2025 City of Craig Water Quality Report PWSID#AK2120193

Is my water safe?

We are pleased to present this year's Annual Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This report is designed to provide details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. This report is a snapshot of last year's water quality. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies.

Do I need to take special precautions?

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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791).

Where does my water come from?

The City of Craig gets its drinking water through a surface water intake located in the North Fork Lake at N 55*27'49", W 132*54'24".

Source water assessment and its availability

A source water assessment for the City of Craig surface water intake was completed in 2003 and the results of the assessment are:
The Wellhead/Surface Intake Susceptibility is Very High.
The Aquifer Susceptibility is Not Applicable.
The overall vulnerability to potential contaminants is:
Bacteria and Viruses is Very High;
Nitrates/Nitrites is Very High;
Volatile Organic Chemicals is Medium;
Inorganics/Heavy Metals is Medium;
Synthetic Organic Chemicals is Medium;
Other Organic Chemicals is Medium.

For assistance, please contact the DWSP coordinator at 907-269-7549, or toll free in Alaska at 1-866-956-7656.You can go to the DWSP website for more information at: https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/dw/dwp.

Why are there contaminants in my drinking water?

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 (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (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: microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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 stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and residential uses; organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

How can I get involved?

Persons interested in the City of Craig water system can use the contact information in this report to contact us.

Waivers

The DEC has granted a Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOC) waiver to the City of Craig in March 2025. During the 2023-2025 waivered period the system will not have to monitor for SOC’s. We plan to submit for renewal before this waiver expires.

Monitoring and reporting of compliance data violations

The City of Craig failed to monitor fourth quarter for Total Organic Compounds. This resulted in a compliance violation. Health effects are unknown.

Additional Information for Lead

There were no lead service lines identified in our inventory. We used historical and visual inspection methods for identification of service connection materials. The DEC has accepted our inventory as complete. You can find a copy of the lead service line inventory on our city website at https://www.craigak.com.

Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. CRAIG PUBLIC WORKS is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components in your home. You share the responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from the lead in your home plumbing. You can take responsibility by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family’s risk. Before drinking tap water, flush your pipes for several minutes by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. You can also use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead in drinking water. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact CRAIG PUBLIC WORKS (Public Water system Id: AK2120193) by calling 907-826-3405 or emailing publicworks@craigak.com. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Explanation

The 71.53% removal noted in the table is the lowest percent removal for the first two quarters of 2025. The 3rd quarter labels were either mislabeled or samples were collected in the wrong bottles. The percent removal for 3rd quarter which does not reflect actual TOC percent removal was -303%. We did not sample 4th quarter which gave us a monitoring violation. We plan on returning to compliance with the next TOC sample submitted.

Water Quality Data Table

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.

Contact Name: LEWIS, OLIVER
Address: PO Box 725
CRAIG, AK 99921
Phone: 907-826-3405