Madison Water Department

The Madison Water Department is pleased to present its Annual Water Quality Report for 2017. This report aims to enhance your understanding of municipal water and highlight the importance of protecting our water resources. We'll describe Madison's water system, treatment processes, and water quality testing results from January 1 through December 31, 2017.

Madison Water Department takes pride in consistently delivering high-quality water to our customers. To ensure your tap water remains safe, we regularly test for various contaminants following EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) guidelines. During 2017, as in previous years, Madison's water system met all regulatory requirements with zero violations.

Water Source & Treatment: Madison Water Department draws all water from eight wells, pumping nearly 900 million gallons in 2017. Following Indiana law, we've developed a Wellhead Protection Program to safeguard these wells, with our Phase 3 plan approved by IDEM in 2013. A 2006 source water assessment indicated our wellfields have high susceptibility to potential contaminant sources due to local geology and nearby facilities. Reports are available by contacting our Utility Payment office at (812) 265-8312.

Our treatment process includes chlorine disinfection and fluoride addition to prevent tooth decay. The treated water travels through approximately 120 miles of main pipes to serve 5,700 customers. Our distribution system includes six storage tanks with 3.9 million gallons total capacity. Since we also supply several rural water systems surrounding Madison, we estimate our wells provide water to over 20,000 people.

Potential Contamination Sources: While groundwater wells like Madison's are generally more secure than surface water sources, all water sources can contain various contaminants. As water moves across land or through soil, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and sometimes radioactive material. It may also pick up substances from animal presence or human activities.

Potential contaminants include:

• Microbial Contaminants: Viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic Contaminants: Salts and metals occurring naturally or from urban runoff, wastewater discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and Herbicides: From agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses
• Organic Chemical Contaminants: Synthetic and volatile organic compounds from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive Contaminants: Naturally occurring or resulting from oil/gas production and mining

Health Information: Some individuals may be more vulnerable to certain water contaminants than the general population. Immunocompromised persons, including those undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS or immune disorders, some elderly, and infants may face increased infection risks. These individuals should seek advice about drinking water from healthcare providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on reducing Cryptosporidium and microbial contaminant risks are available at 1-800-426-4791.

Lead in Drinking Water: If present, elevated lead levels can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead primarily comes from materials and components in service lines and home plumbing. Madison Water Department provides quality water but cannot control plumbing material variety. When water sits unused for several hours, minimize lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. For concerns about lead, consider water testing. Information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

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