Current Year Water Quality Report

Additional Monitoring

Unregulated contaminants are those for which the U.S. EPA has not established drinking water standards. Monitoring helps the U.S. EPA determine where certain contaminants occur and whether regulation of those contaminants is needed.

Information about lead: Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and parts used in service lines and in home plumbing. City of Buchanan is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing in your home. Because lead levels may vary over time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling results do not detect lead at one point in time. You can help protect yourself and your family by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family's risk. Using a filter, certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead, is effective in reducing lead exposures. Follow the instructions provided with the filter to ensure the filter is used properly. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Before using tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula, flush your pipes for several minutes. You can do this by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. If you have a lead service line or galvanized requiring replacement service line, you may need to flush your pipes for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact Craig Miller at cmiller@cityofbuchanan.com for available resources. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with Wilson’s Disease should consult their personal doctor.

Our water supply has 131 lead service lines and 440 service lines of unknown material out of a total of 1050 service lines. If you would like to know more about this report, please contact: Craig Miller 302 N Redbud Trl. 269-695-3844 ext.11 or cmiller@cityofbuchanan.com

Monitoring and Reporting to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Requirements: The State of Michigan and the U.S. EPA require us to test our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety. We met all the monitoring and reporting requirements for 2024.

We will update this report annually and will keep you informed of any problems that may occur throughout the year, as they happen. Copies are available at City Hall, and Buchanan Public Library, as well as at Buchanan Township Hall and Niles Township Hall. This report will not be sent to you.

We invite public participation in decisions that affect drinking water quality.  The second and fourth Mondays of the month our the commission meetings starting at 7:00 at City Hall 302 N. Redbud Trl. For more information about your water, or the contents of this report, contact Craig Miller Buchanan Water Department OIC @ 269-684-3844 ext 11 or cmiller@cityofbuchanan.com .For more information about safe drinking water, visit the U.S. EPA at http://www.epa.gov/safewater.

1. Source of the Water Delivered must include:
   1. Type of Water: e.g., surface water, groundwater
   2. Commonly used name, if any, and location of body or bodies of water.
   3. If a source water assessment has been completed, then the CCR shall notify customers of the availability of the assessment information and means to obtain it. In addition, a supply is encouraged to highlight in the report significant sources of contamination in the source water area if the supply has that information readily available.
   4. If the supply has received a source water assessment from EGLE, then the report shall include a brief summary of the supply’s susceptibility to potential sources of contamination.
2. Under "Level Detected" and “Range”:
   1.  The CCR should contain the most recent data in the last five years.
   2. In the “Level Detected” column:
      1. enter the highest test result from the lab UNLESS a contaminant’s compliance is determined based on a running annual average. Then, list the highest running annual average or locational running annual average.
      2. Enter the test result from the lab report for sodium, even if it was not detected.
   3. In the “Range” column, enter the lowest to highest individual sample results such as "12-48" (if you sample more than once during the year OR from multiple locations).
3. Under "Year Sampled," enter the year sampled (if earlier than the year covered by the report).
4. Under "Violation Yes / No," enter "Yes" to indicate a violation of MCLs, MRDLs, or Treatment Techniques. You DO NOT need to put “Yes” in the table for monitoring or reporting violations. 
5. Summary of a Violation/Public Notice

You must still describe all violations below the table, which should include a description of the violation, the mandatory health effects language (from Table 1 of R 325.10405), and actions taken to address the violation. 

1. 1. If monitoring requirements were not met, explain the violation below the table such as:

During the monitoring period from _____ to _____, we did not take the required number of routine samples for [enter contaminant name]. This violation did not pose a threat to the quality of the drinking water. [FURTHER EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED, ACTIONS TAKEN TO REMEDY THE SITUATION, POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS, AND STEPS TAKEN TO PREVENT ANOTHER VIOLATION.]

Mentioning a violation in the CCR does not count as meeting the Public Notice requirements, unless the report is directly delivered to all customers within the required Public Notice timeframe, all 10 public elements are included, and the Public Notice Certificate of Distribution is to EGLE within 10 days of distribution.

If using the CCR as a vehicle to distribute a Public Notice, the supply must directly deliver the CCR to every bill paying customer.  As result, CCR waivers that allow small systems to post their CCR in one location or publish in a newspaper would no longer apply. 

1. If arsenic was detected above 5 ppb but at or below 10 ppb include the following:

While your drinking water meets the U.S. EPA standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. The U.S EPA standard balances the current understanding of arsenic's possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. The U.S. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.

1. If nitrate was detected above 5 ppm but below 10 ppm include the following:

Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.

1. Reporting Sodium:

Sodium levels are required to be included in the contaminants table, even when sodium results are non-detect. There is no MCL/MCLG for sodium. 

1. For supplies with lead service lines (or service lines of unknown material), include the number of lead service lines, the number of service lines of unknown material, and the total number of service lines in the supply.
2. Although it is not required to list the number of total coliform-positive samples, the number of E. coli-positive samples from the distribution system or raw wells must be included in the table.
3. If a Level 1 Assessment or a Level 2 Assessment was required, include the following, as appropriate:
   1. During the past year we were required to conduct [INSERT NUMBER OF LEVEL 1 ASSESSMENTS] Level 1 Assessment(s). [INSERT NUMBER OF LEVEL 1 ASSESSMENTS] Level 1 Assessment(s) were completed. In addition, we were required to take [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] corrective actions and we completed [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] of these actions.
   2. During the past year [INSERT NUMBER OF LEVEL 2 ASSESSMENTS] Level 2 Assessments were required to be completed for our water supply. [INSERT NUMBER OF LEVEL 2 ASSESSMENTS] Level 2 Assessments were completed. In addition, we were required to take [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] corrective actions and we completed [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] of these actions.
4. If a Level 1 Assessment or a Level 2 Assessment was required but not completed, or the identified sanitary defects were not corrected, include the following, as appropriate:

During the past year we failed to conduct all the required assessment(s).

During the past year we failed to correct all identified defects that were found during the assessment.

1. If a Level 1 Assessment or a Level 2 Assessment was required that was not due to an E. coli MCL violation, include the following:

Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, waterborne pathogens may be present or that a potential pathway exists through which contamination may enter the drinking water distribution system. We found coliforms, indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution. When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessment(s) to identify problems and to correct the problems that were found during these assessments.

1. If a Level 2 Assessment was required due to a E. coli MCL violation, include the following:

E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. We found E. coli bacteria, indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution. When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessment(s) to identify problems and to correct the problems that were found during these assessments.

We were required to complete a Level 2 Assessment because we found E. coli in our water system. In addition, we were required to take [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] corrective actions and we completed [INSERT NUMBER OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS] of these actions.

1. If E. coli was detected and the E. coli MCL was violated, include the following, as appropriate:
   1. We had an E. coli-positive repeat sample following a total coliform-positive routine sample.
   2. We had a total coliform-positive repeat sample following an E. coli-positive routine sample.
   3. We failed to take all required repeat samples following an E. coli-positive routine sample.
   4. We failed to test for E. coli when a repeat sample tests positive for total coliform.
2. If the groundwater supply has any uncorrected significant deficiency, as designated by EGLE, or fecal indicator positive source sample result during the year, include the following elements:
   1. Nature of the significant deficiency or source of the fecal contamination, if known, and the date(s).
   2. Whether the fecal contamination has been addressed and date addressed.
   3. For unaddressed significant deficiencies and unaddressed fecal contamination, the approved plan and schedule for correction, including interim measures, and progress to date.
   4. The potential health effects of the fecal indicator positive source sample.