water mains and pipe (both iron and plas-
                 tic), DMWW  distributes drinking water from both treatment plants to the Des Moines
18
4  DES MDINES WATER WORKS

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metropolitan community. DMWW provides total water service (including distribution sys-
tem maintenance) to the city of Des  Moines, Polk County, Windsor  Heights, and the
Warren County Water System. Through this total water service, DMWW performs pre-
ventative maintenance on all valves and hydrants, detects main leaks, repairs main breaks,
and replaces and repairs valves and hydrants. In addition, the utility reads meters, makes
service calls, prepares bills, and responds to customer service inquiries. DMWW also sup-
plies water to several other cities, communities, and water systems. For example, the utility
maintains a partnership with the city of Ankeny. Through this partnership, DMWW pro-
vides drinking water, reads meters,  manages billing, and responds to  customer service
inquiries while the city of Ankeny makes service calls and maintains its own distribution
system.

In addition  to its drinking water treatment and  distribution  responsibilities, DMWW
operates the Water Works Park, about 1,500 acres of land near downtown Des Moines.

4.2     SUPPORT  PROGRAMS   AND   SYSTEMS
DMWW relies  on several programs  and systems to support its day-to-day  operations.
Sections 4.2.1 through 4.2.3 discuss a few of DMWWs key support programs and sys-
tems: the sample  collection/analysis  program,  the  data management  system, and  the
communications/outreach program. All of DMWWs operations are further supported by
an integrated collection of software and hardware components; this  support  system is dis-
cussed in Section 4.2.4.

4.2.1  SAMPLE  COLLECTION /A N A LY s i s
DMWW monitors the quality of its drinking water and source water to  satisfy both treat-
ment process  control and  regulatory requirements.  (See Chapter  3  for  a  discussion of
applicable regulatory requirements and guidelines.) The utility maintains an in-house lab-
oratory to conduct  a variety of analyses on its water samples. To ensure  that data are
accurate and representative, DMWW follows a comprehensive set of procedures for sam-
pling and laboratory quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC); many of these procedures
are required by  EPA. DMWW has a quality assurance project plan (QAPP)  in place to
document its adherence to these procedures.


           DMWWS QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN  (QAPP)

  DMWWs QAPP provides a detailed framework for the utility's sampling and analytical
  procedures. Specifically, DMWWs QAPP covers the following:
  •  The laboratory mission, organizational structure, personnel, the physical facility, laboratory
    reagents and supplies, reagent standardization, contamination control, and laboratory
    safety.
  •  Standard sampling procedures, acceptance criteria,  chain-of-custody, a sampling plan for
    softening analyses, non-routine sampling, and on-site analysis.
  •  Inorganic, organic, and microbiological analytical procedures.
  •  Data quality assurance.
  •  Preventative equipment maintenance schedules, routine maintenance  procedures, instru-
    ment performance and optimization, protocol for correcting equipment problems, and
    equipment use and maintenance record-keeping.
  •  Equipment inventory.
                                                            4  DES MOINES  WATER WORKS     19

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                  The Hach® 1720D
                  Process Turbidimeter
         DMWW collects and analyzes samples within its water treatment and distribution system.
         The table below lists the drinking water parameters typically  monitored by DMWW
         Asterisks  identify  the  parameters monitored to  fulfill regulatory  requirements  for
                                DMWW's drinking water.  [Note that the parameters  marked
                                with asterisks do not add to the 90 federally regulated parameters
                                because some listed parameters (e.g., HAAs, SOCs, VOCs) rep-
                                resent  more than one standard  and others have been omitted
                                because subsequent monitoring has been waived or is very infre-
                                quent.] Monitoring frequency  (monthly, weekly,  daily, or
                    _ ^q——    continuous) varies with each  analysis. The utility  uses Hach®
              IL    J           CL-17 analyzers to monitor chlorine levels and Hach® 1720D
                                analyzers to monitor turbidity levels in  its drinking water. These
                                analyzers  are connected,  with other treatment process control
                                monitors, to DMWW's supervisory control and data acquisition
                                (SCADA) system. The SCADA  system is equipped with  data
                                monitors  and  alarms with pre-set  parameter levels  to  assist
                                DMWW's water  production personnel with  monitoring  the
                                treatment system around the clock.

                                DMWW also periodically collects and analyzes source water sam-
                                ples. The table on the next page lists the source water parameters
                                that are typically monitored by DMWW. When the  utility is
                                operating its nitrate removal process, DMWW monitors Nitrate-
                                N  to  fulfill  the requirements  of  its  state operating  permit.
                                Monitoring frequency (monthly, weekly,  daily, or continuous)
                                varies with the source water type and location and each analysis.
                                Samples are  collected from selected sites within the  Raccoon
                                River and Des Moines River watersheds, wells, and the Maffitt
                                Reservoir.
                           CL-17
                           alyzer
                    DRINKING WATER PARAMETERS TYPICALLY MONITORED BY DMWW

                      Acetochlor*
                      Antimony*
                      Arsenic*
                      Atrazine*
                      Barium*
                      Bromide
                      Cadmium*
                      Calcium hardness
                      CCPP*
                      Chloride
                      Chlorine
                      Chromium*
Conductivity
Copper
Cryptosporidium
R coli*
Fluoride*
HAAs*
HPC*
Iron
Langalier's Index
Lead*
Manganese
Magnesium
hardness
Mercury*
Metolachlor*
Nitrate-N*
Nitrite-N*
Odors
O-phosphate
P-alkalinity
pH*
Potassium

Radionuclides*
Selenium*
SOCs*
Sodium
Sulfate*
SUVA*
Temperature
Thallium*
THMs*
TOG*
Total coliforms*
Total hardness

Turbidity*
UV-254*
VOCs*
                  ^Parameters collected to fulfill regulatory requirements are marked with asterisks.
20
4  DES MOINES WATER  WORKS

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    SOURCE WATER PARAMETERS TYPICALLY MONITORED BY DMWW

    Acetochlor                   Iron                          Potassium
    Ammonia                    Lead                          Sodium
    Atrazine                     Manganese                    Sulfate
    Bromide                     Magnesium hardness           SUVA
    Calcium hardness             Metolachlor                   Temperature
    Chloride                     Nitrate-N*                    TOG*
    Copper                      Nitrite-N                     Total coliforms
    Cryptosporidium              O-phosphate                  Total hardness
    E. coli                       Odors                        Turbidity
    Fluoride                     P-alkalinity                   UV-254
    HPC                        pH


^Parameters collected to fulfill regulatory requirements are marked with asterisks.
                             URBAN RUNOFF STUDIES

 DMWW conducted a series of urban runoff studies to determine the microbial and chemical
 influences of main urban creek watersheds on the utility's source waters. Each of DMWWs
 source water rivers has a primary urban creek (Walnut Creek for the Raccoon River and Beaver
 Creek for the Des Moines River) with a branch that not only meanders through residential and
 business areas but also extends beyond these areas into agricultural land. Walnut Creek is
 multi-branched and eventually empties into the Raccoon River 2 miles upstream of DMWWs
 water intake. Beaver Creek has one main creek channel plus a small branch. The mouth of
 Beaver Creek is located 3 miles upstream of DMWWs Des Moines River water intake.

 DMWW conducted its urban runoff studies over a 2-3 year period. To determine the
 microbial and chemical influences  of these creeks, DMWW tested creek water for total E. coli
 counts, nitrate,  ammonia, and other chemistry determinations. Samples were collected by a
 DMWW laboratory technician during a rainfall event. DMWW performed the creek sampling
 using two  different approaches. One approach was to sample water from the creek mouth,
 water from the river upstream from the creek, and water from DMWWs downstream intake.
 The second approach involved a complete or nearly complete study that  used the  basic
 approach above but included several other creek monitoring sites. DMWW selected 12
 mapped sampling sites for the Beaver Creek watershed and up to 20 mapped sampling sites for
 the Walnut Creek watershed.

 The results of DMWWs urban creek studies indicate that bacterial contamination of Des
 Moines urban creeks sometimes significantly affects the bacterial counts found in  DMWWs
 source water rivers, despite the relatively small amounts of flow from these creeks. DMWW
 determined that the high bacteria levels in urban creeks are likely the result of pet and wild
 animal waste deposited in Des Moines metropolitan storm sewers; however, DMWW did
 locate more than one broken sewer line during its studies. DMWWs results also indicate that
 urban runoff accounts for very little of the nitrate measured in the utility's source  water.
                                                                4 DES MOINES WATER WORKS     21

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                 4.2.2  DATA  MANAGEMENT
                 DMWW carefully manages and validates its monitoring data to ensure that only data of known
                 and documented quality are used to make environmental and operational decisions. DMWW's
                 data validation process is illustrated in the flow diagram on page 23.
                 Data management begins with DMWW's laboratory analyst. All sample analyses must adhere
                 to the laboratory QA/QC procedures documented in DMWW's QAPP. The laboratory analyst
                 enters data that meet these requirements and the QC measurements made during the analysis
                 into a laboratory information management system (LIMS). The LIMS automatically compares
                 the data (both the analytical result and the QC measurements) to a range of acceptable values
                 that DMWW has pre-programmed into the LIMS. The system flags data as suspect if they do
                 not fall within the range. The laboratory analyst carefully reviews the data she has entered to
                 ensure that she has not made a typographical error. The control range feature in the LIMS can
                 help the analyst quickly identify suspect or erroneous data during her review.
                 After DMWW's data have been reviewed by the laboratory analyst, these data are validated by
                 either DMWW's QA/QC officer or QA/QC supervisor. These personnel conduct their valida-
                 tion reviews in light of their extensive experience with the operation and control of DMWW's
                 treatment process, historical trends in DMWW's water quality, and close communication with
                 DMWW's treatment  process operators and supervisors. Specifically, the QA/QC officer and
                 QA/QC supervisor perform the following types of analyses:

                     •   Compare data within  the  LIMS control range with hard-copy analytical results to
                        locate any incorrectly transcribed data that may have still fallen within the LIMS con-
                        trol range and were therefore not detected by the laboratory analyst.
                     •   Review  records and documentation to ensure  that samples  were collected and
                        nalyzed correctly.
                     •   Review data in light of historical water quality measurements, treatment process expert-
                        ise,  and  other known factors that may affect the values of certain parameters. During
                        this review, the QA/QC officer or supervisor determine whether or not the data seem
                        logical.
                 When his review is complete, either the QA/QC  officer or the QA/QC supervisor marks
                 validated data as "approved" in the LIMS. Because the LIMS package allows for the valida-
                 tion of individual analytical results, DMWW can approve one result and reject another
                 result measured in the same sample. In some cases,  DMWW may collect additional samples
                 and/or repeat laboratory analyses to replace certain erroneous results.  DMWW's data man-
                 agement  process can take anywhere from a few hours to  one week, depending on the staff
                 available  to perform the separate data reviews. Data are prioritized for review based on the
                 significance of the results to the operation of DMWW's water treatment process.

                 4.2.3 COMMUNIC AT ION  AND  DUTREACH
                 DMWW follows a comprehensive plan for communication and outreach. Through this
                 plan, DMWW uses several different mechanisms and products to convey information to the
                 Des Moines metropolitan community. See Chapter 6 for more detailed information about
                 DMWW's  outreach  plan.  Some  of DMWW's communications/outreach products and
                 mechanisms are briefly introduced below.
                 The Monthly Newsletter: H2O Line. DMWW's  monthly  newsletter provides DMWW's
                 customers with  information on current issues related to drinking water  and source water
                 quality.
                 Annual Consumer Confidence Report. DMWW's June  newsletter typically functions as  a
                 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The CCR, required by federal drinking water regu-
                 lations, enables  DMWW community residents to  make practical, knowledgeable decisions
22      4  DES MOINES WATER WORKS

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DMWW's  DATA VALIDATION  PROCESS
                      Analysis Performed
                Data quality reviewed by analyst
            No
 oes result
 meet QC
 quirement?
                   Data entered into database
                          by analyst
            No
 Do data
meet LIMS
 criteria?
                Data validation by QA/QC officei
                         or supervisor
         Questioned
                Not acceptable
                   Data approved, data marked as
                        approved in LIMS
                             Data rejected, data marked as
                                  rejected in LIMS
                                                           4  DES MOINES WATER WORKS
                                                                        23

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                about their health and their environment. See Chapter 3 of this handbook for more infor-
                mation on the CCR and the federal regulations that require its publication.
                Welcome Brochure. DMWW sends a "Welcome" brochure to all of its new customers. The
                pamphlet contains a variety of useful introductory information, including billing and pay-
                ment options, a description of DMWWs treatment process, information about the services
                provided by DMWW, and applicable rules/regulations.
                Annual Business Report. The main goal of DMWW's annual report is to present financial
                information to its customers; however, DMWW also includes a few pages of educational
                materials in the report. The content of these materials depends on issues  and concerns of
                the current year.
                Other Outreach Mechanisms. DMWW visits area schools to teach children of all grade
                levels about drinking water and source water. The utility also offers tours of its facilities to
                school children and adults. DMWW prepares technical outreach  information for confer-
                ences held by organizations such as the American Water Works Association. In addition,
                the utility has prepared a series of fact sheets to answer specific  questions from its cus-
                tomers.
                The DMWW Web Site. DMWW uses its Web site (http://www.dmww.com) to communi-
                cate a wide variety of information to the Des Moines community.

                4.2.4  SOFTWARE  AND  HARDWARE  SYSTEMS
                DMWW operates an integrated  collection  of software packages and hardware  devices
                designed and programmed to compile, manage, retrieve, and post  data and information in
                support of DMWW's day-to-day operations. This integrated system consists of three gen-
                eral components: the database server,  the firewall, and  the Web server. Consider  these
                definitions:
                    •  Database Server. A database server hosts a database management system, a soft-
                       ware package that allows users to store and modify information in a database.
                    •  Firewall. A firewall is either a hardware device, a software package, or a  combina-
                       tion of these  mechanisms designed to protect internal computer systems  from
                       intentional, hostile intrusion from outside sources.

                    •  Web Server. A Web server hosts a  software system that allows for data delivery to
                       outside users over the Internet or internal users over an Intranet.
                These system components are briefly discussed below.

                DATABASE SERVER
                DMWW uses a database server to support both regulatory and treatment process control
                requirements for  data  compilation and management.  DMWW's  database  server,  a
                Hewlett-Packard®  UXTM™ workstation, hosts  an Oracle™ DBMS  (Version 7.3.2) to
                manage the utility's drinking  water and source water data. The Oracle™ database is rela-
                tional, which means that it allows DMWW to store data in the form of related  tables. As
                discussed  previously, DMWW also uses  a laboratory information management system
                (LIMS) package developed  by PE Nelson  to support  its  analytical  data  management
                requirements. DMWW selected the PE Nelson LIMS package based on its ease of use, sys-
                tem security features, flexibility,  minimal hardware  and equipment requirements, and
                compatibility with the utility's existing Oracle™ DBMS.
24      4  DES MOINES WATER WORKS

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A request to extract information from the database is made in the form of a query.
Although different database management systems support different types of query lan-
guages,  Structured  Query Language  (SQL)  is  typically  considered to be  the most
common format for constructing queries. DMWW's Oracle™ DBMS supports SQL
(PL/SQL); DMWW personnel write code in SQL to query data.
DMWW personnel perform all DBMS maintenance and management. The utility has
found that this maintenance can be very time consuming. DMWW's  QA/QC officer
dedicates at least 30 percent of his time to maintaining and managing DMWW's DBMS;
he feels that the system typically requires about 50 percent of his time. DMWW conducts
daily, monthly, and annual tape backups of all data on its internal network; archived data
are stored in a secure location. The utility's monthly archives are maintained for 2 years.
DMWW never discards its annual archives.

FIREWALL
DMWW uses a Borderware™ firewall to protect its internal computer systems and Web
site. A firewall examines all data traffic between two networks to determine if the traffic
pattern meets certain criteria for security. If the criteria are met, the firewall allows data
to flow between the networks. If the criteria are not met, the firewall halts the data trans-
mission. A firewall can filter both inbound and outbound  data traffic using a variety of
filtering techniques.

WEB SERVER
DMWW's Web server allows DMWW to serve data over the Internet using Hyper Text
Markup Language (HTML), a program language  used for publishing information on the
Web.
DMWW's Web server hosts its Web site, which provides  a location on  the Internet for
the utility's customers to access information. DMWW has an existing high-speed Internet
connection and a fully functioning Web site to communicate with its customers.
                                                         4  DES MOINES  WATER WORKS     25

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26     4  DES MOINES WATER WORKS

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                        DMWW's    EMPACT   PROJECT
In 1998,  EPA's  EMPACT program funded  DMWW's  EMPACT project, which provides Des
Moines metropolitan community residents with timely information about the factors  that affect
their drinking water supply. This project is designed to enhance DMWW's day-to-day  operations
and community outreach program,  in part,  through the delivery of timely drinking  water and
source water quality information. The project strives to encourage Des Moines residents, as well as
the entire watershed community, to assume a larger role in restoring and preserving the quality of
community source waters.
This chapter presents a case study of DMWW's EMPACT project. Section 5-1 discusses the proj-
ect phases. Section 5.2 discusses DMWW's EMPACT project Web site.

5.1          MWW'S  EN-                                HASES
DMWW's EMPACT project is broken into three phases:
    •    Phase I  is associated with the Web posting and updating of timely drinking water quality
        information.

