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.