Rogers County RWD # 5

Rural Water District No. 5, Rogers County, Oklahoma 1021507, provides our Annual Municipal Water Quality Report covering January 1 to December 31, 2017. This report aims to inform you about your tap water and our efforts to deliver safe water. Our source is surface water from the Verdigris River, which naturally carries a higher contamination risk.

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal or human activity.

Potential source water contaminants include:

• Microbial contaminants from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants like salts and metals that occur naturally or result from urban runoff, wastewater discharge, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential usage
• Organic chemicals from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants that occur naturally or result from oil/gas production and mining

All water, including bottled water, reasonably contains some contaminants. Their presence doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

EPA regulations limit contaminants in public water systems, while FDA rules establish similar limits for bottled water to protect public health. Some individuals may be more vulnerable to contaminants than the general population, including those with compromised immune systems (cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, HIV/AIDS patients), elderly persons, and infants. These individuals should seek advice from healthcare providers.

If present, elevated lead levels can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead primarily comes from materials in service lines and home plumbing. We cannot control materials used in plumbing components. To minimize lead exposure, flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. Information about testing for lead is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

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