    •    Phase II is  associated with the Web posting and updating of timely source water quality
        information and supporting static information and documents.
    •    Phase III is associated with the Web posting of static results from DMWW's urban runoff
        studies.
These phases are discussed in detail below.

5.1.1   DMWW  EMPACT  PROJECT—PHASE  I
Phase I of DMWW's EMPACT project focuses on the posting and updating of timely drinking
water quality data to the EMPACT project area of DMWW's Web site. The table on page 28 pres-
ents the parameters and sampling frequencies for the Phase I data that are  available on  DMWW's
project Web site. DMWW selected  this subset of parameters based on what the utility  felt would
be of greatest interest to the Des Moines metropolitan community.
All drinking water data associated with the EMPACT project are validated and processed through
DMWW's data  management system (discussed in Chapter 4). Overall, DMWW's data manage-
ment process has not been enhanced to support the utility's EMPACT project; DMWW has always
required timely water quality data to effectively operate its treatment system. DMWW's  EMPACT
project does not directly increase or decrease the amount of time required  to perform data valida-
tion; however, the implementation of the EMPACT project may  in some cases require  additional
resources for QA/QC reviews.
All validated  data  are available for extraction  and  posting  to  the EMPACT project area of
DMWW's Web site. Data that fail any of the  data management review steps are marked as suspect
or rejected; these data are not delivered to the public.  Data are prioritized for review based on the
significance of the results to the operation of the water treatment process. To ensure that most data
are available to Web users within 1 week of collection, DMWW follows a review schedule (e.g., the
QA/QC officer or supervisor plans to review data on Wednesday and Friday of each week).
                                                           B   DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT     27

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                   PARAMETER
          REGULATED*   SAMPLING FREQUENCY
                  Alkalinity (Total)
                                       Daily
                   Carbonate Precipitation Potential
                                      Weekly
                   Calcium Hardness as CaCO
                                             3
                                       Daily
                   Chloride
                                      Weekly
                   Chlorine (Free)
                                 Continuous online
                   Conductivity
                                      Weekly
                   Cryptosporidium
                                      Monthly
                   Fluoride
                                       Daily
                   Heterotrophic Plate Count Bacteria
                                       Daily
                   Langeliers Index
                                      Weekly
                   Magnesium Hardness as CaCO3
                                       Daily
                   Metals (potassium, sodium, iron, manganese)
                                      Monthly
                   Metals (lead, copper)
                                      Monthly
                   Nitrate - N
                            Weekly/daily when near MCL
                   Nitrite - N
                                      Weekly
                   Ortho-Phosphate
                                      Weekly
                   Pesticides (Metolachlor, Acetochlor, Atrazine)  /
                              Weekly (April-October)
                   pH
                                       Daily
                   Silica (Reactive )
                                     Annually
                   Sulfate
                                      Weekly
                   Temperature
                                       Daily
                   Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
                                      Weekly
                   Total Hardness as CaCO
                                          3
                                       Daily
                   Total Coliforms
                                       Daily
                   Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
                                      Weekly
                   Total Trihalomethanes
                                      Weekly
                   Turbidity
                                 Continuous online
                   :(: Regulated constituents must be reported to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as part of
                   a regular compliance program. Unregulated constituents are monitored for general water quality and treat-
                   ment process information but not reported to the IDNR.
                 Timely data for these
                 DMWW's Web site.
water quality constituents are available on the EMPACTproject area of
28
             DMWW's  EMPACT PROJECT

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                             VALIDATING TIMELY DATA

  The analysis of drinking water is well regulated and conducted by certified laboratories using
  EPA-approved methods. A very important part of the data management process is data
  validation, which must occur before drinking water sample results can be considered final and
  ready for public release. The reason for this part of the process is to avoid the unnecessary
  public concern that would occur if invalid positive results were released and then found to be
  incorrect. For most parameters, the data validation process can occur in only a few days.
  Thus, in this context, timely data is that which minimizes the time between the generation of
  validated sample results and the availability of these results to the public. Typically, the time
  between sampling drinking water and providing the validated sampling results to the public
  can range from a few days to a maximum of 3 weeks.
  To increase the timeliness  of water quality data available to  the Des Moines community,
  DMWW could post "provisional" data to the EMPACT project area of its Web site shortly
  after laboratory analysis. Although provisional data have met the QA/QC requirements for
  sample collection and laboratory analysis, these data are not validated. DMWW has chosen
  not to post provisional data to its Web  site because the utility feels that the potential
  disadvantages of posting erroneous data (e.g., causing unnecessary community alarm)
  outweigh the advantages of increasing the timeliness of these data.

During the design and construction of Phase I, DMWW dedicated its resources to developing the
data delivery approach, technical systems, and communications/outreach goals required to support
all phases of its EMPACT project. DMWW spent approximately 2 years completing the design and
construction of Phase I.
During the design of the data delivery approach and technical systems, DMWW analyzed its hard-
ware and software  systems  to  determine the utility's existing technical resources and expertise,
identify the key technical issues  to  be addressed during EMPACT project design, and identify
potential technical  challenges. After fully evaluating its existing systems, DMWW chose to dedi-
cate a significant portion of its EMPACT project funding to support the skilled technical labor
(both internal and external)  necessary create a new DMWW EMPACT project area on the utility's
existing Web site and build  the mechanisms necessary to deliver timely data to that site.
First, DMWW replaced its  existing Web  server.  The new server runs  Microsoft® Internet
Information  Server (IIS) 4.0™. DMWW selected Microsoft® IIS  4.0™ because it provides the
utility with a platform for  building more sophisticated Internet applications. At first, DMWW
attempted to create an electronic link from the new Web server to its existing Oracle™ database.
However, this link proved to be both unreliable and inefficient. DMWW suspects that these issues
arose due to certain differences in communication between the Oracle™ and Microsoft® systems.
To resolve these differences,  DMWW converted an existing SQL Server database into a staging area
for the data and  electronically linked this  database to the Web server. Each night, approved data are
extracted from DMWW's Oracle™ database and stored in the SQL Server database. When  a user
requests information from the EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site, these data are pulled
from the SQL Server database. See Section 5.2  for more information on DMWW's Web site.
In some ways, DMWW's decision to modify some of its existing technical components conserved
funding and resources: DMWW was not required to purchase many significant pieces of hardware
and software to support its EMPACT project. In other ways, DMWW's decision resulted in some
challenges: DMWW and its contractors were required to dedicate extra resources to closely exam-
ine and redesign specific features of the existing technical components to create a fully functional
and compatible  data delivery system.
                                                              DMWW's  EMPACT PROJECT         29

-------
                   While designing the data delivery system, DMWW considered  its  available technical resources
                   (both internal and external) to support not only the design and development of the system but also
                   the long-term implementation of the system. DMWW's project phasing approach allowed the util-
                   ity to dedicate a portion of its internal technical resources to the EMPACT project while the utility
                   conducted other important non-EMPACT information systems tasks (such as ensuring the Y2K
                   compliance of DMWW's computer systems).

                   5.1.2  DMWW'S  EMPACT   PROJECT—PHASE   II
                   When Phase I of DMWW's EMPACT project was fully implemented, DMWW and its technical
                   contractors modified the Phase I system to  support the Phase II delivery of timely source  water
                   quality data to community residents. DMWW then dedicated its available technical resources to
                   post  key pieces of static data to the EMPACT project area on the utility's Web site to fully imple-
                   ment the subsequent components of Phase II.
                   Phase II includes the following three components:
                      •   Component I focuses on the posting and updating of timely source water quality data to
                           the EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site. The complete implementation of this
                           component took only a few weeks because it uses the data delivery approach and techni-
                           cal systems  developed for Phase I.
                      •   Through Component II, DMWW places its annual CCR on its Web site. DMWW's
                           CCR enables Des Moines metropolitan  community residents to make practical, knowl-
                           edgeable decisions about their health and their environment. Refer to Chapter 6 for more
                           information on DMWW's CCR, and refer to Chapter 3 for more information on the fed-
                           eral regulations that require its publication.

                      •   Component III provides relevant data extracted from the Iowa Department of Natural
                           Resources (IDNR) source water assessment program (SWAP), which was  developed in
                           compliance with Section 1453 of the Safe Drinking Water Act  (SDWA). See Chapter 3
                           for more information on the SWAP and the SDWA.
                   The table on page 31 presents the parameters and sampling frequencies for the Phase II data avail-
                   able  on the EMPACT  project area of DMWW's  Web  site. DMWW selected this subset  of
                   parameters based on what the utility felt would be of greatest interest to the Des Moines metro-
                   politan community.
                   Through the execution of Phase II  of its EMPACT project, DMWW procured and installed two
                   early-alert source water monitoring stations at the Racoon River intake and the Des Moines River
                   intake. DMWW uses these monitoring stations to provide treatment plant operators with as  much
                   warning as possible  when rapid changes in source water quality warrant immediate modifications
                   to the drinking water treatment process.  Each early-alert monitoring station contains four Hach®
                   water analyzers to monitor nitrate, ammonia, pH, and turbidity.
                   Using the early-alert analyzers, DMWW collects and analyzes source water samples for nitrate every
                   2.5 minutes, samples for ammonia  every 7-5  minutes, and samples for pH and turbidity continu-
                   ously. The analyzers are currently programmed to collect and analyze samples at their maximum
                   frequencies; however, DMWW may consider decreasing the monitoring frequency to reduce costs
                   in the future. The early-alert analyzers are connected, with other treatment  process control moni-
                   tors,  to DMWW's SCADA system. Data from these analyzers are not available on the EMPACT
                   area of DMWW's Web site.
30      B   DMWW's  EMPACT PROJECT

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  PARAMETER                                       SAMPLING FREQUENCY

  Alkalinity (Total)                                                   5/week

  Ammonia - N                                                    Weekly*
  Calcium Hardness as CaCO3                                       5/week
  Chloride                                                          Weekly
  Cryptosporidium                                                  Monthly
  E. coli                                                             5/week
  Fluoride                                                           Weekly

  Heterotrophic Plate Count Bacteria                                 5/week
  Magnesium Hardness as CaCO3                                    5/week
  Metals
  (potassium, sodium, iron, manganese, lead, copper)                   Weekly
  Nitrate - N                                             Weekly/daily when near MCL*
  Ortho-Phosphate                                                   Weekly

  Pesticides (Metolachlor, Acetochlor, Atrazine)                 Weekly (April - October)
  Sulfate                                                            Weekly
  Temperature                                                       5/week
  Total Hardness as CaCO3                                           5/week
  Total Coliforms                                                    5/week
  Total Organic Carbon (TOG)                                       Weekly

  Turbidity                                                          5/week*


Timely data for these source water quality constituents are available on the EMPACTproject area of
DMWW's Web site.
*Note: Frequencies marked with an asterisk are for manual monitoring only. These parameters are
 monitored on a more frequent basis using automatic analyzers. Only the manual monitoring data are
 available on the EMPACT area of DMWW's Web site.


DMWW has found that maintenance of the Hach®  early-alert analyzers can  be very time-con-
suming. During the spring and summer, DMWW must repeatedly clean mud from the analyzers
due to  the seasonal  turbidity increase in area source water rivers. The utility spends at least 1 hour
per day cleaning and maintaining the analyzers at each station during this part of the year. During
the fall and winter, the utility spends  about 1 hour every 2 weeks maintaining the analyzers at each
station.
                                                            DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT         31

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                            HACH® ANALYZER      WATER QUALITY PARAMETER
                            APA 6000
                                           Nitrate
                            APA 6000
                                           Ammonia
                            EC 310
                                           pH
                            Surface Scatter 6
                                           Turbidity
                   The Hack® APA 6000
                                     The Hach® EC 310™
                                    pH Monitor.
The Hach® Surface
Scatter 6 Turbidimeter
                  The nitrate and ammonia analyzers are self-calibrating; DMWW reviews the calibration periodi-
                  cally. DMWW manually calibrates the pH and turbidity analyzers each month. Because the Hach®
                  analyzers are modular instruments, DMWW can repair the analyzers on site simply by removing
                  and replacing the broken part. DMWW keeps a large supply of spare parts on site to support rou-
                  tine and emergency replacements.

                                      THE CHALLENGES OF REAL-TIME QA/QC

                    The data provided by the early-alert analyzers have allowed DMWW to  become more pro-
                    active in modifying its treatment process in response to sudden changes in source water
                    quality. However, DMWW is still developing a QA/QC protocol for using these analyzers.
                    When an early-alert analyzer indicates a sudden change in source water quality, DMWW
                    water production personnel immediately collect and  analyze a manual sample to verify the
                    reading for that  parameter. However, when the analyzers indicate a very large change in
                    source water quality, DMWW personnel sometimes modify the water  treatment process prior
                    to verifying the analyzer reading. To develop a continuing log of accuracy measurements,
                    DMWW programs its analyzers to  collect periodic quality samples. For every seven source
                    water samples analyzed, the analyzer will collect one sample from a separate intake line that
                    DMWW has connected to a sample of water with a known quantity of parameters. DMWW
                    periodically checks the results of the QC sample to ensure the accuracy of the analyzer
                    readings. With time, DMWW hopes to decrease the amount of manual  and QC samples it
                    takes to verify the accuracy of its early-alert analyzers.
                   5.1.3  DMWW'S  EMPACT  PROJECT—PHASE  III
                  Through the execution of Phase III of its EMPACT project, DMWW will post the results from its
                  urban runoff studies to the EMPACT project area of its Web site to enable its customers to observe
                  the effects of urban watersheds on the quality of their drinking water. As discussed in Chapter 4,
                  the urban runoff studies  attempted to determine the microbial and chemical influences of main
32
DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT

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urban creek watersheds on the utility's source waters. DMWW expects to post the results of these
studies on its Web site by spring 2002.

When Phase III of the  EMPACT project has been  fully implemented,  DMWW will dedicate its
available technical resources to operating, maintaining, and periodically enhancing its EMPACT
project data delivery system and Web site, while continuing to support other important day-to-day
information systems tasks (such as redesigning the utility's electronic billing system).


S.Z       DMWW'S   EMPACT   PROJECT  WEB   SITE

Because DMWW's EMPACT project phases represent unique topics and different implementation
schedules, the EMPACT project area on  DMWW's Web site is organized around these phases.

The EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site is located at http://www.dmww.com/empact.asp.
This site provides the following:

     •   An answer to the question, "What is safe drinking water?"

     •   Answers to frequently asked questions about drinking water and source water.

     •   A diagram of DMWW's drinking water treatment process.
 3 Des Moines Water Works - EMPACT - Microsoft Internet Explorer
   File  £dit  View  Favorites  Jools  nelp

  Address ©1 httpV/www.dmww.com/empacfe.asp
           — DES MOINES
               WATER WORKS 1 2201 VALLEY DHIVE I DE.S MOIINE.S. IOWA SQ321 M90
      Home | General Info | Water Quality | Water Works Parks | Education | Employment | Customer Service | Contact Us |
                                      Des Moines
                                      Waterworks and the
  Source Water
    -FAQ
    - Assessment Program
    - Volunteer Program
  Water Quality Report
                      WHAT IS EMPACT?
                     EMPACT, Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking, is part of a $3.5
                     million national campaign sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
                     EMPACT aims to work with communities to make timely, accurate and understandable environmental
                     information available to millions of people. Des Moines' project is one of four water quality EMPACT
                     projects.
Links
 -Dictionary (EPA)
                     PHASE I of the Des Moines Waterworks (DMWW) EMPACT project features
                     interactive real time information, incorporating the daily collection, analysis,
                     posting, and updating of all drinking water quality data.
                     PHASE II is projected for implementation in January 2000. It will feature the
                     periodic collection, posting, and updating of source water quality data from the
                     Raccoon, Des Moines Rivers and infiltration gallery. It will also include
                     contamination source information.
The EMPACT project area on the DMWW's Web site.
                                                              B   DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT
                                                                                                                              33

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                        Home General Info Water Quality
                                             Water Works Parks Education
                                                                 Employment Customer Service
Water Quality R
Project Overview
Drinking Water
-FAQ
- Health Effects (EPA)
Source Water
-FAQ
- Assessment Program
- Volunteer Program
Urban Runoff Study
Safe Drinking Water
Water Quality Report co
sat Tims Source Wa
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rsr information
supplier draws from to obtain its raw water supply.
; This water is treated and distributed to the
community. The two main types of source water are
^' surface water, such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs,
and groundwater. The source waterfor Des Moines
Waterworks is surface water from the Raccoon and
Des Moines Rivers. The chart below gives you our
real time water aualitvtestina results To seethe un-
Surf Your
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information site
to-the-minute data and get an explanation of the
ntaminants we test for, simply selecta contaminant from the drop down list, select
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                                                                                       Internet
                   A user can request source water data from the EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site.

                       •   Information about the Des Moines River and  Raccoon River watersheds.
                       •   The DMWW service map.
                       •   The most recent annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).

