City of Westland
William R. Wild, Mayor
Department of Public Service
Water and Sewer Division
37137 Marquette    Westland, MI  48185    (734) 728-1770

2007 Report to Consumers on Water Quality

Westland is proud of the fine drinking water it receives from the City of Detroit and furnishes to the residents. This report will list the source of our water, the results of the tests performed on the water, and additional information about water and health questions.  State and federal requirements mandate that an annual report be sent to Westland customers before July 1 each year. This is our eleventh report.

Water Source   
Westland is supplied by the City of Detroit from its Springwells Water Treatment Plant in Dearborn.  The water comes from the Detroit River, situated within the Lake St. Clair, Clinton River, Detroit River, Rouge River, and Ecorse River, in the U.S. and parts of the Thames River, Little River, Turkey Creek and Sydenham watersheds in Canada. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, and the Michigan Public Health Institute performed a source water assessment to determine the susceptibility of potential contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a six-tiered scale, from very low to high, based primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry and contaminant sources. The susceptibility of our Detroit River source water intakes was determined to be highly susceptible to potential contamination. However, all four Detroit water treatment plants that use source water from the Detroit River have historically provided satisfactory treatment of this source water to meet drinking water standards.

Public Notice Sewage Disposal System Event

Any person or claimant who experiences an overflow or back up of a sewage disposal system or storm water system that is under the jurisdiction and control of the City of Westland should immediately contact the City of Westland Department of Public Service Director, Kevin Buford, at the following address and telephone number:
City of Westland
Department of Public Service
37137 Marquette
Westland, MI  48185
(734) 728-1770

Important Health Information

Overview

The City of Westland maintains over 325 miles of water main, over 2900 hydrants and over 6000 valves in our system.  We have flushed the water mains in one section of the city this year, covering the neighborhoods in the area of Merriman to Inkster and Annapolis to Van Born.  This is done to remove buildup from the water main and improve pressure and quality of the water you receive.  We will be doing other sections of the City of Westland in 2008 as the weather permits, working through the city on a continual basis.  We are also operating and repairing the valves for isolating the water throughout the city to insure proper operation of the valves in an emergency.

Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Westland 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 800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium is a disease-causing parasite that lives in the intestinal tract of many animals, including dogs and cats.  Symptoms of infection include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, nausea and vomiting.  The disease is typically spread through contact with feces of an infected animal or person or consuming contaminated food or water.  Cryptosporidium can be introduced into bodies of water by way of surface water runoff containing animal waste and sewage discharge.  The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been testing for cryptosporidium since 1994 and has not detected it in any of our source water supplies.

People with Special Health Concerns

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 are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Compliance

        In 2007, the City of Westland had no monitoring violations.  A monitoring violation is not an exceedence of a MCL or health standard.
        The Department of Public Service Water and Sewer Superintendent prepared this report for the City of Westland.  Data was supplied by the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.  If there are any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to contact the City of Westland Department of Public Service at 734-728-1770. This report is supplied to our customers to ensure compliance with the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act (1976, PA 399, as amended) by 1998 PA 56.  This Act was passed to comply with the Federal Clean Water Act and the rules promulgated by the United States EPA dealing with this law.  Water quality data for community water systems throughout the United States is available at www.waterdata.com.

Additional 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 at 800-426-4791.
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:

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

WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT:  Furthermore, compliance with Public Act 222 of 2001, an amendment to Michigan’s Governmental Immunity Statute 1964 PA 170, as amended MCL 691.1401 to 691.1419, requires that a claimant who wishes to seek compensation for property damage or physical injury resulting from a sewage disposal system event notify the City of Westland, Water and Sewer Superintendent, in writing, within 45 days after the date the damage or physical injury was discovered, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have been discovered.  The written notice shall contain the claimant’s name, address and telephone number, the address of the affected property, the date of discovery of any property damages or physical injuries, and a brief description of the claim.  Failure to comply with the notice requirements may prevent the recovery of damages and bar any claim that a claimant may have.

Springwells Water Treatment Plant

2007 Regulated Detected Contaminants Tables

2007 Special Monitoring

Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards.  Monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants.