Each year, the Green Bay Water Utility provides its customers with an annual Water Quality Report to let you know how the Utility’s drinking water quality stacks up against federal and state drinking water standards. The report reflects some of the 10,000+ tests we conducted on the drinking water in 2020 to ensure your drinking water’s quality and safety.

WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?

The Green Bay Water Utility’s main source of water is Lake Michigan. This source is known as surface water, and it is treated at a filtration facility. A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources source water assessment summary is available. If you are interested, contact the Green Bay Water Utility at (920) 448-3480.

Lake Michigan

Utility-Owned Service Line

Curb Stop

Privately-Owned Service Line

Water Meter

HEALTH INFORMATION

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 Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline

(800) 426-4791.

WHAT MAY BE IN DRINKING WATER

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

1. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
2. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
3. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
4. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
5. Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. The Utility’s water quality surpasses all federal and state Safe Drinking Water Standards.

The Green Bay Water Utility has performed additional water quality monitoring on contaminants that are not regulated or do not have health effect advisories associated with them yet. Please see our website at gbwater.org or call (920) 448-3480 for additional information.

UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS

Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted. EPA required us to participate in this monitoring.

TURBIDITY MONITORING

In accordance with s.NR810.29, Wisconsin Administration Code, the treated surface water is monitored for turbidity to confirm that the filtered water is less than 0.1 NTU/0.3 NTU. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. We monitor for it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. During the year, the highest single entry point turbidity measurement was 0.03 NTU. The lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting the turbidity limits was 100%.

CONTAMINANT HEALTH EFFECTS — LEAD

Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ 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/ Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.

The Green Bay Water Utility is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or at www.epa.gov/ safewater/lead.

WHAT ABOUT CRYPTOSPORIDIUM?

Cryptosporidium (Crypto) is a protozoan parasite found in lakes and rivers, typically when these waters contain animal or sewage waste. The Green Bay Water Utility continues to aggressively analyze for Crypto in Lake Michigan source water and treated water samples. The results indicate that no Crypto has been found. The Utility’s ozonization process effectively eliminates any potential Crypto.

DETECTED CONTAMINANTS

Your water was tested for many contaminants last year. We are allowed to monitor for some contaminants less frequently than once a year. The following tables list only those contaminants detected in your water.

If a contaminant was detected last year, it will appear in the following tables without a sample date. If the contaminant was not monitored last year, but was detected within the past 5 years, it will appear in the tables on the next page along with the sample date.