The City of Burlington is pleased to present to you this Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you, the customer, about the quality of the drinking water and other services the City of Burlington delivers to you throughout the year. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. This report is intended to summarize the water sampling results done in 2005.

The source of water for the Burlington water distribution system consists of four drilled groundwater municipal wells (numbered 7-10), each finished in the deep sandstone aquifer. A summary of each facility is as follows:

Well No. 7: Located at the intersection of Origen Street and Reynolds Avenue. The well discharges at a rate of 1,000 gallons per minutes (gpm) directly into the 300,000 gallon elevated tank located to the northwest of the pump house.

Well No. 8: Located on Sheldon Street near Beloit Street on the southwest side of the City. The well discharges at a rate of 1,000 gpm directly into a 300,000 gallon ground storage reservoir.

Well No. 9: Located at Clover Drive and Weiler Road on the east side of the City. The well has the ability to either pump directly to the system or to a 300,000 gallon ground storage reservoir at a rate of 900 gpm.

Well No. 10: Located on Karyl Street in the Bear Meadows Subdivision. The well discharges at a rate of 1,200 gpm directly to a 300,000 gallon ground storage reservoir.

If you have any questions about the content of this report or any concerns about your water utility, please contact Connie Wilson, DPW-Utility Manager at 262-539-3647. We want our customers to be informed about their water utility. The City of Burlington Committee of the Whole meets the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Council Chambers in the Police Department building (224 E. Jefferson Street).

We ask that all of our customers help us protect our water sources by conserving water and by participating in upcoming City efforts to increase awareness of groundwater protection. The Burlington Water Utility intends to continually maintain your confidence. Thank you for your support and for allowing us to continue providing high quality drinking water, a most precious resource. Please feel free to call our office if you have questions concerning this report or any other water supply issues.

The City of Burlington routinely monitors for many compounds in your drinking water. The City has followed the sampling requirements set forth by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) according to Federal and State laws. The following table lists the detected compounds found in the City’s water during 2005.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/l) - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/l) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

No Detect (N.D.) - No trace of compound found.

Not Applicable (N/A) - Does not apply.

As shown above, our water system had a lead violation. This occurred in March of 2005 and immediate follow-up with a recheck sample was taken at the site in April 2005 with a reduced lead level of 21 ug/l. The lead values represent the 90^th percentile of all compliance samples collected. It is possible that lead levels at one site may be higher than at other sites in the community as a result of materials used in the site’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water.

Your drinking water presently exceeds all Federal and State requirements. It is known that all sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by compounds that are naturally occurring or are man-made. Those substances can be microbial, organic or inorganic chemical or radioactive material. The small levels of detected compounds do not pose a health risk and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that your water is SAFE at these levels.

All 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 the water poses a health risk. It should also be remembered that 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, persons 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 from potential contaminants are available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).