City of Lake Wales

The Municipal Water Is Regularly Monitored. This report summarizes the quality of water we provide to our customers. The analysis covers January 1 through December 31, 2016, using data from the most recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required tests as detailed in the attached pages. We hope this information helps you better understand what's in your tap water.

Sources of Municipal Water
Sources of tap water (both from faucets and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land surfaces or through ground layers, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity.

Potential Contaminants in Source Water Include:

• Microbial contaminants such as viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment facilities, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants including salts and metals that occur naturally or result from urban runoff, industrial discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agricultural sources, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses
• Organic chemical contaminants including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants that occur naturally or result from oil/gas production and mining operations

Our Water Source
Our municipal water comes from eight wells tapping the Floridian aquifer at depths exceeding 1,000 feet. Our treatment process includes aeration to remove volatile contaminants and chlorine disinfection.

Source Water Assessment
In 2016, the Department of Environmental Protection conducted a Source Water Assessment (SWA) on our system to identify potential contamination sources near our wells. Sixteen petroleum storage tanks were identified as potential contamination sources with moderate susceptibility risk levels. Assessment results are available at www.dep.state.fl.us/swap or from Holly Britt, Chief Water Operator, at (863) 678-4182 ext. 249.

Understanding Water Quality
All water, including bottled varieties, can reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these substances doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. The EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminants in public water systems, while FDA regulations set similar standards for bottled water, both designed to protect public health.

Maximum Contaminant Levels are very conservative. To understand potential health effects for regulated substances, a person would need to consume two liters of water daily at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of experiencing described health effects. For more information about contaminants and potential health impacts, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

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