                       •   An overview of the DMWW EMPACT project and descriptions of project
                           Phases I, II, and III.
                       •   Timely data on the presence and/or quantity of specific parameters found in Des Moines
                           drinking water or  source water.
                   From this site, Des Moines community residents can request timely water quality information from
                   two links: Phase I—Drinking Water Information and Phase II—Source Water Information. Users
                   can learn about the presence and/or quantity of specific parameters found in their drinking water
                   or source water by selecting the parameter from a drop-down list of options.
                   From the user's computer,  a data request works like this:
                       •   The user selects a  specific analytical parameter from a drop-down list.
                       •   The user selects the desired range of sampling dates for that particular parameter. If the
                           user does not specify a date,  the Web site automatically  defaults to a range beginning
                           1 month prior to the present date.
                       •   The user clicks the "Show Me" button.
34
DMWW's EMPACT  PROJECT

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    Des Homes Water Works - EMPACT - Phase II Lab Data - Microsoft Internet Explorer
    File  Edit  View  Favorites  Jools  Help
  Address £] http:/Vwww.dmwwxom/lempact_results_p2.asp?toolbar=3

            —  DES MOINES
                 WATER WORKS I 2201 VALLEY DRIVE I  DES MOINES, low* 5O321 119O
       Home | General Info Water Quality Water Works Parks | Education | Employment | Customer Service | Contact Us |
   Water Quality
   Project Overview
   Drinking Water
    -FAQ
    - Health Effects (EPA)
                         Test Description
         lAnimonia-N is a metabolic waste product formed from the decomposition of proteins
         land other nitrogen containing substances. It is also manufactured and sold as
         [commercial fertilizer. Nitrogen is recycled in the environment^ many different forms,
         [including ammonia, and is usually reported in all forms as the concentration of
         Initrogen (N) present.
   Source Water
    -FAQ
    - Assessment Program
    -Volunteer Program
   Urban Runoff Study
   Safe Drinking Water
   Water Quality Report
   Treatment Process
   Watershed
   Factsheets
below are the 6 available test results measured in (mgfl) that have been obtained <
               days between Mar 12, 2002 and Apr 12, 2002.
                                         There is no Water Quality Standard forthis contaminant.
                        EPA Drinking Water Regulations and Health Advisories Page is WWW.EPA.GOVroSTfToolsWwstds.html
   Links
    -Dictionary (EPA)
                            1
                            2
                            3
                            4
                            5
                            6
              DES MOINES RIVER
                   GALLERY
               RACCOON RIVER
               RACCOON RIVER
              DES MOINES RIVER
                   GALLERY
3/13/2002
3/13/2002
3/13/2002
4/3/2002
4/3/2002
4/3/2002
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                                                       •fl Internet
                  water data are
              to the user in a table on a
At DMWW, the data retrieval process works like this:

     •    DMWW's Web server accepts the user's request in the form of HTML and repackages the
          request into SQL.

     •    The Web server sends the SQL request through the firewall.

     •    Inside the  firewall,  the  SQL request is  processed by DMWW's SQL  Server,  and the
          requested validated  data are extracted from the  staging  database. Recall that DMWW
          uploads data from the LIMS/OracleTM database to the SQL Server database nightly.

     •    The extracted data are sent back through the firewall to the Web server.

     •    The Web server formats  the data and displays a results page.

The results page contains  the following features:

     •    A brief,  succinct description of the selected parameter.

     •    An explanation of the data returned by the user's  inquiry.
                                                                   DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT
                                                                                                 35

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                       •    The MCL and Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) established by EPA for that
                           parameter (applicable only to the drinking water page).

                       •    A link to EPA's Drinking Water Regulations and Health Advisories page for more infor-
                           mation about the health effects related to that parameter.

                       •    A tabular or graphical representation of the data.

                       •    A  link  to  EPA's Drinking  Water  Regulations  and   Health  Advisories page:
                           http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html for information about the health effects of certain
                           parameters in drinking water.

                       •    Links to other Web sites providing information consistent with the topic and message of
                           DMWW's EMPACT site.

                       •    A link to EPA's "Terms of Environment" site http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms.

                       •    A link that allows the customer to send an email to DMWW

                                                          PLUG-INS

                    A "plug-in"  is  a software module that works along with an Internet browser to add a specific
                    feature to a  Web site. For  example, a plug-in can allow users to listen to music or view videos
                    on a Web site. If a Web site requires a plug-in to execute a specific feature, users must
                    download the  plug-in program  to experience that feature. DMWW selected a software
                    package, Chart FX™, to display certain pieces of requested data in a chart format on the
                    EMPACT project area of  its Web site. To use this feature, users must download Chart FX™
                    (a "plug-in").  The first time a user requests charted data from his or her personal computer,
                    the Web site displays a "warning" asking the user to agree to download the plug-in. The
                    Internet browser then guides the user through the downloading process. The user is required
                    to download the plug-in only once; the user's computer will automatically access the plug-in
                    for viewing  charts in the future.

                    DMWW feels that this plug-in increases the number of options for viewing data on  the site,
                    thereby enhancing the user-friendliness of the site. Although DMWW could program its site
                    to display charts, the plug-in allows DMWW to offer this feature without dedicating valuable
                    resources to formatting data. DMWW has found that many of its customers are comfortable
                    and familiar with plug-ins; the utility has received only a few questions and concerns about
                    the requirement to download this module.
                   The EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site is programmed to present data in either a table
                   or a chart. The table format allows the user to view individual analytical results for a selected param-
                   eter measured on selected dates at selected sampling locations. The chart format allows the  user to
                   view  and compare analytical results for a selected parameter over the entire range of selected dates
                   and sampling locations. The charting function also allows the user to view information about a spe-
                   cific data point (e.g., parameter concentration, sample collection date, and sample description)  by
                   holding the cursor over that data point in the chart.

                   5.2.1  DESIGNING  THE WEB   SITE
                   The designers of the EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site included water treatment and
                   laboratory personnel, information systems personnel, technical contractors, and a communications
                   specialist. This team found the design process to  be iterative. The team's design initially focused on
                   answering the following question: "Is my drinking water safe?" However, when the initial design
36      B  DMWW's EMPACT  PROJECT

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        Address ^1 http://www.dmww.com/empact_p1.asp
                                    I 220I VALLEY DRIVE I OE6 MOINES, IOWA 50321-1190
            Home General Info [Water Quality [Water Works Parks Education | Employment | Customer Service | Contact Us |
        Water Quality
        Project Overview
                          Drinking Water Quality Data
        Drinking Water
         -FAQ
         - Healtn Effects (EPA)
        Source Water
         -FAQ
         -Assessment Program
         -Volunteer Program
        Urban Runoff Study
        Safe Drinking Water
        Water Quality Report
        Treatment Process
        Watershed
            Lies Homes Water Works (.ijiVi'iAiVfl takes fin ide in providing Odr    Surf Your
            customers with the highest quality drinking water. The chart Pelow  Watershed
            gives you our real time water quality testing results on our treated    An EPA
            drinking water. To see the up-to-the-minute data and get an      information stte
            explanation of the contaminants we test for. simply select a
            contaminant from the drop down list, select your preferred viewing
            format, and click on the "SHOW ME" button
                          Select a water quality
                          :est location:
        Links
         - Dictionary (EPA)
Regulated tests
                          Unregulated tests
                          Select the range of
                          days of data you want to
                          view:
               |A|| Finished Watery]
-^ I Chlorine (Free)
                  (Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential_J
                                                    <• Regulated
                                                                              <~ Unregulated
                from: |03/12/2002

                    rnrru'ddjyi'yy
                    | to: |04/12/2002
                       mm/ddJyyy/
         Done
 The EMPACTproject area on DMWW's Web site. Note
 and explained links (in the right frame) for
 left frame).
                                  simple instructions (in the center frame)
                                                or experienced users (in the
was reviewed, the team determined that a simple answer to this question would not necessarily ben-
efit DMWW's customers. The team also considered that this question cannot always be answered
simply. For example, when DMWW measured high levels of nitrate in its treated drinking water
in 1999, the utility felt that customers should have  access to detailed information about the con-
dition of the  water due to the increased risk of "blue  baby syndrome"  (methemoglobinemia) to
infants under 6 months of age. However, DMWW could not simply answer "no" to the above ques-
tion because  nitrate levels in the water never  exceeded the legal limits (MCLs) established  for
nitrate. (Refer to  Chapter 3 of this handbook for public notification requirements and additional
information on the regulation of drinking water.)
                WEB SITE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OPTIONS

  There are many software packages available to assist you with designing and constructing your
  Web site. These programs prompt you to design your Web pages in desktop publishing
  format and automatically convert your designs into HTML. These programs can greatly
  simplify Web page design and construction for inexperienced users. However, DMWW relied
  only partially on these tools—a large amount of automatically generated code can increase the
  complexity of a site's technical architecture. DMWW used Microsoft® FrontPage™ to create a
  conceptual design of the EMPACT project area on its Web site; the utility then passed these
  conceptual designs over to its technical contractor, who coded this  area of the site based on
  the design proofs.
                                                               DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT
                                                                                              37

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                   After reviewing the initial design, DMWW moved to a news-style design format with water qual-
                   ity  data  charting options prominently featured on both the drinking water and source water
                   portions  of the site. The team decided to address drinking water and source water on separate areas
                   of the site because the information and messages associated with these water types differ greatly. The
                   news-style design format allows DMWW to address water quality issues currently of interest to the
                   media on the "front page" of the EMPACT project area on its Web site. DMWW feels that the cur-
                   rent design of its site provides customers with direct access to important information while ensuring
                   user friendliness, functionality, and user confidence in the information provided.

                   The EMPACT project area  of DMWW's Web site is designed to keep written content brief, suc-
                   cinct, informative, and enhanced with illustrations. To  maintain the attention and interest of the
                   user, the  site provides "quick hits" of written information followed by graphical representations of
                   applicable data. DMWW feels that one of its biggest communication challenges is making sure that
                   the timely water quality information presented on the Web is not too technical for the average audi-
                   ence member. When deciding on the content and technical detail to include on the site, DMWW
                   was careful to avoid re-creating information that could already be accessed via links to other sites.
                   DMWW's Web site design included common navigational features (drop-down lists, radio buttons,
                   dialogue  boxes, and action buttons) that are familiar to Web users. DMWW felt that these features
                   would  make  users  more  comfortable with  navigating about the site. Also,  by incorporating these
                   common features, DMWW controlled user request options, streamlining data requests with avail-
                   able data to reduce error messages and user  frustration. By making direct links constantly accessible
                   on the site's left  frame, DMWW organized the site to make navigational options simple and logi-
                   cal. The  team also ensured that all links  for additional information were related to the concept and
                   purpose  of the site to avoid leading users away from the site's topic and message.
                   Early in  the design planning of DMWW's  EMPACT site, the team realized that users would need
                   to scroll  down to fully view data charts. The team felt that this requirement diminished the overall
                   effect of the results display, so the  team  had the page  reconstructed to remove the DMWW
                   EMPACT header when data results and charts are displayed. The trade-off, however, is that results
                   are  depicted on a separate Web page,  and users must use the browser's "back" button (rather than
                   a site link) to return to the previous page and continue navigation through the site.
                   DMWW designed the EMPACT project area of its Web site to be fairly complex. The project area
                   includes  several Web pages and offers different options for timely data requests and display. Many
                   different  SQL statements are required to support these  options. The Web pages in the EMPACT
                   project area are  designed in framed format. Although this format simplified  the initial technical
                   design of the project area, DMWW feels that the frames now limit certain modifications to the look
                   and organization of this area on the Web site.
                   To  quantify the effectiveness and overall success  of the EMPACT project area on its Web site,
                   DMWW uses the following measurements:
                       •    Total number of visits to the site.
                       •   Visit patterns vs. time of day.

                       •    The number of visits made by each type of user.
                       •    Customer surveys.
                       •    Customer feedback from the Web site.
38      B   DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT

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                  LESSON LEARNED: USING CONTRACTORS

DMWW's first Web contractor went out of business during the design and construction of
the EMPACT project area of DMWW's Web site. DMWW hired a second Web contractor
to move ahead with the design and construction. In light of project resource and schedule
constraints, DMWW chose to move ahead with the frame format initiated by the first
contractor. DMWW feels that this format currently limits some of its options for revising the
Web design. Eventually, the utility would like to eliminate the frames from the EMPACT
project area of its Web site.

It is important for  a utility to require detailed and thorough written documentation of the
work performed by contractors, especially when the utility plans to use internal personnel to
implement technical systems that have been developed by its contractors.
                                     FEEDBACK

DMWW receives feedback on its Web site through its e-mail system. Most of the feedback
regarding the EMPACT project area on DMWW's Web site has been positive and
congratulatory in nature. Many times, customers request additional or more detailed
information about a specific topic after having visited the Web site in search of basic
information. DMWW sees this trend as a very positive sign that it is reaching out to its
customers and sparking a new level of interest in community water quality—especially source
water quality. DMWW has received some negative feedback as well. Some customers have
asked to see more detailed technical information posted on DMWW's site, but DMWW feels
that responding individually to requests for more information is the best way to ensure that
the Web site is reaching out to the average member of its target audience.

A water utility in Sydney, Australia had some specific technical questions about the EMPACT
project area on DMWW's Web site. After repeated communications with DMWW, the
Sydney Water System is in the process of constructing a similar Web site for disseminating
timely water quality data to its customers!
                                                   B   DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT             39

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40     B  DMWW's  EMPACT  PROJECT

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            6
COMMUNICATING   DRINKING
    A.TEI
            .ITY   INFORMATION
Even  the  best programs  and systems for  data collection/analysis, data management, and data
delivery won't ensure project success unless information has been accurately and effectively com-
municated with  community residents  and consumers. This chapter discusses  DMWW's
communication/outreach program. For general guidance on creating an outreach plan and a list of
resources you can use to enhance your outreach efforts, see Appendix D.

6.1         I UTREACH
At DMWW, a communications specialist  coordinates and leads all outreach efforts. She works
closely with DMWW's experts in water quality and information systems to implement the utility's
outreach plan.
DMWW  has an ongoing partnership with three municipal organizations in Des Moines: Metro
Waste Authority, the Des Moines  Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Facility, and the Storm
Water Division of the City of Des Moines. DMWW and these organizations have joined to form
the Urban Environmental Partnership. The partnership will implement a series of cooperative out-
reach efforts to communicate the importance of water quality protection in the urban environment.
Working together, they avoid duplicating outreach efforts, increase their resources, and reach a
greater number of people with their cohesive outreach message. The partnership is advertised with
a flyer.
DMWW also partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to offer a watershed tour
that  provided information  about  existing voluntary  programs for watershed conservation and
efforts to reduce nitrate in agricultural runoff. In addition, DMWW is partnering with Pheasants
Forever, a group  that promotes environmental responsibility  as a way  to conserve recreational
opportunities like hunting.  This partnership strives to communicate the importance  of environ-
mental responsibility to children in Des Moines.
The overall goal of DMWW's outreach program is to educate all members of the Des Moines com-
munity. DMWW is currently running a public relations campaign called "DMWW: Your Pipeline
to Water Information." Through this campaign, DMWW is teaching its customers that the util-
ity's purpose is not only to provide them with clean, safe drinking water but also to respond to any
questions  or concerns they may have about their drinking water and source water.
DMWW  tailors many  of its outreach efforts to fulfill  the overall  goal of the information pipeline
campaign. Here are some examples of DMWW's specific outreach goals:
    1.   Provide Des Moines community residents with information on current issues  related to
        drinking water and source water quality.
    2.   Enable Des Moines community residents to make practical, knowledgeable decisions
        about their health and their environment.
    3.   Present DMWW business and financial information to its customers.
    4.   Provide Des Moines community residents with convenient access to timely drinking
        water and source water quality information.
       COMMUNICATING DRINKING WATER AND  SOURCE WATER QUALITY INFORMATION     41

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                          drbap
                          partnership
     The Des Moines area utilities believe that
   source water protection is essential for our
   community and future generations. Des Moines
   Water Works (DMWW), Metro Waste Authorit
   (MWA), the Des Moines Metropolitan
   Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WRA), and
   the Storm Water Division of the City of Des
   Moines have formed a partnership to help
   protect and preserve our water resources.
     This tri-party coalition, sharing a common
   customer base, will implement a series of
   program initiatives designed to educate the
   public on the importance of water quality
   protection in the urban environment. This
   partnership will identify meaningful practices the
   urban dweller can implement in  their daily lives
   to provide effective water quality protection.
               Metro Waste Authority
    Des Moines
   Water Works

         SlMMEST. The Urban Environmental
    Partnership is dedicated to providing an
    integrated education program designed to
    protect water quality in the urban watershed.
    The primary focus is to assist the community -
    individuals,  businesses, and public utilities - in
    understanding its roles and responsibilities in
    water and waste management.
DMWW has formed a partnership with three municipal
organizations to communicate the importance of water qualit
protection in the urban area.
                                             DMWW's broad  and  diversified  target audience
                                             includes the entire Des Moines community. DMWW
                                             has divided its audience into several categories, includ-
                                             ing youngsters, students, parents, senior citizens, new
                                             customers, business owners, and various organizations.
                                             DMWW has become familiar with the characteristics
                                             of its audience categories  by providing over 80 years of
                                             water utility service to the Des Moines metropolitan
                                             area. DMWW continues to profile its  audience cate-
                                             gories by soliciting public feedback through a variety of
                                             different mechanisms. These mechanisms are discussed
                                             in Section 6.3.

                                             G.2     DUTREACH  PRODUCTS
                                             DMWW  has developed several different  outreach
                                             products to communicate with its target audience cat-
                                             egories. Some of these products are discussed below.

                                             THE DMWW WEB  SITE
                                             DMWW  uses its Web site (http://www.dmww.com) to
                                             communicate a variety  of  information  to the Des
                                             Moines community. The Web site provides community
                                             residents with convenient access to the following:
                                                 •    General information about DMWW
                                                 •    Information on area parks and  recreation.
                                                 •    A customer service page.

