Utilities Department

Overview   Utilities Updates   Electric   Make a Payment or Turn Utilities On/Off   Wastewater (Sewage)  Water   Water Quality Report   Forms   Energy Optimization Plan   Energy Optimization Annual Report

Water Quality Report 2010

General Facts about Niles Water
Source Water Assessment
Unregulated Contaminants
Wellhead Protection Program
Contaminants Found in Untreated Water
Distribution System
Infrastructure Improvements
Water Quality Data

General Facts about Niles Water

It is our goal to provide you with the best drinking water possible. Our test results show that we have achieved our goal. We have met the State of Michigan requirements. The information found in this report is representative of our source water, which is ground water. Within our water system there are eight wells available to provide water to the City, an Iron Filtration Plant, a Booster Pumping Station and five Elevated Storage Tanks.  Your drinking water comes from the St. Joseph River Glacial Outwash Aquifer System.

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 City of Niles is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in 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 at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead.

In 2003, the State of Michigan completed a Source Water Assessment. Ground water susceptibility is determined in large part by the number and type of contamination sources within the Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA), with additional consideration to aspects of well construction and the chemical monitoring history of individual production wells. Information from the WHPA delineation for the eight production wells indicates the aquifer from which the City obtains groundwater is characterized as “leaky-confined”.  Leaky-confined aquifers possess a “moderate” geologic sensitivity.

The Contaminant Source Inventory, current as of October 2007, indicates several existing and potential sources of contamination. Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) sites include the Niles Community School Bus Storage and Repair, 1740 Lake Street ; Dale’s Mini Mart, 2323 North 5th Street ; Niles Chemical Paint, 225 Fort Street ; Niles Pro Quick Mart, 801 North 13th Street . There are six sites of environmental contamination (EPA Part 201) that include Pri Mar Petroleum, 1429 Lake Street; Henco Enterprises, 2241 Lake Street;  Amerson Bowman, 782 Fort Street; Berman’s, North 5th Street; US Aviex, 1056 Huntly Road and Birch Crest Estates, 2330 East Main Street .

Potential sources of contamination include Underground Storage Tank (UST) sites; small and large quantity hazardous waste generators; a former City dump that is adjacent to the golf course; Michigan Baseline Environmental Assessment sites; groundwater discharge permit sites; former gas stations; agriculture sites; and other industrial and agriculture sites.

The City of Niles' eight production wells possess a “moderately high” susceptibility based on the above-mentioned geologic sensitivity analysis, listed potential contamination sources within the WHPA, and the following:

1. No Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violations have occurred.
2. The well construction meets standards.
3. There are no potential contamination sources within the standard isolation zone.
4. Our community has an active WHPA that supports management of existing or potential sources of contamination.
5. Known sources of contamination within the WHPA are being remediated to prevent movement of contamination to municipal wells.

We have conducted a sampling of unregulated contaminants. The U.S. EPA has revised the federal regulations affecting the monitoring of unregulated contaminants within public water systems. The purpose of monitoring unregulated contaminants is to provide data to support the EPA Administrator’s decisions concerning whether or not to regulate these contaminants in the future for the protection of public health. This basically lets the EPA know what is in drinking water and to what levels they appear.

With the completion of our Water Filtration Plant we are able to eliminate low levels of contaminants from the water. The results of this unregulated contaminant monitoring are available at the City of Niles , Utilities Department Service Center , 1265 S. 15th Street . They are available through Johnnie Hall, Water Superintendent at this location. Please call 269-684-3901, extension 302, for details.

Because we care about the quality of water we provide, we are taking precautionary measures to ensure that our source water does not become vulnerable to contamination. We have begun what is known as a Wellhead Protection Program. We have defined a recharge area that shows us where our water comes from, for up to 10 years. We have finalized plans to establish goals that will protect our wellhead recharge area. Through our Wellhead Protection Program we have worked with Niles High School students to design Wellhead Protection signs that have been placed on the main thoroughfares leading into town. With these signs, we hope to raise public awareness by warning motorists of the fact that when they are entering the City of Niles , they are above the groundwater capture area, and that accidental spills of dangerous chemicals being transported over our highways, if left unattended, could contaminate our drinking water. 

We will proceed with drafting ordinances and zoning changes, and will be working to gain the support of neighboring communities to safeguard our water source with these changes.  For further information please contact Johnnie Hall, Water Superintendent, at 269-684-3901, extension 302.

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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health affects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled) 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 might be expected to be in source water (untreated 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 by-products 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 the tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. EPA regulations establish limits for contamination in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

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 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 the appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or visiting their website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater.

We have tested for over 200 parameters regulated by the EPA and the State of Michigan .  Included in these tests were metals, volatile organics, pesticides, herbicides, synthetic organic carbons and cyanide. Due to groundwater contamination contained in the upper aquifer, we are monitoring three wells on a quarterly basis to further safeguard our water supply.

Our sole source of drinking water is ground water wells. We treat water differently in our water system. In the two east zones, we add chlorine to prevent the growth of harmful water-borne bacteria, we add phosphate to sequester the iron that accumulates in the distribution system, and we add fluoride to help reduce dental cavities in children.  In the west zone we only add fluoride.

Every year we conduct cross connection inspections on commercial and industrial businesses to safeguard our water supply. It is important to observe how our water is used by our customers and to prevent backflow from back-siphonage and back pressure.

The City of Niles Water Division is operated by the City of Niles Utilities Department, a community-owned utility. The City of Niles provides water, wastewater and electric service to the greater Niles area, Niles Township and Howard Township . Our main office is located at 322 East Main . Our mailing address is P.O. Box 217 . Our fax number is 269-684-3907. Visit our web site at www.ci.niles.mi.us.  J.W. Rossow is the Utilities Manager, 269-683-4700, ext. 216 and Johnnie Hall is the Water Superintendent, 269-684-3901, extension 302. You may address any utility concern at our Utilities Board Meeting, which is open to the public. The meeting is held every third Monday of the month, at 3:15 PM, in the City Hall Conference Room at 508 E. Main Street, Niles.

A significant portion of the City of Niles water distribution system was installed more than 50 years ago. This, along with the fact that raw water, pumped from the below ground aquifers and into the distribution system, is high in iron content has created water quality problems for our customers.

After completing a water reliability study, the City embarked upon a water system infrastructure improvement program. This completed program addresses problems across the total water system, including Niles , Howard and Bertrand Townships , and within the City limits.

Included in these capital improvements have been an Iron Filtration Plant, the establishment of an intermediate water pressure district on the east side of town which included an Elevated Storage Tank and a Booster Pump Station, and the addition of an Elevated Storage Tank on the west side of town.

We are happy to report that we are able to remove 99.95% of the natural iron from the raw water supply to the new plant. We have raised the water pressure within the intermediate pressure district, on the far eastside by 30 psi, and we have added additional fire protection to the west side that will sustain necessary fire flows by today’s standards.

The table below lists the regulated and unregulated contaminants detected in Niles' drinking water during 2010 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, 2010. The State allows 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. All of the data is representative of the water quality, but, some are more than one year old.