Sturgis Water Department

We serve more than 6,442 customers an average of 945,500 gallons of water per day. Our water is groundwater that we produce from local wells. The state has performed an assessment of our source water and they have determined that the relative susceptibility rating for the City of Sturgis public water supply system is moderate.

For more information about your water and information on opportunities to participate in public meetings, call (605) 347-4425 and ask for Eric Tibbetts.

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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessary 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).

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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants can be obtained by calling the Environment Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

The attached table lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2007 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 — December 31, 2007. The state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old.

2007 Table of Detected Contaminants for Sturgis EPA ID No:0321

• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): the level of contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): the highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• Action Level (AL): the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
• Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

DENR supplies this information as a service to the Sturgis public water system. It is the responsibility of the public water system to check this information against their sampling history and the regulations.

As you can see by the table, our system had no Maximum Contaminate Level Violations. We're proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

Some of our data in the tables are more than one year old, since certain chemical contaminates are monitored less than once a year. Our sampling frequency complies with EPA drinking water regulations.

The sources of drinking water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. Ads water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it can dissolve naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials. The water can also pick up substances such as:

1) Microbial contaminates, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations and wild life.

2:) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic waste water discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.

3) Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

4) Organic chemical contaminants, which can come from industrial processes, gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

5) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to insure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA establishes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration establishes limits for contaminants in bottled water.

MCL's are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink a half gallon of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

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 systems 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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contamination are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or EPA (800-227-8917).

The City of Sturgis Water System has increased preventative security measures to protect the water supply from vandalism and can use everyone's help to ensure the success of these measures. Please help keep our water safe by reporting any suspicious activities near any City Building, Water Tank, Fire Hydrants, etc. to the Sturgis Dispatch at 347-2573, 24 hours/day. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children's future.