Important Information about Your Drinking Water
/We are happy to report our water system is not currently violating turbidity standards for your drinking water.
Turbidity measurements have remained below 0.3 turbidity units since mid-May 2021 to present (published June 5, 2021). However, we need to notify you that turbidity treatment requirements were not met for the reporting period for the month of May 2021.
Turbidity Treatment Requirements Not Met - May 2021
Lummi Island Scenic Estates Community Club (LISECC) ID #43290 - Whatcom County
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this situation does not require that you should take immediate action, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct the situation.
We routinely monitor your water for turbidity (cloudiness). This tells us whether we are effectively filtering the water supply. Water samples in May 2021 show that more than 5 percent of turbidity measurements were over 0.3 turbidity units – the standard is that no more than 5 percent of samples may exceed 0.3 turbidity units per month.
What should I do?
You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
What does this mean?
Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, virus, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
What happened?
The quality of our reservoir water changed, possibly due to algae growth during the warm conditions in mid-April. Our treatment process is less effective during these conditions, resulting in higher turbidity in the drinking water.
What is being done?
Planning for, and replacement of, the water treatment plant has become the primary focus of the board of directors. LISECC has retained Wilson Engineering to advise on the planning, permitting, and funding of this project. Meanwhile we have been analyzing the reservoir by regularly taking samples at multiple depths to determine algal growth and other parameters. This information has helped other water systems treat drinking water in similar conditions.
Reducing the turbidity in our drinking water is our first priority.
We will notify LISECC customers as this problem is corrected.
Please share this information with other people who drink your water (for example, tenants and guests).
For more information, please contact Kevin Southworth, Operations Manager
phone: (360) 758-7055
email: kevin@lisecc.com
mailing address: 1211 Island Drive, Lummi Island, WA 98262
