Lake of the Woods Community Club Drinking Water Report State ID# 44387E

This report, also known as a Consumer Confidence Report, provides you with information about the water you drink. This report shows that your water meets or exceeds federal and state primary drinking water standards.

Lake of the Woods Community Club Water System is managed by:

Peninsula Light Company Water Services
13315 Goodnough Dr NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98332-8640
 (253) 857-5950 or toll-free: 1-888-809-8021
Fax (253) 857-159 https://www.penlight.org

Your Water Source

The water source is from four wells. Two wells fill a 70,000-gallon concrete reservoir. The water is then pumped through a system of pipes to the homes in the community. The system does not provide fire flow.

The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) categorizes drinking water standards into primary and secondary contaminants. Primary standards relate to contaminants that affect public health. Secondary standards relate to contaminants that affect aesthetic qualities, such as appearance, taste, odor, and color.

Water utilities are responsible for sampling for contaminants and reporting this information to the State Department of Health (DOH) who in turn report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  USEPA uses this data to ensure that consumers are receiving clean water and verify that states are enforcing the drinking water regulations.

Contaminants that may be present in source water:

~ Microbial, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations or wildlife.

~ Inorganic chemicals, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas, mining, or farming activities.

~ Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agricultural, residential application, and storm water runoff.

~ Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, are a by-product of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

~ Radioactive contaminants that are naturally occurring.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.  Immune-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

To ensure that the tap water is safe to drink, the Department of Health and EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Washington Department of Agriculture regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

You do not need to buy bottled water for health reasons if your drinking water meets all the federal and state drinking water standards.  If you want a drink with a different taste, you can buy bottled water, but it costs up to 1,000 times more than your tap drinking water. Of course, in emergencies bottled water can be a vital source of drinking water. 

“Dirty Water!”

What is it and what happened?

As many water system users are aware, many wells in our area are no strangers to the nuisance iron and manganese. These common minerals found at various levels in most source waters can cause problems from discolored water, to staining of plumbing fixtures and some may even affect taste. These problems occur before becoming a health hazard and are generally referred to as aesthetic issues only. Because these minerals build up over time on most portions of the distribution system, flushing is done by the system operator to minimize negative effects.

Despite these efforts, problems can and still do occur. Mostly during water system use changes, like a seasonal change of higher volume use, discolored water is seen from the breakup of mineral build up. This can be isolated to a customer’s home only or be in all or a portion of the distribution system requiring the unplanned flushing of the system. In such cases the flushing may initially make the problem worse by stirring up even more of the mineral discoloration. Running a few taps for 15 to 20 minutes should clear up the problem.

Iron and manganese removal systems are available though can be very costly for utilities or system owners because of the volume of water that would need to be treated. Many homeowners decide to have a single house system installed. There are many to choose from and having the right system for your needs is important. Be sure samples are collected after a new system is installed to ensure it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.

Washington State Department of Health Drinking Water Program:  800-521-0323

http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw

Water Quality Data

The table below shows the results of water quality monitoring for contaminants in your water supply from the well with the highest primary levels detected. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. All other contaminants required to be monitored but not listed were either below the standard detection limits and/or MCL.

Terms and Abbreviations used:

AL – Action Level – the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level – the highest level of contaminant allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
MCLG – MCL Goal – the level of contaminant in drinking water, below which there is no known or expected health risk.  MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.
MRDL – Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level: the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants (e.g., chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide).
MRDLG – Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal: The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

NA – Not applicable ND – Not detectable PPM – parts per million

PPB – parts per billion

(1 ppm = 1 milligram per liter; mg/L)

USEPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 
800-426-4791 http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/

Microbiological – Coliform Bacteria (measured in distribution system)	Results: All total coliform samples were satisfactory in 2023.
	Action: None required.
	Source:  Bacteria are naturally occurring in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially harmful bacteria may be present.
Primary Contaminants (measured at source)	Your Water	MCL		MCLG		Compliant (Y/N)		Typical Source of Contamination
Arsenic (ppm)	ND	0.01		0		Yes		Most arsenic in drinking water comes from natural rock formations. Last tested 2017
Nitrate (ppm)	1.39	10		10		Yes		Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks; and erosion of natural deposits. Tested 2023
Secondary Contaminants (measured at source)	Secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs) are standards set for other than health effects such as taste and odor
	Your Water		SMCL		Compliant (Y/N)		Typical Source of Contamination
Chloride (ppm)	4.0		250		Yes		Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Last tested 2017
Fluoride (ppm)	ND		2		Yes		Erosion of natural deposits – no fluoride is added to water supply.  Last tested 2017
Iron (ppm)	ND		0.3		Yes		Occurs naturally in water as a result of the leaching of iron salts from the earth and occurs as a result of corrosion of pipes. Last tested 2021
Manganese (ppm)	ND		0.05		No		Occurs naturally in water as a result of erosion of natural deposits.  Last tested 2017
State Regulated / Other (measured at source)	Although the State Board of Health has not established SMCLs for sodium, there is sufficient public health significance connected with this contaminant to require inclusion in inorganic chemical and physical source monitoring.
Hardness (ppm)	75		NA		NA		A quality of water containing dissolved components of calcium and magnesium. Last tested 2017
Sodium (ppm)	5		NA		NA		Naturally occurring; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Last tested 2017
Turbidity (NTU)	0.5		NA		NA		Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water.  High turbidity can hinder the effectiveness of disinfectants. Last tested 2017
Corrosion By-products (measured at customer taps)	90th percentile result is reported below. (Out of every 10 homes sampled, 9 were at or below this level.)  NOTE:  0.015 ppm (parts per million) = 15 ppb (parts per billion).  Last tested 2023
	Your Water		AL		Compliant (Y/N)		Typical Source of Contamination
Lead (ppm)	.002		0.015		Yes		Corrosion of household plumbing; erosion of natural deposits
Copper (ppm)	0.47		1.3		Yes		Corrosion of household plumbing; erosion of natural deposits