Winnetka

The Winnetka Water Plant is dedicated to providing residents with safe, reliable, high-quality municipal water. Our team uses advanced equipment and testing procedures to ensure water quality exceeds both State and Federal standards. This annual consumer confidence report, required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), explains our water source, test results, and important information about your water supply.

Our water comes from surface water drawn from Lake Michigan. The report includes detailed analysis of regulated contaminants detected in our water supply, even in trace amounts. You'll find information about contaminant names, maximum allowable levels (MCLs), public health goals, detected quantities, and common contamination sources.

Key definitions to understand:

• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant permitted in municipal water, set as close to health goals as feasible using available treatment technology.
• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The contaminant level below which no known or expected health risks exist, allowing for a safety margin.
• Action Level (AL): The contaminant concentration that, when exceeded, triggers required treatment or other system requirements.

WHAT IS?

1. Readiness to Serve Charge: This fee covers the cost of water delivery, system maintenance, meter reading, meter installation, water main upkeep, and fire hydrant maintenance.
2. Commodity Charge (water & sewer): Based on actual water usage. Sewer charges typically correlate with water consumption. This fee covers water treatment costs (chemicals, energy, labor) and overall plant operations divided by gallons provided.
3. Meter Charge: Represents the replacement value of your meter over its expected 20-year lifespan. For residential meters, it's the meter cost divided by 20 years; large commercial meters are calculated similarly.
4. New Debt Service Fee: This restructured fee (previously included in sewer charges) covers annual state revolving fund loan payments for the Wastewater treatment plant.

FYI: Readiness to serve and meter replacement charges now appear as flat fees rather than being incorporated into commodity rates. This ensures large water users or residents experiencing leaks don't unfairly shoulder these system costs.

HOW TO READ YOUR METER

All New Baltimore customers have water usage measured through meters, ensuring each resident pays their fair share based on actual consumption. While beautiful lawns require water in summer, remember that increased usage leads to higher bills. Regularly checking your meter helps monitor water consumption.

Locate Your Meter: Water meters typically sit in basements directly in line with the main outside faucet. In older homes, they might be in utility rooms, closets, beneath/behind stairs, or in crawlspaces.

Read Your Meter: Most homes have digital meters requiring a flashlight for reading. Shine light directly on the flashlight symbol in the lower left corner to reveal eight digital numbers. Read from left to right like an odometer. For example: a reading of 0301 with usage of 51 thousand gallons.

Keep Track: Record monthly readings to calculate your water usage patterns over time.