The Town of Superior recently released its annual 2018 Water Quality Report. The report is in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act. The report is a snapshot of the quality of water provided to residents of Superior.

The report states that, “Our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements.” Tests performed included 24 coliform bacteria test, and all were coliform free. There was one nitrate test plus nitrite test on each of the town’s three wells, and were all within EPA guidelines. Plus there were tests to determine the possible presence of 10 disinfection byproducts, and all results were within EPA standards.

The report shows Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), which is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. These have very stringent levels, the report states, and there were no MCL violations.

“To understand the possible health effects of exceeding the MCL, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL for a lifetime to have one in a million chance of having any adverse health effects,” it said in the report.

There is also information regarding lead in drinking water, which can cause serious health problems — especially in pregnant women and young children. Lead primarily comes from materials and components of service lines and home plumbing systems. Which means some homes may be higher than other’s in the community. People who are concerned about lead in their water, should have their water tested by a certified laboratory, like Montana Environmental Laboratory at 406-755-2131. There is also information online at epa.gov/safewater/lead.

The Town of Superior had three wells that are 200 to 220 feet deep and they draw water from the alluvial aquifer on the south side of the Clark Fork River. In the past, the Flat Creek Spring was used as a public source of water but that was closed in 1997 due to high levels of antimony. However, gravity flow from the Flat Creek Spring collector could be used as an emergency backup source of water.

The wells and spring are connected to a 400,000-gallon reservoir for storage, and the system has a backup generator to maintain the water supply in the event of a loss of power. The town’s water is also treated with a small amount of chlorine to ensure its purity. In all, there are 414 service connections with three new connections made last year.

Currently, Rodney Goins in Superior’s certified operator, and Andy Cadman is working on certification to be an additional operator for the system.