                                                 •    Utility engineering and construction
                                                     information.
                                                 •    Education for all users, from businesses and
                                                     parents to teachers and students.
                                                 •    Employment opportunities.
                                                 •    A video clip and photos of the  Des Moines
                                                     flood of 1993-
                                                 •    The DMWW EMPACT project  area.
                                             In response to customer requests, DMWW hopes to
                                             expand the Web services available to  its customers by
                                             spring 2002.

                                             MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: HZO  LINE
                                             DMWW's monthly newsletter provides DMWW's
                                             customers with information on current issues related to
                                             drinking water  and source water quality. DMWW
                                             introduced its information  pipeline  campaign  in its
                                             January 2001 newsletter. Subsequent newsletters have
42
COMMUNICATING  DRINKING WATER AND  SOURCE WATER QUALITY INFORMATION

-------
            Address | £] http: //www. dmww. corn/def ault. asp
                     —  DES MO1NES
                          WATER WORKS i
                Home | General Info | Water Quality | Water Works Parks | Education | Employment | Customer Service | Contact Us |
             Welcome to Des Moines Water Works
             in the News - Water and Pharmaceutics


             Pharmaceuticals, hormones and other orgs
             the news recently. The U.S. Geological Soc
             the USGS press release or obtain more inft


             http:/Aw/w.usgs.gov
                            Water  S
             Water is a necessary item in the home and
             water straight from the faucet. Wise use oft;
             water wisely also means using it safely to p
             your family from potential water-related acci


             1 .Water spills on slick floor surfaces can c;
             pets!) away from freshly mopped floors.


             2 Small children should never be left alom
             allow distractions such as the doorbell orte


             3. Do not put electrical appliances near star


                                          \
                                                               iiiiT^
                                                          i
File  Edit  View  Favorites Joels  Help
        p /'Aw..'!",' drnww corn/default asp
                 Ours to Protect  and  Defend


Protecting our precious water resources is essential. Even the smallest contributions can make a significant impact in preserving
and protecting our water. How can you help?

• Be Informed and Involved. Learn about our watershed and the issues that affect it within our community and state. Volunteer as
a water quality monitor. Local volunteers take water quality measurements to track pollutants and the progress of protection and
restoration programs.

• Practice Backyard Water Basics. Use a simple soil testing kit from a gardening supply store to determine if and how much
fertilizer is needed. Apply only the amount necessary, reducing your costs and potentially harmful runoff. Introduce natural
pesticides, such as ladybugs, instead of applying chemical pesticides. Water your lawn conservatively (see article in this issue)
and avoid applying fertilizer or pesticides when rain is predicted to reduce harmful runoff. In addition, plant new trees, shrubs, or
grass to help prevent soil erosion.

-Good Housekeeping. Learn proper disposal methods for harmful household cleaners. Pickup litter, pet waste, and lawn refuse
to keep them out of storm sewers, which lead directly to our rivers. Repair or replace leaking, dripping faucets and install water-
saving shower heads and toilets. Keep septic systems in good working order.

For more information on how YOU can help, contact DMWW at (515) 2S3-S700 or visit our website atwww.dmww.com.
                                            Board Meeting Dates • 2002


                                            Des Moines Waterworks Board of Trustees 2002 meeting dates are listed below. Agendas for each meeting will be
                                            posted on-line approximately one week prior to each meeting date. Board agendas may be viewed on this site by clicking
                                            on the "General Info" tab, then clicking on the "Board Agenda" link.
                                         DMWWs Web site at http:lwww.dmww.com



discussed the  watersheds and watershed  protection,  the presence of nitrate  in treated drinking water, and

"pros and cons"  of water filtering devices.  DMWWs monthly newsletters for January 2001 through April

2001 are included in Appendix A


ANNUAL  CONSUMER   CONFIDENCE  REPORT

DMWWs  June  newsletter typically  functions  as  a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The  CCR,

required by  federal  drinking water  regulations, enables  DMWW community residents to  make practical,

knowledgeable decisions about their health and their environment. See Chapter 3 of this handbook for more

information on the  CCR and the federal regulations that require its publication. An  example of DMWWs

CCR is included in Appendix A.


WELCOME   BROCHURE

DMWW sends a "Welcome" brochure to all of its new customers. The pamphlet  contains information about

the following  topics:

     •    DMWWs  mission, location,  business hours, and contact information.

     •    Billing information and  payment options.

     •    Responsibilities of DMWW and its customers.

     •    Procedures for water  meter readings and maintenance.
                   COMMUNICATING  DRINKING  WATER AND  SOURCE  WATER QUALITY  INFORMATION
                                                                                                      43

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                       •    DMWW's drinking water treatment process.
                       •    Utility tours.

                       •    Parks and recreation.
                       •    Community tree plantings.
                       •    Rules/regulations.

                   ANNUAL BUSINESS  REPORT
                   The main goal of DMWW's annual report is to present financial information to its customers;
                   however, DMWW also includes a few pages of educational materials. The content of these materi-
                   als depends on issues and concerns of the current year. To encourage customers  to keep its 2001
                   report, DMWW incorporated a note pad into the report. For 2002, DMWW has incorporated a
                   planning calendar into the  report. The calendar includes water and health facts, in addition to
                   DMWW's contact information, on each page.

                   DTHER  DUTREACH  PRODUCTS AND  TOOLS
                   In  addition  to   the   products  and  tools  discussed  above,   DMWW   uses   these
                   outreach mechanisms:
                       •    DMWW visits area schools to  teach children of all grade levels about drinking water and
                           source water.
                       •    DMWW offers tours of its facilities to adults and school children.
                       •    DMWW prepares technical outreach information for conferences held  by organizations
                           such as the American Water Works Association.

                       •    DMWW has prepared a series of fact  sheets to answer specific questions from its cus-
                           tomers. These fact  sheets  provide information on a wide range of topics, including the
                           presence of alkalinity, lead and copper, nitrate,  and Cryptosporidium in drinking water.

                   SPECIAL DUTREACH EFFORTS
                   Occasionally, DMWW will prepare outreach products to address specific issues. For example,
                   DMWW prepared one fact sheet on how to winterize  a home. The target audience for this fact
                   sheet lived in one particular Des  Moines metropolitan neighborhood. This neighborhood had a
                   higher percentage of water pipes break  during the winter months due to poor maintenance prac-
                   tices. Because the occupants of this neighborhood were predominantly Hispanic, DMWW had the
                   fact sheet prepared in Spanish. The fact  sheet  was disseminated  to neighborhood  residents  by
                   DMWW service workers.

                   6.3     DISTRIBUTION  AND   FEEDBACK
                   DMWW uses a variety of mechanisms to distribute its outreach products. For example, DMWW's
                   Web site is "distributed" to Web users via the Internet. Many of DMWW's newsletters, pamphlets,
                   and fact  sheets are distributed through the mail; some outreach flyers are included in customer bills.
                   Also, through school visits, during tours of DMWW and area watersheds, and even through cus-
                   tomer phone calls, DMWW conveys outreach messages by speaking directly with its customers.
                   DMWW tries to increase the longevity of many of its  outreach products,  thereby increasing the
                   number  of product distribution mechanisms  available to the utility. For example, by making its
44      6 COMMUNICATING  DRINKING WATER  AND  SOURCE WATER QUALITY INFORMATION

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Annual Business Report into a notepad or a calendar, DMWW can distribute this product through-
out the year not only to customers but also to visitors and convention groups.

DMWW has  established several mechanisms for outreach follow-up  and public  feedback. For
example,  the  utility held  focus group meetings to  solicit customer input and  feedback  on
DMWW's CCR.  Also, through its information pipeline campaign, DMWW encourages its cus-
tomers to contact the utility with any questions or concerns they have about Des Moines drinking
water or source water.

                              FOCUS GROUP  SUCCESS

  DMWW conducted two focus group meetings on its CCR. The first meeting was held prior
  to the publication of the CCR to solicit input from customers on the  ideal format and
  content of the report. A follow-up meeting was then held after the publication of the first
  CCR to solicit feedback. One of the CCR features  that especially pleased this follow-up focus
  group was the "kids corner," which has games and activities for children. The customer
  feedback indicated that this tool is a very effective way to increase the  longevity  of the CCR
  and encourage parents and children to talk about Des Moines water issues.
DMWW's Web site provides customers with the option of providing feedback directly to the util-
ity via e-mail. A central point of contact (DMWW's communications specialist) is responsible for
either responding directly to the feedback or forwarding the comment, question, or request to  the
appropriate team member at DMWW. Technical feedback about water quality information is for-
warded  to the  water laboratory or water  production department, feedback about DMWW's
history or educational opportunities is forwarded to DMWW's education specialist, and feedback
about the general appearance and functionality  of the Web site is  forwarded to DMWW's
information systems  department. In all cases, DMWW responds to each customer's feedback as
soon as possible.
        COMMUNICATING DRINKING WATER AND SOURCE  WATER  QUALITY INFORMATION     45

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46     6 COMMUNICATING DRINKING WATER AND SOURCE WATER QUALITY INFORMATION

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                                  APPEN  DIX     A
                                   DMWW    DUTREACH
                                                                                           MATERIALS
DESHOINESHmillOBB
                                                                     City of Cli-» Wa-tar DajMrtnaat » Cily oi Cumming, « Das Moiiias Water Worka
                                                                     autDn Water D*jMrtaiKHit • City of Noiw Jk • City of PlnaiantHill
                                                                   Polk County Rural Wobar Diitricttfl • SB Folk Rural Watar Dijtrict
                                                                           ater B*jMrhn..ant  • Woxnn Water D iatrict » City of Waukaa
                                                                             aigkts • Xsnia Rural Watar District- Souttnarftit
Pes Moines Tfeter Works
(DMWW) is an industry leader,
providing our customers with
high quality drinking water for
80 years . Our continued, proven
treatment processes, alotig with
new, innovative techniques and
studies mill ensure that DMWW
remains an industry leader into
the new inillentii' |

  DMWW taks
a pro active
approach to con'
trolling mater
taste and odor,
an indicator of
water Duality.
Our laboratory
performs total
organic carbon
CTOOandUV'ZS4 tests on the
rivers daily to determine which
source  rater has the lo-rcest con-
centration of dissolved organic
material. Based on these tests,
the Water  Production
Department will select which
river to use and will adjust the
dosage of powdered activated car-
bon to absorb these natural
organic materials, allowing them
to be removed during the treat-
ment processes. This step signifi-
cantly improves the  taste and
odor of your water.
Record Nitrate fear
  DMWWs Nitrate Removal
Facility was operated a record set-
ting- IDSdajs during- 1999, at a
total operating cost of approxi-
mately $250,000. Nitrate concen-
trations reached record levels in
the Raccoon Rirer and
Infiltration Gallery.
  DMWW monitors nitrate con-
centrations weeldy until levels
begin to increase, then daily dur-
ing peak nitrate season. When
nitrate concentrations in our
treated water exceed 3 5 mil
ligrams per liter (rng/1), we begin
operating the Nitrate Removal
Facility.  Water is diverted to the
iacility for treatment, to main--
tain a nitrate concentration of
8 5 mg/1 or lowsr in the finished
or drinking water.  The drinking
  	water standard for nitrate

      Trending data  indicates
     that nitrate concentrations
     in  our rivers  are continual-
     ly increasing. In an effort
     to  address this challenge,
     DMWW made p^ing
     modifications in 1999 to
     increase the capacity of
     the Nitrate Removal
     Facility.
     Cutting Edge Science
  One of the ongoing microbial
studies being conducted at
DMWW is on the  cutting edge
of water industry science.  One
method of stud'pngbacteria,
called culturing, grows bacteria
in a lab environment.  Recent
studies conducted in molecular
biology have confirmed that
there are bacteria that have not
been previously cultured.
DMWWs tnicrobiologist has
grown bacteria believed ID be
previously uncultured. DMWWs
microbiologist has  grown uncul-
tured bacteria using rrrer water.
While the  significance of these
uncultured bacteria is  unknown,
Des Moines metro  area cus-
tomers can rest assured that
DMWW has the ability to stay
current with T^tsr equality trends
in order to have solutions in
place should a problem arise.
Wiat's  On Our Plates?
  DMWWs daily water Duality
testing determines  the total num-
ber of bacteria present in a water
                                               sample, including; the harmless
                                               ones. Beyond standard utility
                                               water testing, DMWW routinely
                                               performs Heterotropic Plate
                                               Count (HPC) studies on its dis-
                                               tribution system water, an impor-
                                               tant indicator of the on-going
                                               bacterial condition of the water.
                                               DMWWs arcrage HPC is very
                                               low. These bacteria are harm-
                                               less, but can reduce the residue
                                               chlorine that is available to pro'
                                               tect the distribution syste m from
                                               bacterial contamination. That is
                                               why DMWW monitors both
                                               HFC and free chlorine residual
                                               in the distribution system •• to
                                               ensure good, safe water Duality at
                                               the point of delivery to our cus-
                                               tomers .
                                               Up A Creek
                                                 Recent studies have revealed
                                               that large amounts of bacteria
                                               enter TSalnutCreek after hard
                                               rains. DMWWs bacterium study
                                               on Walnut Greek, initiated last
                                               summer, will help determine  if
                                               human waste is leaking into the
                                               watershed. Preliminary studies
                                               have shown that these contami-
                                               nants are in the raw water of the
                                               creels. Evidence of a specific
                                               cause is still unknown. DMWW
                                               laboratory professionals are striv-
                                               ing to ascertain the cause of the
                                               large bacterial loads in our urban
                                               creeks and find a solution to  die
                                               problem.
                                                 DMWW will continue to
                                               ensure that you are provided
                                               with safe, high Duality water. We
                                               are commit-
                                               ted to being
                                               an industry
                                               leader in
                                               water treat-
                                               ment and
                                               quality now
                                               and in the
                                               future.          *
ir*
            w We Treat  Your
              Drinking  Water
       begin by feeding powdered  actuated car-
bon intothe riverwaterfor removal of man-made
and natural organic chemicals. The water is then
pretreatedto remove dirt and debris  and combined
with waterfrom the infiltration gallery system. The
combined water then flows into lime  softening
basins. The pH of the wateris adjusted before the
final filtering  process. The water is passed through
layers of sand and various sizes of gravel to remove
any remaining particles. Des Moines  Waterworks
activates its nitrate removal facility to remove this
contaminant from yourwater during periods of high
nitrate levels. Afterthis final  phase, fluoride is
added to aid  in the prevention of tooth decay and
chlorine is  added as a disinfectant to Mil bacteria.
The clean water is stored in a clearwell until
pumped into the pipes  of the distribution system.
   Des Moines Waterworks laboratory and water
production staff collect and test water samples
from throughout the system several times a day.
These tests ensure that the proper chemical levels
are maintained and that the water remains free of
unwanted contaminants.
 I  |   y-LHUESQFTCNiro    ^^7--^ -_ ^_
                                                             There are three sources of waterfulfillingthe needs of Des  Moines Waterworks cus-
                                                          tomers. Approximately two-thirds is supplied by either the Raccoon or Des Moines Rivers.
                                                          The remaining one-third comes from the infiltration gaIIerysystern (shallow groundwater).
                                                             As rain and snow run across the  slope of land in ouriruatershed, they carry soil and
                                                          pollution, depositing them in creek;  leadingto the Raccoon and Des Moines Rwers.
                                                          Some precipitation sinks into the ground, dissolving substances that may enter our
                                                          groundwater supplies. Everyone can  contribute to improving watershed health by utiliiing
                                                          conservation practices that protectthe land and the quality of water in ourrivers.
                                                          Improving environmental quality improves our quality of life now and in the future.
                                                                 APPENDIX  A    DMWW  OUTREACH  MATERIALS
                                                                                                                                         47

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                    Turbidity


                    -luoride
                    Nitrat (asNJ
                    Sodium
                    Sulfate
                                        HHIEETLEVB.
                                        JU.LOWH.F (KtCL]
                    4 JO   mg/l
                    JDJ3   mg/l
                    unregulated
                    unregulated
                                      DKIWWHAf«E
                                         UHNQ
                                    OE&MaW&nVEH
                                                         miWWHAH
                                                            UHIW
                                                    EHVKlCLd
                                                   ilHPA aaai]
Mtiazine              3 JO
Metolachlor          hJ/A
Total Trihalom ethane   1DQ.Q
                                                       n/d-0.21
                                                       n/d-0.27
       MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
        NTU    n/d-O.S     NTU      0.10    NTU      N/A

            INOKGANIC CONTAMINANTS
0.60-13 mg/l       O.S1-12 mg/l      13     mg/l
                  1.1-93  mg/l     1DO     mg/l
                  9.4-26JQ mg/l     260     m|/l
                 3S.O-64.0 mg/l     930     mg/l

             ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS
                  0.20    pg/l      021    pgyl
                 n/d                027    pg/
                                                       n/ti-n.10
 13-10.0 mg/l
 7S-20.0 m|/l
23.0-93.0 mg/l
                                                                                          4.0    mf/l
                                                                                         3D JO    mf/l
                                                                                         unregulated
                                                                                         unregulated
                                                                   MS/1
                                                                                          3.0
                                                                                         N/A
                                                                                                                    1*1
                                                          270-410
                                                                            25.0-300 14/1
                                                                                             41D
                                                                                                     Vtfl
                                                                                                                                  SOURCES OF CONTAMNflNF
Additive to Ft emote Strong Teeth
Runoff from Fertiliser Use
Erosion of Natural Deposits
Erosion of Natural Deposits


