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Fort McCoy personnel continually monitor the installation's
drinking water to ensure the installation meets all federal and state
laws to provide a safe and dependable water supply to serve the
personnel who work, train, live at or visit the installation. The
installation makes continuous efforts to improve its water treatment
processes and to protect the installation's water resources.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that
organizations that provide drinking water publish annual reports to
inform their customers about the quality of the water being served.
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Definitions |
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Action Level
(AL) --
The
concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers
treatment or other requirements which a water system must
follow.
Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL) -- The highest level of a contaminant that
is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs
as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum
Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) -- The level of a contaminant in
drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to
health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
Million fibers per liter
(MFL) -- A measure of the presence
of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.
Millirems per year
(mrem/year) -- A measure of radiation
absorbed by the body.
Nephelometric
Turbidity Units (NTU) -- A measure of the clarity of water.
Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average
person.
Picocuries per liter
(pCi/l) -- A measure of radioactivity.
ppm -- parts
per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l).
ppb -- parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l).
ppt --
parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter.
ppq -- parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter.
TCR -- Total Coliform Rule.
Treatment Technique
(TT) -- A required process intended to
reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. |
Fort McCoy's 2005 Consumer Confidence Report is published to
inform the installation work force and visitors about the quality
water delivered to its customers every day.
All of the testing conducted for the report indicates that Fort
McCoy's water supply meets federal and state regulations and is safe
to drink.
Questions concerning this report or the water utility can be
directed to Roger Campfield, Environmental Branch, Directorate of
Support Services, at (608) 388-2323.
The complete 2005 report is available on the Fort McCoy Web
site at http://www.mccoy.army.mil
by clicking on Reading Room and
Drinking Water Quality Report.
The tables with this story show the results of Fort McCoy's
monitoring from Jan. 1, 2005-Dec. 31, 2005 or when it is required
according to state and federal laws.
Because the tables include terms and abbreviations that may be
unfamiliar, definitions are printed on page 5.
All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be
expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.
Fort McCoy's drinking water comes from wells, which draw from
the sandstone aquifer within what is known as the Elk Mound
Strategraphic Group. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily
indicate that water poses a health risk.
More information about contaminants and potential health
effects can be obtained by calling the EPA safe drinking water hotline
at (800) 426-4791.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and
herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and radioactive
contaminants.
To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes
regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water
provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration
regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which
shall provide the same protection for public health.
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are very stringent. A person
would have to drink two liters (approximately 2.1 quarts) of water
every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million
chance of having the described health effect for many regulated
contaminants.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking
water than the general population. These people should seek advice
about drinking water from their health care providers.
EPA/Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means
to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial
contaminants are available from the Environmental Protection Agency's
Safe Drinking Water Hotline by calling (800) 426-4791. |