2023 Annual Water Quality Report
Protect Your Water:
Denise Koch, Engineering & Public Works Director
CBJ’s Utility staff maintains the critical infrastructure that delivers delicious high-quality drinking water to Juneau residents and visitors year after year. It’s such an essential and reliable service that most of us rarely think about the treatment facilities, constantly evolving regulations, and 175 miles of distribution lines the Utility monitors, maintains, and updates every day. The next time you turn on your faucet, consider raising a glass to the team behind the tap – cheers!
– Denise Koch, Engineering & Public Works Director
Your Water. Your Report.
Per the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, all drinking water suppliers are required to provide the public with an annual statement describing the community’s water supply and quality. The belief at the City & Borough of Juneau is that our local water resource is your water, and it is the Utility’s job to protect its purity and deliver it safely so that is clean and delicious for all residents, visitors, and businesses.
Juneau’s drinking water comes from groundwater and surface water sources. The primary water source is the Last Chance Basin (LCB) wellfield located in the Gold Creek watershed; it provides roughly two-thirds of Juneau’s water. Surface water, collected at the Salmon Creek (SC) Reservoir, comes from snowmelt and rainfall. This is Juneau’s secondary water source and supplies about one-third of the drinking water demand.
Juneau’s water requires very little treatment compared to the rest of the United States. Both sources are gently chlorinated to kill any disease causing microorganisms that may be present. As required by the EPA, all surface water is also run through an additional filtration unit.
The CBJ Utility regularly monitors its waters for contaminants, including lead, which have been known to adversely affect water quality in other communities. In the fall of 2022, the reservoir tanks were inspected and cathodic protection systems repairs were made at each reservoir to prevent internal corrosion. Additionally, divers were employed to clean the sediment on the bottom of the tanks. Rigorous monitoring and maintenance programs like these have allowed CBJ to consistently deliver water that meets and exceeds drinking water standards as set by the EPA.
Drinking Water Monitoring & Test Results
Measured Before Treatment
| Test | Units | Max Contaminant Level | Max Contaminant Level Goal | Last Chance Basin | Salmon Creek | Date Sampled | Source of Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbidity | NTU | 0.3 | 0 | N/A | 0.11 avg 0.031 max |
Continuous | Turbidity data is recorded post filtration |
| Arsenic | mg/L | 0.01 | 0 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 2022* | Erosion of Natural Deposits |
| Barium | mg/L | 2 | 2 | 0.047 | 0.024 | 2022* | Erosion of Natural Deposits |
| Fluoride | mg/L | 4 | 4 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 2022* | Naturally present in the environment (CBJ has not added fluoride since Jan. 2007) |
| Nitrate (as Nitrogen) | mg/L | 10 | 10 | 0.33 | <0.1 | 2023 | Fertilizer runoff; sewage leaching; erosion of natural deposits |
| Selenium | mg/L | 0.05 | 0.05 | <0.002 | <0.002 | 2015* | Erosion of natural deposits |
| Alpha Particles | pCi/L | 15 | 0 | 1.1 | 0.26 | 2015* | Erosion of natural deposits |
| Radium 226 | pCi/L | 5 | 0 | 0.44 | 0.84 | 2015* | Erosion of natural deposits |
| Radium 228 | pCi/L | 5 | 0 | 1.8 | 0.22 | 2015* | Erosion of natural deposits |
Measured in the Distribution System
| Test | Units | Max Contaminant Level | Max Contaminant Level Goal | Distribution System | Date Sampled | Source of Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Coliform Bacteria | count | 1 positive sample per month | 0 | No Violation | Weekly | Runoff from organic material |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAAS) | mg/L | 0.06 | N/A | 0.0019 avg ND-0.0074 |
Quarterly | By-product of drinking water disinfection |
| Total Trihalomethanes(TTHM) | mg/L | 0.08 | N/A | 0.0033 avg 0.00071-0.00753 |
Quarterly | By-product of drinking water disinfection |
| Chlorine | mg/L | MRDL = 4 | MRDL = 4 | 0.49 avg | Continuous | Disinfectant used to control microbes |
| Copper | mg/L | AL = 1.3 | 1.3 | 90th Percentile = 0.320 | 2022* | Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
| Lead | mg/L | AL = 0.015 | 0 | 90th Percentile = 0.0006 | 2022* | Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
*Summary of the most recent water quality test results for the CBJ water system. ADEC and EPA limit the amount of certain contaminants in drinking water to ensure the safety of public health. Juneau’s treated drinking water met all State and Federal standards for public health. Some data, though representative, is more than a year old. Per State requirements, some contaminants are monitored less than once per year due to infrequent concentration shifts.
Abbreviations
ADEC: Alaska Department of Envrionmental Conservation
AL: Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers additional treatment or other requirements
CBJ: City and Borough of Juneau
EPA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
FDA: U.S Food & Drug Administration
LCB: CBJ’s Last Chance Basin, Water Source
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the CMLGs as feasible using treatment technology
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known of expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
MGD: Million Gallons per Day
mg/L: Milligram per Liter – Or parts per million
MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level – The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.