Runoff from Herbicide Use
Runoff from Fertiliser Use
By-product of Chlorine Disinfection
                    Copper
                   ACTION IEVELIAL]  DMWW Will mKENTlLE**                                  SOURCES OF CONTflAlNANT

                                    DMWW COPPER AND LEAD -Regulated at Customr Tap
                     13   mg/l       n/d                                 Corrosion of Home Plumbing
                    150   u|/l        30-0     Ml/*!      (5 sites above AL)     Corrosion of Home Plumbing


         samples must be below Action L&fet
LEADS hfants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population, ft is possible that lead levels at your home maybe higher
than at other homes in your community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about e leva fed lead levels in your home's water, you may
wish ID have your water tested and  flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information  is available from the Sate Drinking Water Hotline at
(300)426-4791.
NOTE: The EPA requires monitor ing of over SO drinking water contaminants. Those listed aboveare the only contaminants detected in your drinking water. For a complete list.,
contact DesMoines wJater Works or your local water utility.
                                                The following utilities had distribution violations in 1999. The specifics of each violation and corrective actions are
                                                provided in detail. If you have any questions, please contact the  utility.
                                                UTILITY
                                                CityofClive
                                              VIOLATION                                         CORRECTIVE ACTION
                                              Home water filtration system nonacute Coliform detect  .. Repeat samples at origination point; notice
                                                                                                    mailed to customers
                                              .Unsatisfactory Coliform Bacteria test 6/99 	Four repeat samples 6/19/99; all negative;
                                                                                                    5 routine samplings in 7/99
                                              Bacterial Coliform monitoring & reporting  	Heed to meet resampling requirements;
                                              violation 9/99 -5 samples not collected 7/99;              Resampled; implemented new scheduling
                                              12/99 Coliform monitoring                               system for testing
                                              Nonacute coliform bacteria violation	  Resampled; implemented new scheduling
                                              6/99 & 11/99; 12/99 Coliform monitoring                 system fortesting
                            CityofWaukee  	Lead exceeded 90th perc entile Action Level 	Resume lead & copper testing; educated
                                                                                                    customers about lead
                                                CifyofGumming .
                                                Cite of Not walk
                                                                    Action Level (AL)-The concentration of a conta minant that, if exceeded, triggers a
                                                                    treatment or other require merit that a water system must follow.
                                                : Chemicals - Che mical substances of mineral origin, such as lead and  copper.
                                         ^oiitaminaiit Level (MCL) -The highest level of 8 conta rninant allowed in drinking water. MCLs are  set as
                             close to tiie HCLGs as feasible usingthe best available treatment technology.
                            TvffggirniTtii CnnhFmitiatit Level Goal (MCLG)-The level of a conta minant in drinking water below which til ere  is no known or
                             expected risk to health. MCLGs allowfor a  margin of safety.
                           I Micio biological Contaminants -Very small organisms,  such as bacteria, algae, plankton,  and fungi.
                           I  N/A-Not applicable
                             n/d- Not detected
                             NTU - Nephelometric Turbidity Units.
                             Organic Contaminants- Naturally occurring or synthetic substances containing mainty  carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.
                             This includes most pesticides and industrial chemicals.
                             pCi/1- picocuries per liter; measure of radioactivity.
                             Lig/1- micrograms per liter; parts of conta minant per billion parts of water. One part per billion (ppb) is equrvalentto a single
                             penny in ten million dollars.
                            tns/l-  milligra ms per liter; parts of conta minant per million parts of water.  One part per million (pp rn) is equivalent to a  single
                             penny in ten thousand dollars.
                            Radionuclides - Contaminants grving off ionizing radiation.
                             Treatment Technique (TT) - A required process  intended to reduce the  level of a contamina.ntjn drinking water.
48
             APPENDIX A    DMWW  OUTREACH  MATERIALS

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   Inadequately treated water may contain dis-
ease-causing organisms. These organisms
include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which
can cause sympto ms such as nausea, era mps,
diarrhea, and associated headaches. Some
people may be  more vulnerable to contami-
nants in drinking waterthan the general popula-
tion.
   Immuno-compromised persons such as per-
sons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy,
persons who have undergone organ trans-
plants, people with HIV/ AIDSorotherimmune
              I system disorders, some elderly,
               nd infants can be particularly
               t risk from infections. These
                     should seek advice
              about drinking wa tier from their
              " health care providers. The
              Center for Disease Control has
              guidelines on appropriate
               means to lessen the risk of
              infection by CryptosporKlium
and ottier microbial contaminants. They are
available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline.
   In order to ensure tin at tap water is safe to
drink, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA.) prescribes regulations, which limit the
amount of certain contaminants in water provid-
ed by public water systems.
   Nitrate in  drinking
water at levels above 10
ppm is a health riskfor
infants of less than  SK
months of age. High
nitrate levels in drinking
water can cause blue
ba by synd ro me. Nitrate
levels may rise  quickly
for short periods oftime
because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you
are caringfor an infant; you should askfor
advice from your health care provider.
   FDA regulations establish limits for contami-
nants inbotfJed water that must provide the
same protectionfor public health. An/ bottled
waterthat is labeled "drinkingwater" hasto
meetEPA's drinking water regulations. Drinking
water, including bottled water, may reasonably
be expected to contain at least small amounts
of some conta minants. The presence of con-
taminants does not necessari^ indicate that
water poses a health risk.
   More information about contaminants and
potential health effects can be  obtained by call-
ing the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline.
               SAFE
         DRINKING
             WATER
         HOTLINE:
    1-800426-4791
   Cryptosporidiumis a microscopic organism
found in rivers and streams that c an cause 'iat-
rhea, fever and gastrointe stinal distress if
inge ste d It finds its way into the water she d
thr ough animal and human waste s.
Cryptosporidiumis effectively eliminated by a
treatment process -that includes sedimentation,
filtration, and disinfection.
   Cryptosp ocidium has NEVER been Found
in your dunking water.
   DMWW recently colluded a stutty to
determine tlie amount of Cfy? to.^e'm&itw? we
eliminate from, our source water through tbe
treatment process. Crj/ptosp&ttt&ifFf is a micro-
scopic organism,  kno^jm. to cause intestinal ill-
nesses, found in tte feces of infecte d animals
and liutnans. It is rarely found in the rivers
fr om which we dt aw water.
   After exte nave studie s, D MW\# s micr obiol-
ogj.st dete rmine d that we e ffec tive ly eliminate
99.99% of the  C^o^«i&j*w fr om the  raw
water. The combination of DMW^s water
tre atment capability and the fact that the Des
                   Moines and Raccoon
                   Rivet s c ontain veri
                   numbers of
                   partnership
   To promote both improved service to our
customers and environmental protection of
our watershed, Des Moines Water Works
    "WW) has formed a new partners Kip with
three  other Des Moines area utilities:
Waste water Reclamation Authority (W RAX
Ivletro Waste Authority (MWA), and the City
of Des Moines1 Storm Water Utility. The part--
nets hip is targeting1 three areas to enhance
 ustomer education and communication:
 1  Training1 of Customer Service employees
in the functions and operations of each utility
to assist them in answering1 customer calls
about other local water utilities.
*  Developing- and presenting1 curriculum in
the Des Moines area schools., emphasising1 the
interdependent relationship between the utili--
ties and teaching childrenabout protecting1
our water resources.
*  Educating; our customers about good water
stewardship as it relates to all of the water util-
ities through publications such as emsling1 util-
ity newsletters, bill inserts, web pages., and
press  releases.
   Contact DMWW or any of the Urtan
Environmental I^rtners for more information.
* Baking soda, borax, and white vinegar are
effective, earth-friendly cleaning products.
» The greatest single cause of an increased
water bill is a leaking or running toilet, wasting
250 to  5000 gallons of water a day!
4 Bottled water costs up to 1000 times more
than DM WvV water from your tap.
t Using mulch  around gardens, bushes, and
trees is a great way to trap moisture, reducing
your need to water more often. Mulch also
becomes a  rich nutrient for plants.
* An acre of corn contributes  more to humidity
than a  lake  of the same size.
* A I/8th inch crack in a pipe  can spew up to
250 gallons of water a day, wrecking floors, fur-
niture,  and valuable possessions in addition to
wasting water.
* A leak of one drop per second wastes 2,400
gallons of water peryear.
* As waterflows in streams, sits in lakes, orfil-
tersthrough layers of soil  and  rock in the
ground, it dissolves or absorbs the  substances
that it touches.
  Dispose used motor oil, antifreeze, paints,
and other hazardous materials at the Regional
Collection Center ratherthan down the  drain.
                                                             APPENDIX A   DMWW  OUTREACH  MATERIALS
                                                                                                   49

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                                    safe
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                                    watershed
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                                                                                              WISE
                                                                                         VATE
                                                                                         WRD
                                                                           Use a blue crayon or
                                                                            pencil to color m all
                                                                           the letters with a •
                                                                            ora * $ut not the
                                                                           ') to reveal the type
                                                                              of wrct e r mo.de at
                                                                                     DMWW.
                                                                                   revealing thff
                                                                                      color the

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                                                                          0  I  T A  R T  L  I
                   AN KENT
                   AiiLeirf City Council •  1st and 3^1 Monday of eack motitli at 5:00 pjn.
                   410 W«t lit StMet • AnlKtiy, loroa 500Z1
                   cum
                   Cli™ City Council • lit, 3d, &. 5tk" TLunday of sack montk
                   ("J^Amoafc)
                   CliTC City Hall • 1900 NW 114tL St. • Cli™, loma 50325
                   GUMMING
                   CummiiTff City Council • 2tid atid 4tk Monday «ada montk
                   City ffafl • CuflUTUtlff, Iowa 50031
                   DES MOINES
                   Boaul of Water TKbrla TiTHteei • 4tk Tuaday eack montk at 9:00 a.m.
                   Dei Mimei Water Woil • 2201 Valley D.™ • Dei Mjmei, lo^a 50321
                   JOHNSTON
                   Joknston City Council • lit and 3rd Ltiiday of eack montk
                   City Hall • 6221 ktrle Hay Road • Jokniton, Iowa 50131
                   NORWALK
                   Hoi-malt City Council •  lit and 3m Tkunday of eack montk at 5:30 p .m
                   705 Nortk A*nue • Norwili, lows 50211
                   PLEASANT HILL
                   Pleaiant Hill City Council •  2nd and 4tk Tuesday of eack montk at 6:30 p.m.
                   Pleaiant Hill City Hall • 5151 Maple Diire • Pleaiant HiJJ, Iowa 50317
                   POLK COUNTY  Ml HAL WATER DISTRICT #1
                   Annual Meeting in Janrafy tack year • Call for date
                   660 NW 66tk Atenue, Suite 2 • Des Moines, Jo™ 50313
                   SOUTHEAST POLK RURAL WATER DISTRICT
                   V^te!1 Doajii • 3ai Vfediiesday of -sadi mo±T.tk • Co«.1a.(Tt offios fof time
                   6540 NE IZtkAnnue • Altooni.Iowi 50009
                   URBANDALE
                   Water Board of Trustees • Meets montkjy • Cafl 27&3940 for information
                   Umandale Water Department • 3720 85tk Stffiet  • TJi-bandale, lonra 50322
                   WARREN WATER
                   Bond of Directed • 3rd Monday eack montk at 7:30 p in.
                   Wamn Water Office •  1204 East  2ndAKnu= • Indkncja, I™ 50125
                   WAUKEE
                   Waulcee Cily Council "lit and 3m Monday eack montk
                   WauJree City Hall • 250 HijWy  6 • Waulee, Io™ 50263
                   WINDSOR HEIGHTS
                   Windsor Heiffkts City Council "1st and 3ld Monday eack montk at 4 p.m.
                   Windsor Heijkts City Hal •  1133 65tk Stoset • Windsor Heigkts, Iowa 50311
                   XENIA - Soutlweft & W«dward
                   Board cf DirecKn • Tkunday of 3
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   Pure water has been said to be our
most important nutrient, and possibly
most underestimated. Drinking water i
only quenches our thirst, but it aids in
building and maintenance of a healthy
body. Some of the numerous health
fits of drinking water include maintainin
fitness, fighting illness, reducing effects i
aging, and boosting energy. Simply tur
on the faucet for a drink that works i
ders for your body!
* Drinking adequate amounts of water
helps your digestion and metabolism i
at full capacity.
A Water can boost your endurance, ma
exercise more effective and helping yc
work out at higher levels.
A You can hold off hunger and prevent
over eating by drinking more water.
•Research  has found that water plays i
active role in reducing the risk of some i
eases or ailments like bladder cancer, uln
nary tract cancer, and kidney stones.
4 Health officials consider water to be a|
weapon against the common cold and
cough.
•Consuming plenty of water keeps you
skin supple, helping you look younger.]
•Drinking water when traveling can he
reduce fatigue.
•Dehydration can contribute to migraii
headaches; getting enough water  is imp
tant in fighting them.


                                                                    DtinA cft
                                                                   Health experts recommend
                                                                drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of
                                                                water each day. DMWW has some tips on
                                                                how to make sure you get enough water.
                                                                * Drink moderate-sized portions of water
                                                                   spread throughout the day.
                                                                • Drink a glass when you wake up, before
                                                                   and after exercising, and make water
                                                                   available  at all times.
                                                                » Try carrying a water bottle with  you dur-
                                                                   ing the day.
                                                                • Have one glass of water for each caf-
                                                                   feinated beverage you drink.
                                                                        A monthly publication of
                                                                      DES MOINES WATER WORKS
                                                                           2201 Valley Drive
                                                                         Des Moines, IA 50321
                                                                             515-283-8700
                                                                           www.dmww.com

-------
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                        ganuatg 2007
   Water is an essential element in life.
Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) is
your water authority. We will provide
you with the information about drinking
water, our treatment process, and impor-
tant health issues that affect you every
day.
    As an industry leader, DMWW has
 provided high-quality drinking water to its
 customers for over 80 years. One of our
 duties as a utility is to provide you with
 information pertinent to your health and
 well being. DMWW uses informational
 vehicles such as the H^O Line, the
 Consumer Confidence Report, and other
 water-related newsletters to educate cus-
 tomers and young people about water
 treatment and quality. You canre/y on
DMWW as a water expert when it comes
 to research and distribution of informa-
 tion concerning water-related issues.
    DMWW will gladly provide you  with
 information on several water-quality relat-
 ed topics. Fact sheets, such as those on
 lead and copper, fluoride, and nitrate;
 treatment brochures;  and other printed
 materials-are available upon request by
 calling our Customer Service department
 at 283-8700.
                                             Des  Moines  Water  Works is  your  water  authority!
gftction.	
    DMWW takes a proactive approach in
 keeping your drinking water safe. Using
 state of the art facilities and innovative
 scientific research methods, we consis-
 tently produce high-quality drinking water
 that meets or exceeds Environmental
 Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Daily
 water-quality testing and ongoing scientif-
 ic studies enable us to closely monitor the
 source water for contaminants. We can
 then ensure proper treatment techniques
 are maintained to produce safe, clean
 drinking  water.  With the Treatment Plants
 at Fleur and Maffitt Reservoir, DMWW
 provides reliable quantities of water to
 Des Moines and the surrounding commu-
 nities.
    It is our civic and legal duty to inform
 our customers of any health alerts or EPA
 violations affecting your drinking water.
 An example is a nitrate level higher than
 the maximum contaminant level set by
 the EPA. In the rare event that this were
 to occur, DMWW would issue a public
 notice explaining precautionary measures
 for customers. However, DMWW built the
 Nitrate Removal Facility in 1991, greatly
 reducing the probability of a nitrate viola-
 tion in your drinking water and reaffirm-
 ing our commitment to bring you safe
 drinking  water.
 Commitment	
   In order to maintain high standards
for water quality, DMWW believes it is
important to advocate source water pro-
tection. DMWW teamed up with Metro
Waste Authority, Wastewater Reclamation
Authority, and the City of Des Moines-
Storm Water Division, forming the Urban
Environmental Partnership. This group
emphasizes the importance of water qual-
ity protection and other environmental
subjects through educational programs.
Another project DMWW coordinated was
the Volunteer Monitoring Project in the
Raccoon River Watershed. Residents
                   i within the water-
                    shed provided
                    river water samples
                    to DMWW for
                    analysis to deter-
                    mine the nitrate
                    concentrations
                    throughout the
                    watershed. Results
                    from that study are
                    available on the
                    EMPACT Web site.
                                                                          DMWW is committed to remain an industry leader in water treatment and quality.
                                                                          The next rime you have a question about water, tap into DMWW for the answer.
                                                                                          EMPACT Web site -www.dmww.com/empact

