(PUBLISHED IN THE MCALESTER NE...

(Published in the McAlester News-Capital on March 6th, 2016.) IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER The McAlester PWA Did Not Meet Treatment Requirements Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did to correct this situation. We routinely monitor your water for turbidity (cloudiness). This tells us whether we are effectively filtering the water supply. • During the month of October 2015, two (2) samples were above the standard of 1 turbidity units. Because of these high levels of turbidity, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms. • Water Samples for October 2015 showed that six percent (6%) 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? There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking the water. General guidelines on ways to less the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. What does this mean? This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified within 24 hours. 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, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. These symptoms 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 is being done? The McAlester PWA is evaluating options for improvements to the filtration system at the Water Treatment Plant to address turbidity problems. For more information, please contact Jake Walton, Water Treatment Plant Manager, at 918-423-0267. Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. This notice is being sent to you by the McAlester PWA, PWSID No.: OK1020609. Date distributed: March 1, 2016 and March 15, 2016