N/A: Not Applicable
ND: None Detected at specified level
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit – The unit of measure for turbidity, or the light scatter created by particles suspended in water.
pCi/L: Pico Curies per Liter
PPB: Parts per Billion
SC: CBJ’s Salmon Creek, Water Source
Fun Facts
Source: Environmental Protection Agency. “Statistics and Facts.” Water Stats, accessed 5/15/2024, https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts
Lead Service Line Inventory Program
(Also referred to as the Water Service Line Material Survey)
In response to a water quality crisis in 2014 in Flint, Michigan, the EPA in 2024 mandated that all public drinking water supplies seek to ensure that their entire distribution systems – including privately owned service lines – be lead-free. To help accomplish this goal, the CBJ must inventory the entirety of our drinking water distribution system, including all water mains and service lines to every individual household, school, and business, regardless of ownership.
During 2024, the Utility will be contacting all property owners with privately owned water lines within the City and Borough of Juneau to engage in self-surveys and facilitated inspections in order to complete our federal requirements for this program. The composition of all water service lines will be identified as one of four categories: lead, galvanized containing lead, non-lead, or lead status unknown.
Upon completion of the LSLI, the results will be made available to the public through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and as part of the descriptive information found within the CBJ’s Parcel Viewer. Any property owner with a water supply service line that does or may contain lead will be immediately contacted, advised of the current risk, and provided with options for mitigation.
We look forward to partnering with the community to continue our legacy of delivering clean, pure, and delicious drinking water.
Potential Water Contaminants
CBJ’s drinking water is regularly tested and required to provide the results annually to the public – ensuring that is clean, pure, and delicious. All drinking water may be reasonably expected to contain small amounts of certain contaminants. Contaminants often enter the source water naturally; as water travels over land or through the ground, it dissolves occurring minerals and may pick up substances from the presence of animals or human activity.
The presence of a contaminant does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. The EPA limits the amounts of contaminants in public water systems to ensure that water is safe to drink. The FDA establishes contaminant limits for bottled water.
SOURCE WATER PROTECTION
A Source Water Assessment was performed for CBJ watersheds to identify the potential for contamination. LCB received a “Medium” susceptibility designation common to groundwater sources. SC reservoir received a “Very High” susceptibility designation (due to potential exposure by wildlife and recreational uses) common for surface water sources. These ratings do not directly reflect the quality of the drinking water; they provide the Water Utility with information as to how prone the water sources are to possible contamination.
Copies of the Source Water Assessments for LCB and SC are available from the ADEC Drinking Water Program at (866) 956-7656, or the Alaska Resource Library at (907) 272-7547.
CONTAMINANTS THAT MAY BE PRESENT IN DRINKING WATER SOURCES
Microbial Contaminants are viruses and bacteria that may come from local wildlife or human activity and could affect source watersheds. The most common examples of these include: giardia, cryptosporidium, salmonella, campylobacter, Escherichia coli (E.coli), Hepatitis A, and Norwalk-type viruses. Inorganic Contaminants can include a combination of metals, salts, compounds, particles, and mineral complexes which do not contain carbon.
Inorganic contaminants include natural or man-made elements or compounds that can contaminate water or be concentrated in the water cycle. Some of the most common contaminants include carbon dioxide and other gases, salts like chloride, sodium, calcium, potassium, iron, and manganese. Inorganic contaminants commonly create a salty or bitter taste, discoloration, or even chemical scale/corrosion.
Organic Contaminants in drinking source waters are comprised of Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOCs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM). SOCs are man-made chemicals typically from the petroleum, plastics, chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. NOM is often due to trace organic compounds from decomposing plant and animal material in the environment. These include a variety of acids, proteins, algae, and microorganisms. Excepting the rare instance of harmful algal blooms, NOM is generally not a health threat.
Radionuclide Contaminants found in public drinking water sources occur naturally. Radioactive radium and uranium are found in small amounts in almost all rock and soil, and can dissolve in water. Radon, a radioactive gas, created through the decay of radium, can also naturally occur in groundwater. If it is not removed, radon in water will increase the risks of kidney damage and cancer.
Contaminants of Special Concern are determined through continual monitoring by the USEPA and currently include Lead and PFAS.
PFAS, or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, are persistent synthetic compounds used in a variety of industrial and consumer product applications including non-stick cookware and firefighting foams. PFAS poses a significant threat to human and ecosystem health and the allowable limits in drinking water have recently been further restricted by the EPA to 2 parts per trillion (2 ng/l). There is currently no detectable PFAS in Juneau’s source water.
Lead is a toxic metal that is persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the body over time. The USEPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and plumbing fixtures. Certain pipes that carry drinking water from the water source to the home may contain lead. Household plumbing fixtures, welding solder, and pipe fittings made prior to 1986 may also contain lead. There is currently no detectable lead in Juneau’s source water.
For more information about contaminants in drinking water sources and potential health effects, contact the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or visit water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants.
Exemptions and Waivers
The CBJ water system operates under waivers for synthetic organic chemicals and reduced asbestos monitoring as authorized by ADEC.
For More Information
Thank you for reading this report and helping us protect Juneau’s water supply. If you have any questions, comments, or would like more information please contact Brian McGuire, CBJ Utilities Superintendent at (907) 586-0393 or the ADEC at (907) 465-5066