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                                     o you need to filter your tap
                                      water to receive clean,
                                      delicious tasting water?
                            Many companies say they can rid your water of
                            minerals and contaminants, making your water and
                            food taste better in your home. However, the water
                            vou receive from DMWW U a safe, tilrntittit-tasting
fntdiiit to prepare
food arid to clean
fruits and vegeta-
bles. DMWW's
water is also legs
(.[pensive for your
cooking needs
and has no
adverse
 effects.
                                            r  D*fWW adds powdered   1
                                            activated carbon to absorb our
                                            source water's natural organic
                                            material and man-made chemi-
                                            cals, allowing removal during
                                            treatment. This significantly
                                            improves the taste and odor of
                                            your drinking water. Using acti-
                                                vated carbon filters in your
                                                nmet such «s those found in
                                              'filter pitchers or faucet-
                                             mounted filters, is not neces-
                                            sary because this process takes
                                             place at the treatment plant.
       low much maintenance is
              reauired for
        nome filtration systems?
    Consumers do not always recognize the
 importance of properlv maintaining a home
 filtration system. Failing to change filters on a
 routine schedule can lead to bacteria buihl-up,
 causing serious health risks tor vour house-
 hold. A number of filtration svstem> require
 you to change the filter on a monthh basi
 This can lie an e.i'pen*iw protest com-
 pared to simply turning on the tap. Let
. DMWW maintain safe, clean water for von!
    The real question should
be... why aren't more Americans
drinking tap water? We would be glad to
hear from you at 283-8700 or through our
Web site at www.dmww.com
    Forget filtering, just turn on the tap!
                                                               Treating Water  Right
                                                           Water treatment is a vital step to make sure a
                                                       safe high quality product is delivered to your tap. Des
                                                       Moines Water Works operates two facilities, the new
                                                       Treatment Plant at Maffitt Reservoir and the
                                                       Treatment Plant on Fleur Drive, treating up to 125
                                                       million gallons of water per day.
                                                           The Mattitt plant draws its water from shallow
                                                       groundwater collector wells that run along the
                                                       Raccoon Rh'er. This water is naturally filtered )>v the
                                                       earth's course sand and gravel delivering water free
                                                       from river sediment. Mamtt Reservoir also serves as
                                                       an emergency water supply for the plant. At the
                                                       Fleur Drive plant, water can be drawn from either
                                                       the Raccoon or  Des Moines Rivers in addition to the
                                                       infiltration gallery, a groundwater collection system.
                                                       DMWW plant operators and laboratory staff screen
                                                       all source water daily to determine which has the
                                                       highest quality  water for treatment and distribution.
                                                       Treatment  Process
                                                        1 Addition of powdered activated carbon to remove
                                                       organic matter,  silt, and dirt. This is used only at the
                                                       Kleur plant due to river water as source water. The
                                                       Maffitt plant begins treatment with lime softening.
                                                       L2. Lime softening to remove hardness compounds,
                                                       germs, and bacteria.
                                                       3 Filtration through sand and gravel to remove
                                                       remaining particles. \Vhen  necessary at the Fleur
                                                       plant, a nitrate removal process is used to keep the
                                                       filtered river water sate for drinking.
                                                       4 Addition of fluoride to help prevent dental cavities
                                                       and chlorine to  disinfect the water,
                                                        ~i. Treated, clean, safe water enters storage tanks,
                                                       eventually to he pumped through the distribution
                                                       network right to your tap!
                                                                A monthly publication of
                                                             DES MOINES WATER WORKS
                                                                    2201  Valley Drive
                                                                  Des Moines, IA 50321
                                                                       515-283-8700
                                                                    www.dmww.com

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                                     What
                                                          are       ou   rea

                        I
    Have you heard claims about
improving the drinking water in
your home? Numerous water
treatment arid filtration companies
say they can provide you with
higher quality drinking water.
However, many of these claims
can be misleading. As your
pipeline to water information, Des
Moines Water Works (DMWW)
has the answers you need to know
about your high quality drinking
water - right from the tap!
    DMWW is a leader among the
municipal water treatment facili-
ties that help make America's
drinking water supply one of  the
safest in the world. Yet, it is esti-
mated that nearly 40 percent of
Americans use some sort of home
water treatment device instead of
relying on dependable, safe, and
clean tap water. Households use
anything from simple filter pitch-
ers to complex water  filtration
systems. What it may boil down to
is creating an unnecessary expense
in your home.
                                                                       ^J
II

                                                                     Jk,
                                                                            ; non
                                                                                    "iteration systems necessary to
                                                                                    ; and reduce contaminate
                                                                           DMWW's number one priority is to provide you with
                                                                       safe, high quality water. Our source water is tested several
                                                                       times a day to ensure proper chemical levels are added in
                                                                       the treatment process, so that the treated water remains
                                                                       safe according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
                                                                       	standards. By taking pre-
                                                                                                    cautionary measures
r  Some home filtration systems may   i
actually be removing valuable nutrients and
disinfection chemicals found in your tap
water. Fluoride is an additive, not a con-
taminant, beneficial to your dental health
by helping to prevent tooth decay. While
most simple filtration systems do not
remove fluoride, more complex types do
take this additive out. Chlorine - the
number one chemical removed in filtra-
tion systems - is x-ital in eliminating
harmful bacteria from your drinking
water. These minerals are not harmful to
you, and are
necessary for {   Home filtration sys-
                                                                                                    during the treatment
                                                                                                    process, DMWW
                                                                                                    makes certain your
                                                                                                    drinking water is safe
                                                                                                        when it reaches
                                                                                                                tap.
                            o \ need to use a water softener or
                               filter to soften  my tap water?
                           Some home filtration systems use brass faucets, a
                       combination of copper and lead. As water stands in the
                       faucet, it dissolves the metal and increases the lead con-
                       tent of your drinking water. Filtered water can also be
                       more corrosive due to its deficiency in mineral content,
                       possibly raising the amount of lead dissolving into your
                       water. The consumption of lead may cause delays in
                       physical and mental development in children, and kidney
                           problems or high blood pressure in adults.
                                                                 maintaining
                                                                 good health
                                                                 and clean
                                                                 water.
                                                                             terns are not necessary to
                                                                             remove nitrate because
                                                                             DMWW treats the source
                                                                             water according to EPA stan-
                                                                             dards for nitrate. In fact, most
                                                                             home filtration systems do not
                                                                             remove nitrate. DMWW has
                                                                               the capability of running its
                                                                             nitrate removal facility when
                                                                             source water nitrate levels
                                                                              exceed EPA standards.
convert the
hardness level
from milligrams
per liter (mg/L)
to grains per
gallon (gpg),
divide the mg/L
value by 17.1.
Some appliance
optimum per-
formance stan-
dards ask for
hardness in
                                    Lead and copper are not found in         >»
                                   DMWWs treated water, but may enter from
                                  the plumbing in your home. DMWW leaves
                                 enough hardness compounds in the water to coat
                                 your pipes as it travels to your tap. This prouvis
                                 the pipes from the corrosiveness of  water. The
                                                       water DMWW sends
                                                       to your tap is softened
f  Soft water helps soap and other   ^
cleaning products work more effective-
ly. It is less likely to leave "scum" rings
and other traces of mineral deposits in
your home. DMWW strives to maintain
the total hardness of the drinking
water  to less than 15O milligrams per
liter (mg/L), the moderate range. This
provides you with sufficiently soft water
to make cleaning products work more
effectively.
                                                       during the lime-treat-
                                                       ment process, If you
                                                       choose to use a water
                                                       softener in your
                                                       home, the benefits
                                                         may not outweigh
                                                             the costs.
                                                                                                                             "filtering througK" tfiis information for
                                                                                                                              more dues about water aLi^fehj-
                                                                                                                                                                        Line

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          Recent studies target-
       ing the water industry have
     provided evidence that tap water is
    as safe, if not safer, and contains less
   bacteria than some types of bottled
  water.
     Fluoride, the number one tooth decay
 fighting agent, is an additive that most bottled ^
 water manufactures remove during their filter-
  ngprocess. Extensive dental research has
   own that to6W*aicSy"among children and
 adults has been significantly reduced due to
 the presence of fluoride in public drinking
 water. The American Dental Association
 (ADA) has endorsed the addition of fluoride
 to community water supplies for over 40
 years.
     Des Moines Water Works (DMWW)
 adds fluoride to its water according to the
 ADA'S recommended levels. Bottled water
 manufacturers are regulated by the Food  and
 Drug Administration (FDA) and are not
 required to disclose the  amount of fluoride
 contained in their product. Most brands faU^1
         he.EPAlsguiQ'e.liriesJiatfeeattfiiul flu-
 oride content.
     In addition, bottled water manufacturers
 make claims of greater purity than tap water.
 This is not completely accurate. Two different
 federal agencies regulate the testing processes
 and standards of the water sources. The EPA
 is responsible for monitoring tap water, while
 the FDA monitors bottled water. Tap water is
 required to be tested more frequently and
' more stringently, providing greater scrutiny of
 its quality and bacterial content.
     The next time you're looking for an
 inexpensive, healthy thirst-quencher, just
    i on the tap!
                                                                                                                      DMWW s employees
                                                                                                                        painting a hydrant.
 Facts  and  Figures

          about           '*>,

    Fire  Hydrants
a Fire hydrants serve purposes
other than fire protection.
DMWW uses hydrants to flush
stagnant water from water
mains during maintenance and
to release air after repairs have
been made in order to prevent
damage to home plumbing.  The city also uses fire
hydrants for street and sewer cleaning.
fi DMWW owns and maintains the fire hydrants in
the  public right-of-way. Some fire hydrants are
installed only for maintenance purposes because
their capacity for water pressure is not high enough
for fire protection.  You can identify maintenance
hydrants by their red-colored tops.
B Fire hydrant tops come in colors other than red.
A color-coding system indicates how much water is
available in gallons per minute  (gpm) from the
hydrants.
    Red hydrant tops      =      under 500 gpm
    Orange hydrant tops   -      500-1000 gpm
    Green hydrant tops    -      1000 or more gpm
Green-topped  hydrants with green caps designate
high-volume hydrants connected to feeder mains.
fi Fire hydrants are painted to make them visible
for the fire department. DMWW has standardized
on a yellow color for the body  of the hydrant.
fi You can  help DMWW and the fire department
access and  locate hydrants more easily for repair
and protection. Shovel snow away from hydrants,
keep grass or weeds trimmed low around them,
and please, do  not plant  flowers or  shrubs around
hydrants - hydrants exist  for  your protection!
          A monthly publication of
       DES MOINES WATER WORKS
              2201 Valley Drive
            Des Moines, IA 50321
                515-283-8700
              www.dmww.com

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March  2001
 Winding Through Your Watershed

No matter where we live,  we are all in a
waters/led.
    Watersheds are areas where water flows across
or under the land and drains into a river, lake,
stream, pond, or other body of water. It includes
the people who live in the area as well as land,
air, plants, and animals. According to the Iowa
Watershed Task Force, "A watershed is everything
between the rain and the stream."
 DesMQines Water works  Watershed
                              ScuxCty
Several features make watersheds unique.
    Watersheds vary in shape and size. Some are
large, including millions of acres of land and small-
er watersheds within them. Others can be as small
as a city block, or a puddle in your back yard. As a
Des Moines Water Works' customer, you live in
both the Raccoon and Des Moines River water-
sheds. Each is a part of the Mississippi River water-
shed, which is made up of thousands of smaller
watersheds.
    A geographical boundary around the water-
shed is formed by a ridge or high area. This forces
water to drain toward or away from your water-
shed. But watersheds are also interconnected. The
water that travels through one land area - including
farm fields, forestland, suburban lawns, and city
streets - will eventually affect and flow through
another.
    Watersheds are composed of different terrain.
The flatness or steepness of the land  (terrain)
impacts how quickly the water empties into a body
of water. If the water drains faster, there is more
potential for flooding and soil erosion.
    Different soil types are found within water-
              sheds. Those that consist of sandy
          - -i  soil soak up water faster, reducing
            V  runoff. A watershed that has clay
            /  soil does not allow as much water
               to seep into  the ground, leading to
                greater runoff.
                       Watersheds are affected
                      by the land use. The activ-
                        ities and residents of the
                           land area nearest the
                           water impact the
                           watershed. Cities,
                           homes, roads,  facto-
                            ries, farming, recre-
                             ation, mining, and
                             construction all
                  modify the watershed and
                      affect the natural resources
                       within it.
You play an important role in helping
maintain a healthy watershed.
    Pollutants traveling through your watershed
affect your entire home, work, and play areas.
Water and other natural resources are necessary to
live, and what we do in the watershed can change
the quality and availability of these materials.
    There are two types of watershed pollution:
point-source and nonpoint-source. Point-source
pollution begins from the leakage of contaminants
from a specific, easily identifiable source. Examples
include  pollution coming from industrial or sewage
discharge pipes, hog lots, or storm sewers.
Nonpoint-source pollution comes from many dif-
ferent areas as water runs across or through the
ground. This type of pollution is harder to identify,
measure, and control. Some examples include
runoff from fields or forestland, parking lots, failing
septic systems, construction sites, and automobile
exhaust.
    By following Best Management Practices
(BMPs),  you can help keep your watershed clean
and safe. BMPs are positive ways to control pollu-
tants and prevent them from contaminating the
water supply. You can use BMPs in  your home,
yard, and community to enjoy and maintain a
healthy  living environment.
                                                                                                       Bffi . .  at
                                                                                                                                                          &  m your
                                                                                                       • Do not dump hazardous household chemicals, such as fertifiz-
                                                                                                       er, oil-based paint, or antifreeze, down the drain! Take them to
                                                                                                       the MWA's Regional Collection Center in Bonduranf (967-5512)
                                                                                                       for safe disposal, or use environmentaily safe cleaning products.
                                                                                                       • Recycle your newspapers, magazines, milk jugs, juice bottles,
                                                                                                       metal cans, clear glass, and anything else possible to reduce the
                                                                                                       quantity of garbage you send to the landfill.
                                                                                                       • Plant grass, trees, and shrubs to prevent soil from blowing or
                                                                                                       washing away. Bag leaves and grass clippings for compost collec-
                                                                                                       tion to keep them from washing into storm sewers.
                                                                                                       • Do not dump chemicals of anything else down storm sewers -
                                                                                                       most lead straight to our rivers.
                                                                                                      f * Keep your vehicles in good condition to prevent oil and
                                                                                                      j antifreeze  leaks from entering storm sewers from the street or
                                                                                                       your driveway.
                                                                                                       • Do not litter! You can volunteer to help clean up area parks.

                                                                                                                                               H20

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|C_jur  l^ole  in
 I Removing
     DMWW is committed to providing you with
I safe drinking water by helping to reduce or elimi-
I nate nitrate in our source water. We have built
I coalitions, implemented cost effective technolo-
I gies, and developed landscapes that will protect
I our watershed. Some of these projects include:
     • A formalized education program. Classroom
       presentations are available for grade levels
       K-8. The information focuses on daily
       water use, water conservation, the water
       treatment process, and the importance of
       protecting our watersheds. DMWW is the
       only water utility in Iowa with this type of
       program.
     • Participation in the Urban Environmental
       Partnership (UEP). This group was formed
       to educate the public on the importance of
       water quality protection through watershed
       protection in an urban area.  DMWW part-
       ners with Metro Waste Authority,
       Wastevvater Reclamation Authority, and the
       City of Des Moines' Storm Water Division.
     • Volunteer Monitoring Project on the
       Raccoon River Watershed. Along with
       DMWW, volunteers collected over 1000
       water samples during a year-long project
       surveying the nitrate concentrations in vari-
       ous locations of the Raccoon River water-
       shed.
     • Environmental Monitoring for Public
       Access and Community Tracking
       (EMPACT). DMWW was awarded an EPA
       grant to develop a Web site  that provides
       Des Moines' treated water and source water
       quality information to anyone with Internet
       access. Visit the Web site at
       www.dmww.com/empact.
     DMWW continually looks  for new ways to
I address nitrate issues while consistently providing
I you with clean, safe drinking water.
                                                                       FACTS:
                           e m  o v a
                       1— a  c i   i  t 4
                             e  s s e I  s
• There are 8 nitrate removal vessels
  with a total operating capacity of 15
  million gallons of water per day locat-
  ed in DMWW's Nitrate Removal
  Facility.
• Each vessel is  132 inches in diameter,
  14 feet 2-7/8 inches high, and weighs
  11,000 pounds.
• The vessels contain a total of 450 cubic
  feet of ion exchange resin and 232
  cubic feet of support gravel for the
  resin.
• The Nitrate Removal Facility  has
  enough space to add 2 more vessels, if
  necessary.
       A monthly publication of
    DES MOINES WATER WORKS
          2201  Valley Drive
        Des Moines, IA 50321
             515-283-8700
          www.dmww.com

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                             A
     pri  2OOI
      once nT       i  ng

DMWW is Your Source for Important

    The word m'/ru/e may generate some
questions in your mind when you associate it
with water quality and your health. Newspaper
and television coverage about nitrate frequent-
ly discusses how it can harm the environment,
water supply, or humans. Nitrate can lead to
some serious consequences concerning your
well-being, but Des Moines Water Works
(DMWW) uses several methods to ensure that
your drinking water remains below the
Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) stan-
dards for nitrate concentrations, providing you
with safe, healthy drinking water.     f
    DMWW's Fleur Plant has the option of
selecting from three water sources - $ie
Raccoon River, Des Myincs Kuer, arid infiltra-
tion gallery - for use in our drinking water
treatment process. Our lab monitors the source
water through daily testing of flic water quality
in each river. We then choose the one \\  ith the
lowest nitrate concentrations to provide  you
with the best quality drinking water possible.
Another alternative is running our Nitrate
Removal Facility when aerate levels are high
in the source water (see "Nixing Nitrate in
Your Water").
    The maximum contaminant level (MCL)
set by the EPA is 10 milligrams per liter (mg/1)
of water. DMWW maintains a level below the
MCL. If the nitrate level  in your drinking
water were to exceed the MCL, we are
required to notify you of the necessary precau-
tions to follow.
    So what exactly is nitrate and how might
it affect you? Nitrate is a chemical compound
of nitrogen and oxygen that easily dissolves in
water. It is typically used as a plant nutrient
found in fertilizer, but it can form  in septic
Nitrate Information
 systems, animal feed lots, manure,
 unsiewater, and sanitary landfills as
 well. Nitrate enters our source water
 from both urban and rural watershed
 run-off or contamination of groundwa
 ter from the application of f'crlilixcrs.
        the unlikely event that nitrate
 leveh exceed the MCL in your drinkir
 Mfcr, a major
 concern exists for
 infants under the
 age of six
 months. Nitrate
 can enter the
 infant's body
 transforming into
 nittjte, which
 reduces the  abili-
 ty of blood to
 carry oxygen.
 ThisT||| cause
 Blue SSly Syndrome, a life threatening condi-
 tion thatflf(pjires immediate medical attention.
 Indicators of this condition include the infant
 appearing blue and having shortness of breath.
     Research has also linked nitrate to other
 health concerns, such as the development of
 certain types of cancer in adults. However, a
 higher risk is present for infants  because their
 immature organs have a more difficult time
 processing nitrate.
     Although the possibility of a nitrate warn-
 ing exists, the likelihood of this event is very
 rare due to the preventative measures DMWW
 has built into the treatment process. We make
 it our priority to provide you with healthful,
 safe, and clean drinking water.
                                                                                                                                          Inside Our Nitrate Removal Facility
                                                                                          Exterior view of the Nitrate Removal
                                                                                          Facility and underground clear wetls.
                   Qne of the
                largest water
                quality issues that
                DMWW faces is
                the level of nitrate
                in the Raccoon
                and Des Moines
               I River, two of our
                water sources.
                Data trends over
                the post 25 years
                show that the
                concentrations of
                nitrate  have
                steadily
                increased. This
                problem may be
  caused by the continuing use
  and heavier application of fertil-
  izer on the land in our water-
  ished. DMWW built the Nitrate
Removal Facility in the winter of
1990-1991  as a preventative
measure to keep your drinking
water safe at times when nitrate
concentrations are extremely high
in our source water.
    The Nitrate Removal Facility
consists of eight nitrate  removal
vessels that can treat up to 15 mil-
lion gallons of water per day.
Depending on the nitrate concen-
tration level and plant flow,
DMWW will operate between four
and all eight vessels at  one time.
The facility has been operated
from zero to 106 days in the year,
with an average of 45 days of
operation per year since 1991.
    DMWW uses a process called
"ion exchange" to remove nitrate
from the water. Nitrate  ions are
captured by resin material  as the
water passes through the nitrate
removal vessel, and chloride ions
are released into the water to
reduce the amount of nitrate ions.
This process is similar to a home
water softening device that
removes calcium and magnesium
ions from the water, exchanging
them for sodium ions. The nitrate-
reduced water is then blended
with pre-treated drinking water to
produce a safe, clean product with
nitrate concentrations below ihe
EPA's 10 mg/i MCL.
    After the nitrate has been col-
lected in the removal vessels,
DMWW pumps water concentrat-
ed with sodium chloride through
the vessels to  exchange the cap-
tured nitrate for chloride. The
water containing the collected
nitrate is then diluted with infiltra-
tion gallery water and discharged
back into the  Raccoon River. Due
to the large volume of nitrate con-
centrations already in the river
and the small amount of water
DMWW discharges, this process
does not add to nitrate concentra-
tion problems in other cities and
water utilities downstream.
    Although  the Nitrate Removal
Facility  is  a proactive approach in
keeping the drinking water safe
from nitrate contamination, the
best way to keep nitrate from
entering the source water is
through watershed protection pro-
grams. With your heip in protect-
ing our water sources, the need to
use the Nitrate Removal Facility in
the future could be greatly
reduced, or even eliminated.

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                                                                          B
                                        GLOSSARY   OF   TERM
Acetochlor: A herbicide sold under the trade name of Harness. It is an unregulated contaminant
with no maximum contaminant level (MCL).

Alkalinity: A measure of the acid-neutralizing property of water.

Anion: A negatively charged ion.

Aquifer: A water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel.

Atrazine: A herbicide and SDWA-regulated contaminant with a maximum contaminant level
(MCL) of 0.003 mg/1.

B

C

Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP): The amount of hardness that can come out
of the water to form protective scale on plumbing surfaces.

Calcium Hardness as CaCO3: A measure of the calcium mineral contribution to total hardness.

Chloride: A common table salt component found in all natural waters.  Concentrations greater
than 250 mg/1 can cause the water to taste salty and contribute to metal corrosion.

Chlorine: A gas that  is  commonly added to drinking water as a disinfectant to make the water
safe to drink.

Coliforms: Microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. The detection
of coliform bacteria in treated drinking water suggests that a treatment or distribution system is
not working properly.

Conductivity: The ability to carry an electric current. Its measurement in water indicates the
amount of dissolved salts or minerals in the water.

Consumer Confidence Report (CCR): An annual drinking water quality report required by the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for customers of public water supply systems.

Copper: A metal that can be present in drinking water through the corrosion of plumbing mate-
rials such as copper pipes.

Cryptosporidium: A microscopic organism found in rivers and streams that can cause diarrhea,
fever,  and gastrointestinal distress if ingested. It finds its way into the watershed through animal
and human wastes.

D

Disinfection byproduct: A  compound formed by the reaction of a disinfectant such as chlorine
with organic material in the water supply.
                                                          APPENDIX B  GLOSSARY OF TERMS     59

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         Database: A collection of data organized by fields, records, and files. A field is a single piece of information,
         a record is a complete set of fields, and a file is a collection of records.
         (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Database management system: A collection of computer programs that enables you to store, modify, and
         extract information from a database. (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Domain name: A name that identifies one or more Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Domain names are used
         in Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) to identify particular Web pages.
         (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Drinking water: Water that is conveyed to residences and businesses from a public water system. Typically,
         this water is treated by a water utility to make it potable. Drinking water is sometimes referred to as finished
         water.

         E

         E. colt: Bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.

         Ecosystem: All of the interacting organisms in a defined space in association with their interrelated  physical
         and chemical environment.
         Fecal Coliform: Bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals. The presence of fecal col-
         iform in water is an indicator of pollution and possible contamination by pathogens.

         Finished water: See "Drinking Water."

         Firewall: A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be
         implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both.  (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Fluoride: A naturally occurring mineral added to water to help reduce cavities in young people.

         G

         H

         Hardness: The amount of soap-precipitating minerals in the water. Both calcium and magnesium combine
         with soap to make it less effective. A hardness measurement is expressed as the amount of CaCOj  (pure
         limestone) that would produce the hardness.

         Hardware: Computer devices that you can actually touch,  such as disks, disk drives, display screens, key-
         boards, printers, boards, and chips.  (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) bacteria: All bacteria found growing on a non-selective food media.
         These are not indicators of disease, but large numbers in a drinking water distribution system indicate stale
         water, minimal disinfection and, therefore, an increased risk of disease. HPC bacteria can also cause unpleas-
         ant tastes and odor in the water.

         HyperText Markup Language (HTML): Programming language for publishing hypertext on the Web.
         (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)
60       APPENDIX B   GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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I

Infiltration Gallery: A sub-surface groundwater collection system, typically shallow in depth, constructed
with open-jointed or perforated pipes that discharge collected water into a watertight chamber from which
the water is pumped to treatment facilities and into the distribution system. Usually located close to streams
or ponds.

Inorganic Contaminants: Mineral-based compounds such as metals, nitrates, and asbestos. These contami-
nants are naturally-occurring in some water, but can also get into water through farming, chemical
manufacturing, and other human activities. EPA has set legal limits on 15  inorganic contaminants.

Internet Browser: A software application used to locate and display Web pages. The two most popular
browsers are Netscape® Navigator™ and Microsoft® Internet Explorer™.  (Definition from
http://www. webopedia. com.)

J
K
Langeliers Index: A corrosion indicator based on pH. A positive number means that the water will deposit
protective minerals on plumbing to prevent metal pipe corrosion.

Lead: A metal that can be present in drinking water through the corrosion of plumbing materials such as
lead solder.

M

Magnesium Hardness as CaCO3: The magnesium contribution to total hardness. It is measured and
expressed as the equivalent amount of CaCO3 (pure limestone) that would produce this hardness.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that EPA allows in drinking
water. MCLs ensure that drinking water does not pose either a short-term or long-term health risk. EPA sets
MCLs at levels that are economically and technologically feasible. Some states set MCLs that are more strict
than EPA's.

Methemoglobinemia: A blood disorder caused when nitrite interacts with the hemoglobin in red blood
cells. Unlike hemoglobin, the methemoglobin formed in this interaction cannot carry sufficient oxygen to
the body's cells and tissues. Although methemoglobinemia  is  rare among adults, cases have been reported
among infants, where nitrate-contaminated water was used to prepare formula and other baby foods.

Metolachlor: A herbicide sold under the trade name of Dual. It is an unregulated contaminant with no
maximum contaminant level (MCL); however, a health advisory concentration for this pesticide has been set
at 0.070 mg/1.

Microorganisms: Tiny living organisms that  can be seen only with the aid of a microscope. Some microor-
ganisms can cause acute health problems when consumed in drinking water. Also known as microbes.

N

Nitrate-N: A form of nitrogen fertilizer that  is readily available to plants. This form of nitrogen is very water
soluble and moved through the soil into groundwater and surface water.
                                                           APPENDIX  B  GLOSSARY OF TERMS     61

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         Nitrite-N: The actual form of nitrogen that can combine with hemoglobin to form methemoglobinemia or
         "blue baby syndrome." It is an intermediate compound that is formed when ammonia is converted to
         nitrate by bacteria.

         Nonpoint source: Any source of pollution not associated with a distinct discharge point.

         O

         Organic Contaminants: Carbon-based chemicals, such as solvents and pesticides, which can get into water
         through runoff from cropland or discharge from factories. EPA has set legal limits on 56 organic contami-
         nants.

         Ortho-phosphate: A naturally occurring substance that is sometimes added to the water for additional cor-
         rosion protection.
         Pfiesteria: toxic dinoflagellate (microscopic, free-swimming, single-celled organisms, usually classified as a
         type of alga) associated with fish lesions and fish kills in mid-Atlantic Coastal Waters.

         pH: A measure of the strength of an acid on a 0-14 scale, where 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and
         greater than 7 is basic.

         Plug-in: A hardware or software module that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system. For exam-
         ple, there are a number of plug-ins for Internet browsers to enable the display of different types of audio or
         video messages.

         Point source: A stationary location or fixed facility from which pollutants are discharged or emitted. Also,
         any single identifiable source of pollution,  e.g., a pipe, ditch, ship, ore pit, factory smokestack.

         Pollutant loading: The quantity of a pollutant entering the environment (soil, water, air).

         Potable (drinking) water: Water that meets U.S. EPA and/or state water quality standards and is considered
         safe and fit for human consumption.

         Potassium: A common element found at low levels in drinking water.

         Protazoa: Single-celled, eucaryotic microorganisms without cell walls. Most  protozoa are free-living although
         many are parasitic.

         Q.
         R

         Radionuclides: Any man-made or natural element that emits radiation. Radionuclides  may cause cancer
         after many years of exposure through drinking water.
         Server: A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a database server
         is a computer system that processes database queries.  (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

         Silica (SiO2): A common, naturally occurring substance in the earth's crust. It can contribute to scale forma-
         tion and reduce pipe corrosion.
62       APPENDIX B   GLOSSARY  OF TERMS

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Sodium: One of the two components in ordinary table salt (sodium chloride). It is a common substance in
nature and is a needed mineral in the diet. The amount of sodium in water is generally small relative to the
amount present in food.

Software: Computer instructions or data. Anything that can be stored electronically.
(Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

Source water: Ambient water that is  accessed by water utilities to treat for distribution as drinking water.
Source water can originate in either a surface source (such as a lake, river, or reservoir) or a subsurface source
(such as a well). Source water is sometimes referred to as raw water.

Structured Query Language (SQL):  A standardized query language for requesting information from a data-
base. SQL was first introduced as a commercial database system in 1979 by Oracle Corporation.
(Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

Sulfate: A stable form of sulfur common in natural waters, especially where gypsum is present. It can pro-
duce a taste in drinking water when present in concentrations over 200 mg/1 and may produce a laxative
effect when present in concentrations over 750  mg/1.

Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs): Man-made (anthropogenic) organic chemicals. Some SOCs are
volatile; others tend to stay dissolved in water instead  of evaporating.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): The amount of dissolved substances, such as salts or minerals, in water.

Total Organic Carbon (TOC): A measure of carbon compounds in water that are from an organic (living)
origin. In combination with a disinfectant such as chlorine, the presence of TOC can result in the formation
of trihalomethanes.

Trihalomethane (THM): One of a class of compounds known as disinfection byproducts that result from
chlorinating water containing naturally occurring organic material.

Turbidity: A measurement  of scattered light (cloudiness) in a column of water. Light is scattered when it
strikes suspended particles such as  clay, silt, or microscopic organisms.

Volatile Organics: Chemicals that, as liquid, evaporate into the air.

W

Quality: A measure of the presence and quantity of certain constituents or parameters (like naturally occur-
ring substances, man-made chemicals, and industrial contaminants) in water.

Web server: A computer that delivers (serves up) Web pages.  Every Web server has an  IP address  and possi-
bly a domain name. Any computer can be turned into a Web server by installing server software and
connecting the machine to  the Internet.  (Definition from http://www.webopedia.com.)

Wellhead: A particular well site location, as differentiated from other well site locations, that exist in the
same water system.

Wetland: an area that is regularly saturated by surface or groundwater and subsequently is characterized by
prevalence of vegetation that is adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Examples include swamps, bogs,
fens, marshes, and estuaries.
                                                            APPENDIX  B   GLOSSARY OF TERMS     63

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64    APPENDIX B  GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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                                TUCSON  WATER'S  EMPACT  WATER
                                QUALITY  PROJECT
The Water Quality Management Division of Tucson Water, in Tucson, Arizona, delivers more than
37  billion gallons of water annually to approximately 675,000 customers. The  city of Tucson,
Arizona is one of the largest  U.S. cities that currently obtains its drinking water supply from
groundwater wells. To ensure future sustainability, Tucson has started to supplement its groundwa-
ter  supply with water from the Colorado River through the Central  Arizona  Project (CAP).
Tucson's selected blend of recharged  Colorado River water and groundwater is known as the
Clearwater Supply. The Tucson Water EMPACT project seeks to introduce this alternate and nec-
essary supply of water to the public by providing timely information on the quality of the blended
drinking water at taps in  homes and businesses. Tucson's EMPACT project not  only provides a
resource for water quality information, but also results in environmental benefits through a focused
consumer outreach effort.

PARTNER  ORGANIZATIONS
Tucson Water has received a 2-year grant from EPA's EMPACT program. Tucson's EMPACT proj-
ect  partners include the following:

    •    Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

    •    Tucson Unified School District, David T Smith Resource Center

    •    Tucson-Pima Public Library

    •    University of Arizona, Water Resources Research Center

    •    University of Arizona, Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center

    •    Pima County Health Department

    •    Pima County Waste Water Management

    •    Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

    •    University of Arizona, National Science Foundation, Water Quality Center

    •    Citizens and Neighborhood Services

SAMPLE  COLLECTION /A N A LY s i s
Tucson Water's EMPACT project increases the  number of water quality parameters currently
measured by the utility and adds continuous on-line monitoring. Specifically, the utility has added
continuous on-line monitoring of the quality of potable water and  the quantity and general qual-
ity of recycled wastewater and secondary effluent discharged to the Santa Cruz River. One objective
of the EMPACT project is to expand the utility's monitoring technology  to include a new process
for  measuring total trihalomethanes. Trihalomethanes are suspected human carcinogens that can
form when drinking water that contains organic material is disinfected with chlorine.

Also under the EMPACT project, Tucson Water has selected 22 locations for on-line monitoring
to track the  conveyance of finished water throughout the utility's  distribution system. Tucson is
installing the on-line instrumentation over  the next  year to  continuously track chlorine residual,
conductivity, estimated total dissolved solids, pH, and temperature. This special monitoring pro-

            APPENDIX  c  TUCSON  WATER'S  EMPACT WATER  QUALITY  PROJECT     65

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                  gram will provide Tucson Water's customers with information on water quality throughout the util-
                  ity's distribution system.

                  DATA  MANAGEMENT/DATA  DELIVERY
                  The objective of Tucson Water's EMPACT project data management, processing, and delivery sys-
                  tem is to improve the time relevancy of water quality data related to the potable distribution system.
                  To do this, Tucson Water  is developing timely methods for transmitting and verifying the quality
                  of data from the on-line and manual monitoring programs and posting these data to  the project
                  Web site. The EMPACT project will allow community residents to identify their street addresses
                  on a Web site map, receive easily understandable results from nearby water monitoring stations, and
                  obtain a timely report on the quality of their drinking water.

                  C OM M U N I CAT I ONS/DUTREACH
                  The outreach objectives for Tucson's EMPACT project include identifying the water quality/quan-
                  tity  data desired  by targeted groups  and  developing effective,  state-of-the art methods  to
                  communicate these data. Building on existing city programs, the EMPACT project will identify
                  specific  constituencies and solicit feedback on the water quality data desired and the best formats
                  for individualizing  data by location  and creating a context for understanding water resources.
                  Through its outreach products, Tucson  hopes to eliminate any misperception about community
                  water quality and provide a source of reliable, authoritative information  on fast-breaking  water
                  quality issues.

                  FOR  MORE   IN FORM ATI ON
                  For more information about Tucson Water's  EMPACT water quality project, visit

                  http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/water.
66      APPENDIX  c  TUCSDN WATER'S  EMPACT  WATER QUALITY  PROJECT

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                                                                   D
                                 C OM M U NICATIONS/D  UT REACH
                                 PLANNING   AND   RESOURCES
This appendix will assist you with developing and implementing an outreach plan for communi-
cating a variety of information to the public. Section D.I provides general step-by-step guidance
on creating an outreach plan. Section D.2 includes guidelines for effectively communicating tech-
nical information and provides a list of resources you can use to enhance your outreach efforts.

D.I       CREATING AN  DUTREACH  PLAN
Your outreach efforts will be most effective if you plan them carefully. An outreach plan ensures
that you have thoroughly considered all  aspects  of your outreach efforts before you begin. Your
plan does not need to be lengthy or complicated! You can develop a plan simply by documenting
your answers to these questions, which are discussed in the following subsections:

    •   Who are your partners?

    •   What are your outreach goals?

    •   Whom are you trying to reach?

    •   What information do you want to communicate?

    •   What outreach products  will you develop?

    •   How will your outreach products reach your audiences?

    •   What follow-up mechanisms will you establish?

    •   What is your schedule for implementation?

TIP: Outreach planning is a creative and iterative process that involves a  number of interrelated
steps. As you move through each of the planning steps discussed below, you should revisit the deci-
sions you have  made  for  previous steps  to  make sure  you  are creating a fully integrated,
comprehensive, and achievable outreach plan.
D.I.I            ^RE YOUR  PARTNERS?
Try to involve a variety of people in the design and development of your outreach plan. When pos-
sible, consider involving the following:

    •    A communications specialist or someone who has experience with developing and
        implementing outreach plans.

    •    Technical experts (e.g., experts in water quality, policy, information systems).

    •    Representatives of your target audience categories.

    •    Key individuals who will be involved in implementing your outreach plan.

Consider inviting community organizations to partner with you in planning or implementing
your outreach efforts. Potential partners might  include local businesses and trade associations,
environmental organizations,  schools, community groups, local health departments, local plan-
ning and zoning authorities, and other local or state agencies. Partners can help you with outreach
           APPENDIX D  COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND  RESOURCES     67

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                 planning, product development and review, and/or product distribution. Partnerships can be valu-
                 able mechanisms for leveraging resources while enhancing the quality, credibility, and overall success
                 of your outreach efforts.

                 D.I  .2  WHAT  ARE YOUR  DUTREACH  GOALS?
                 Outreach goals should be clear, simple, action-oriented statements about what you hope to accom-
                 plish through your outreach efforts. Every other aspect of your outreach plan should relate to your
                 goals.

                 Try to rank and prioritize your goals in terms of relative importance. Consider the importance of
                 your goals as you move through the planning process. For goals of greater importance, you will want
                 to tailor your partnerships, outreach products, and information dissemination strategies to allow you
                 to reach a greater number of affected people in a shorter amount of time.

                 D.I.3  WHOM  ARE You  TRYI NB TO  REACH?
                 To answer this question, you must both identify and profile your target audience. The identification
                 and profiling processes are discussed below.

                 IDENTIFYING YOUR AUDIENCE
                 As you design your outreach plan, you will need to clearly identify the target audience for your out-
                 reach efforts. The  types of audiences targeted for a water quality outreach program might include
                 the general public, local businesses and trade associations, decision-makers, educators and students,
                 and community groups (e.g., homeowners associations, fishing/boating organizations, and garden-
                 ing clubs).  Some types of target audiences, such as educators and community groups, might serve
                 as pathways to help you disseminate information to other types of audiences, such as students and
                 the general public.

                 If you  have more than one target audience, you may want to consider dividing the group into audi-
                 ence categories. For example, if the water quality information you intend to provide  to the general
                 public differs from the information you intend to provide to businesses, you may want to consider
                 these targets as separate audience categories.

                 PROFILING  YOUR AUDIENCE  CATEGORIES
                 Your outreach efforts will be most effective if you tailor the type, content, and distribution of your
                 outreach products  to the characteristics of your target audience categories. To do this, you will want
                 to profile the situations, interests, and concerns of your audience members. These profiles will help
                 you identify the most effective ways to reach each audience category. Consider how you would
                 describe your audience members:

                     •   What is their current level of knowledge about drinking water and source water?

                     •   What is their average education level? What language do they speak?

                     •   What should they know about drinking water and source water quality in your  commu-
                         nity?  What actions would you like them to take?

                     •   What information is likely to be of immediate interest to them?

                     •   Once they develop an awareness of water quality issues in your community, what infor-
                         mation will they want to know?
68      APPENDIX D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND  RESOURCES

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    •   How much information will they want to see?  How much time are they willing to spend
        to understand the information?

    •   How do they generally receive information? How would they prefer to receive your infor-
        mation?

    •   In what types of professional, recreational, and domestic activities do they typically
        engage? Are there any organizations or centers that might represent pathways for your
        outreach efforts?

When you answer  these questions, talk with representatives of your target audience categories and
with colleagues who have successfully reached out to your audience categories.

D.I.4  WHAT  INFORMATION   Do  You  WANT  To
           C O M M U N I C AT E 7
In this step, think about the key points, or "messages,"  you want to relate to your audience. A mes-
sage is the "bottom-line" information you want your audience to remember, even if they forget the
details. A message  is usually phrased in a brief (often one-sentence) statement. Outreach products
often have multiple related messages.

D.I. 5  WHAT   DUTREACH   PRODUCTS  WILL You  DEVELOP?
You will want to determine what types of outreach products or tools will most effectively reach each
of your target audience categories. There are many different types of outreach products available in
print, audiovisual,  electronic, event, and novelty formats.

Your outreach goals and target audience profiles will help you select appropriate and effective out-
reach products  and tools. A communications specialist can provide you with valuable guidance on
choosing the most appropriate products  to meet your goals within your resource and time con-
straints. When selecting your products, consider your answers  to the following questions:

    •   How much information does your audience really need  to have? How much does your
        audience need to know immediately?  (Keep in mind  that the simplest, most straightfor-
        ward product is generally the  most effective.)

    •   Is the outreach product likely to appeal to your audience? How much time will it take
        your average audience member to interact with the product?  Is your audience likely to
        make that time?

    •   Will the distribution and organization of your product be easy and cost-effective?

    •   How many people will the product reach?

    •   What time frame is  needed to develop and distribute/organize the product?

    •   How much will it cost to develop the product? Do you have access to the talent and
        resources needed for product development?

    •   What other related products  are already available? Can you build on existing products?

    •   When will the information be out of date? (Keep in mind that you will want to spend
        fewer resources on products with shorter life spans.)
           APPENDIX D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND  RESOURCES     69

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                         Would it be effective to have distinct phases of products over time?  (For example, con-
                         sider the first phase of a product designed to raise awareness, followed by a second phase
                         of products at later dates to encourage changes in behavior.)

                         How newsworthy is the information you are trying to communicate?  (Information with
                         inherent news value is more likely to be rapidly and widely disseminated by the media.)


                                                  OUTREACH PRODUCTS
                    Print
                                Brochures
                                Educational curricula
                                Newsletters
                                Posters
                                Question-and-answer sheets
Editorials
Fact sheets
Newspapers and magazine articles
Press releases
Utility bill inserts
Audiovisual
Electronic
Events
Novelty Items
Cable television programs
Exhibits and kiosks
E-mail messages
Web pages
Briefings
Fairs and festivals
One-on-one meetings
Public meetings
Banners
Buttons
Floating key chains for boaters
Magnets
Public service announcements (radio)
Videos
Subscriber list servers
Interactive compact disks
Community days
Media interviews
Press conferences
Speeches
Bumper stickers
Coloring books
Frisbee discs
Mouse pads
                 D.I.6  Haw  WILL  YOUR  DUTREACH  PRODUCTS  REACH
                            YOUR  AUDIENCES?
                 You have many outreach product distribution options available to you. Consider the following examples:

                     •   Mailing lists belonging to your organization or partner organizations.

                     •   Phone and fax.

                     •   E-mail.

                     •   Internet.

                     •   Journals or newsletters put out by partner organizations.

                     •   Television.

                     •   Radio.

                     •   Print media.

                     •   A hotline that distributes products upon request.

                     •   Meetings, events, or locations (e.g., libraries, schools, community centers) where products
                         are made available to the public.
70
APPENDIX  D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND  RESOURCES

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You should  consider how each of your  products will be distributed and determine who  will be
responsible for distribution. For some products, your organization might manage the distribution.
For other products, you might rely on intermediaries (e.g., the media or educators) or organizational
partners. You should consult with a communications specialist to obtain information about the time
and resources required for various distribution options.  Consider  the following issues when  you
select your distribution mechanisms:

    •    How does your audience typically receive information? How would they prefer to receive
        your information?

    •    What distribution mechanisms has your organization used  in the past for this audience
        category? Were these mechanisms effective?

    •    Can you identify a partner organization that would be willing to assist you with
        distribution?

    •    Can the media play a role in distribution?

    •    Will your distribution mechanism really reach the intended audience? For example,
        although the Internet can be an  effective distribution mechanism, certain audience  cate-
        gories may have limited access to it.

    •    How many people will your product reach through the distribution mechanism you are
        considering?

    •    Do you have sufficient resources available to fund and implement the distribution mecha-
        nisms you are considering?

D. 1 .7 WHAT  FOLLOW-UP MECHANISMS  WILL  You
           E STAB LI sn7
If you have successfully reached out to your target audiences, you may receive requests for additional
information. Your audience members may become concerned about the issues you have communi-
cated to them. As part of your outreach plan, you should determine if and how you will respond to
the follow-up interests of people in your  community. Consider the following questions:

    •    What types of reactions or concerns are audience members likely to have in response to
        the outreach information?

    •    Who will be responsible for handling requests for additional information?

    •    Should you indicate on your outreach products where  people can go for additional infor-
        mation? Will you provide a contact name, phone number, and/or Internet, mail, or
        e-mail address? Will you establish a hotline?

    •    How will you track and analyze  feedback?

    •    How and when will you use feedback to improve your outreach  efforts?

D.I . B W H AT  i s  Yo UR SCHEDULE  FOR  IMPLEMEN TAT ION?
Once you have selected the most effective combination of goals,  audience categories, messages, prod-
ucts, and distribution mechanisms for your project, you should develop an implementation schedule
for your outreach plan. First, consider  the relative importance  of each of your outreach goals.  You
           APPENDIX  D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND  RESOURCES     71

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                 should have a shorter implementation schedule associated with your most important goals. For each
                 of your outreach products, consider how much time will be needed for design, development, and
                 distribution. Be sure to factor in sufficient time for product review. When possible, also factor in
                 some time  for testing and evaluation by representatives of your target audience category to solicit
                 feedback on the effectiveness of your product.

                 D.Z      RESOURCES   FOR   PRESENTING  WATER  QUALITY
                             INFORMATION  TO   THE   PUBLIC
                 As you begin to implement your outreach plan and develop outreach products, you should  make
                 sure that  these products present your messages and information as clearly and accurately as possible.
                 This section discusses methods for effectively communicating technical information to the public
                 and provides resources to help you shape the  style and content of your outreach products.

                 D.Z.I  Haw  Da You   PRESENT  TECHNICAL
                            INFORM AT ION   TO  THE  PUBLIC?
                 Environmental topics are often technical in nature, and water quality is no exception. Nevertheless,
                 this information can be conveyed in simple, clear terms to nonspecialists. Principles of effective writ-
                 ing for the public include avoiding jargon, translating technical terms into everyday language,  using
                 the active voice, keeping sentences short, and using headings and other formatting devices to pro-
                 vide  a very clear, well-organized structure. You can refer to the following  Web sites for more ideas
                 about how  to write clearly and effectively for  a general audience:

                     •   The National Partnership for Reinventing Government has developed a guidance docu-
                         ment, Writing User-Friendly Documents, which is available at
                         http://www.plamlanguage.gov/.

                     •   The Web site of the American Bar Association,
                         http://www.abanet.org/lpm/writing/styl.html, has links to important online style  manuals,
                         dictionaries, and grammar primers.

                     •   The Web site of the Environmental Education and Training Partnership,
                         http://eee.eetap.org, has guides for developing environmental education documents.

                 As you develop outreach products for a specific audience, remember to  consider what your audience
                 members are already likely to know, what you  want them to know, and what they are likely to under-
                 stand. Then tailor your information  accordingly. Provide only the information that will be valuable
                 and interesting to the target audience. For example, local businesses might  be interested in the  hard-
                 ness  of the potable water they are using for manufacturing processes;  however, senior citizens
                 interested in the overall safety of their drinking water are not likely to be engaged by this topic.

                 When developing outreach products, you should consider any special needs of the target audience.
                 For example, if your community has a substantial  number of people who speak little or no English,
                 you will need to prepare communication materials in their native language.

                 The remainder of this section provides some online resources that you can consult when developing
                 your outreach  projects. Some of the Web sites listed below contain products, such as downloadable
                 fact sheets,  that you can  use to support your communication and outreach efforts.
72      APPENDIX D  COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING  AND RESOURCES

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FEDERAL  RESOURCES
EPA's Office  of Groundwater and Drinking Water (OGWDW)
http: //www. ep a. gov/safewater

This site provides information on a variety of topics, from drinking water and health, source water
protection, and training to applicable regulations, standards, and guidance. The site also includes a
kid's page, which contains games and activities to help children learn about drinking water.

EPA's Office  of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW)
http: IIwww. epA.gov/owow

This site provides a variety of information related to wetlands, oceans, and watersheds. The site pro-
vides new information, resources for concerned citizens, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Specific to watersheds, the site provides information on water quality monitoring and watershed pol-
lution issues.

EPA's Surf Your Watershed
http: IIwww. epa.gov/surf5

EPA provides this service to  locate, use, and share environmental information on watersheds. One
section of this site, "Locate Your Watershed," allows users  to enter the names of rivers, schools, or a
zip code to learn more about the water resources in their local watersheds. Users can also access the
Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI) from this site. The IWI is a compilation of information on the
health of aquatic resources in the U.S. The  index uses a variety of indicators to determine whether
rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas can be described as "well" or "ailing".

EPA's NonPoint Source Pointers
http:'//www. epa.gov/owow/nps/facts

This Web site features a series of fact sheets on nonpoint  source pollution. The series  covers  topics
including programs and opportunities for public involvement in nonpoint source control, manag-
ing urban runoff, and managing nonpoint pollution from various sources  (e.g., agriculture, boating,
households).

U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www. wcc. nrcs. usda.gov/water/quality/jrame/wqam

This site includes guidance documents that provide the following resources: a simple tool to estimate
the sensitivity of a water body to nutrients, a procedure to evaluate the conditions  of a stream based
on visual characteristics, and information on how to design a monitoring system to observe changes
in water quality associated with agricultural nonpoint source controls.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
http:'//www. montana. edu/wwwwet

The goal of Project WET is to promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and  stewardship of
water resources by developing and disseminating classroom-ready teaching aids and establishing state
and internationally sponsored Project WET programs. This site includes a list of all state Project
WET Program Coordinators to help you locate a contact  in your area.
           APPENDIX  D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING  AND  RESOURCES     73

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                 Water Science for Schools
                 httpillwwwva. usgs.gpvledulindex. html
                   L       O   O O

                 The U.S.  Geological Survey's (USGS's) Water Science for School Web site offers information on
                 many aspects of water quality, along with pictures, data, maps,  and an interactive forum where
                 students can give opinions and test their water knowledge.

                 Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN)
                 httpillwww. earthforce. c
                 The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) helps young people protect the
                 rivers, streams, and other vital water resources in their communities. This program merges hands-
                 on, scientific learning with civic action.  GREEN is working with EcoNet to compile pointers on
                 water-related resources on the  Internet. This site (http://www.igc.apc.org/green/resources.html)
                 includes a comprehensive list of water quality projects across the country and around the world.

                 Adopt-A-Watershed
                 http:llwww.adopt-a-watershed. orglabout. htm

                 Adopt-A-Watershed is a K-through-12 school/community learning experience that uses local water-
                 sheds as living laboratories in which students can engage in hands-on activities.  The goal is to  make
                 science applicable and relevant to students' lives.

                 National Institutes for Water Resources
                 httpillwrri. nmsu. edulniwrlniwr. html

                 The National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is a network of 54 research institutes through-
                 out the U.S. They conduct basic and applied research  to solve water problems unique to their areas
                 and establish cooperative programs with local governments, state agencies, and  industries.

                 DTHER  ORGANIZATIONS
                 The Watershed Management Council
                 http://watershed, org/wmc/aboutwmc. html

                 The Watershed Management  Council is a not-for-profit organization whose members represent a
                 broad range of watershed management  interests and disciplines. Members  include professionals,
                 students, teachers, and individuals who are interested in promoting proper watershed management.
74      APPENDIX D   COMMUNICATIONS/OUTREACH  PLANNING AND RESOURCES

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