1. Message FromYour Water Superintendent

We are proud to share this report and inform you about what goes on behind the scenes to deliver your high-quality water. First, I want to assure you that your water is safe from viruses and other pathogens like COVID-19. The Green River has excellent water quality, and our treatment processes effectively disinfect your water. Together, our clean water and filtration plant continue to support you and your health providing safe drinking water and hygiene practices like washing your hands and cleaning surfaces.

While COVID-19 did disrupt our initial plans for 2020, it did not alter our responsibility to deliver you the best water possible. As you might imagine, it takes a team of individuals with varying skills and abilities to work together to provide a quality product. The desire to serve you and our community is a vital, admirable quality of our organization. I am proud of their commitment and hard work, especially with the challenges of 2020.

This report gives you a glimpse into the many tasks we complete to bring you clean water, which begins in the Green River Watershed. The brief bios of some of our fantastic employees who take considerable measures to protect your water quality will help you get to know the people you entrust. You can also learn how we monitor water quality further by testing for impurities the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies and studies but doesn’t have limits or standards. I hope you find these stories interesting and informative.

We strive to be as transparent as possible about the quality of your water. Thank you for allowing us to serve you; it is an honor and a privilege.

Scott Dewhirst, Superintendent

An Important

Message From

the EPA

Your drinking water currently meets the EPA’s revised drinking water standard for arsenic. However, it does contain low levels of naturally occurring arsenic not associated with known sources of industrial contamination. There is a small chance that some people who drink water containing

low levels of arsenic for many years could develop circulatory disease, cancer, or other health problems. Most types of cancer and circulatory diseases are due to factors other than exposure to arsenic. The EPA standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water.

Eagle Gorge Reservoir

How Road Improvements Make a Difference in the Watershed

Roads are an essential part of the infrastructure within the Green River Watershed and are how we access our critical assets, such as the water intake, wells, pipelines, backup power generators, thousands of acres of forests, and miles of streams and waterways. While roads are necessary, they must be well designed and maintained. Proper planning, construction, and maintenance of our forest roads helps minimize erosion, protects water quality, forest productivity, fish and wildlife habitat, and provides for safety.

Proper road maintenance includes regular evaluation of the condition of roads and road assets to identify deficiencies and prioritize repairs before they become problems.

The roads within our watershed cross numerous streams and rivers, with bridges and culverts being the major components of the road system.

Relief culverts transport water from ditches under the road onto the forest floor.

Forest vegetation acts as a natural filter  to keep pollution out of the water.

The roots of vegetation anchor soil against erosion, and material on the forest floor helps absorb nutrients and sediment.

We upgrade our roads and replace our culverts when they no longer

function properly or as they reach the end of their life.

The 1950s suspension foot bridge over the Green River near our filtration facilities.

We continued to build upon road improvements by implementing a systematic culvert inspection program within our ownership. In 2020, we completed the inventory and inspection on eight miles of forest roads located along the south side of the watershed. We also inspected 124 culverts and found 26 were deficient and 15 were prioritized for replacement. We monitor the remaining culverts periodically, and re-assess them within five years to identify which might be a high priority. These inventories and inspections guide our annual culvert replacements including 10 culverts prioritized for replacement in 2021. We will also begin a three-year inventory and inspection along the north side of the watershed beginning in 2021.

State law, and our agreement with federal agencies under the Endangered Species Act, also requires us to replace artificial fish passage barriers on our roads with fish-passable structures. This effort is part of our Habitat Conservation Plan. In 2005, we began work to replace three culverts identified as barriers to fish travel. This multi-year project involved the landowners contributing to the removal of culverts and installation of bridges. We replaced the identified culvert barriers with fish passable culverts or bridges to facilitate free movement of fish upstream and downstream through the area.

There is always a need to inventory and inspect our stream crossing structures because they wear out over time. We installed the majority of culverts during the 1960s to 1980s. We identify the installation time by a culvert’s materials and configuration. Most of the culverts installed at that time will not survive a massive storm, which creates a higher potential for road failure.

We maintain these assets to a level that protects the environment and ensures water quality, while providing for safe transportation. Further, it demonstrates our commitment to other forest landowners, business partners, and local communities that we value a healthy forest and clean water, and commit to protecting it.

The Green River provides 90% of our drinking water supply.

Forest land in the watershed is our first filtration system.

Precautions at the Green River Watershed Help Protect the Quality of Your Water

Doug Blanchard

Environmental Specialist

"Much of my contribution to water protection and quality is through good communication and being a keen observer. My commitment is to restore and maintain the lands that affect water quality.

When contractors, landowners, and right-of-way users work in the watershed, they need to understand they are all part of the equation to protect water quality. They usually don’t consider water quality impacts of their work, so I review best practices that allow them to perform their job and consider our interests.

I also monitor and solve problems with invasive species in the watershed. What began as a concern for aquatic invasive species led to an awareness of noxious weeds and their impact on native plants and habitat. Caring for our lands and having a greater understanding of the variety of invasive plants along roads, right of ways, and the river corridor, make my job challenging and rewarding."

Natalie Jones

Restoration Biologist

The Green River Watershed is the primary source of your drinking water and for the communities we serve. This includes other cities and entities that provide water to more than 300,000 people throughout the region collectively. Because the vast forested land that makes up the watershed includes other utilities, the U.S. Forest Service, and state and private timber companies, we take extra precautions to help protect the source.

To ensure your drinking water is clean, reliable, and safe, the City of Tacoma bought much of the land adjacent to the Green River to restrict activities that could influence water quality.

We partner with other landowners to extend our protection activities to lands we do not own. We do this primarily through cooperative agreements to ensure they meet high water quality standards. We also review forest management permit applications submitted to the Department of Natural Resources to ensure forest management activities on state and private timberlands adequately protect the water quality that you depend on.

2020 WATER QUALITY REPORT

We developed a project intake process in 2020 to ensure contractors entering the watershed understand the sensitive nature of the watershed and how their activities can influence water quality. We meet with the landowner or utility, and their contractors working within the watershed, to learn about their projects. We use this time to discuss their work plans, identify any concerns, and offer suggestions to mitigate possible impacts on the drinking water supply.

For many contractors, this is their first time working in a restricted drinking water supply area. The special precautions required to work in the watershed are uncommon to many contractors, so we help by being available to answer their questions. By talking through their projects with them, contractors can develop the best plan for completing the work, while helping us meet our need to provide you, and the communities we serve, with clean, reliable water. We establish agreed-upon communication and protocols for any details that need our involvement.

We also cover worksite safety, emergency response, and sanitation.

Implementing this small process has greatly advanced our engagement with people working in the watershed. As a result, everyone better appreciates each other’s objectives and can mutually agree upon the best way to meet each organization’s goals. The process improves efficiency for our contractors and protects your

drinking water.

"My position helps provide clean, reliable water by keeping the watershed ecosystem healthy. I help maintain and restore the natural lands surrounding our water source, which act as a first wave of filtration before the water gets to the Green River. I also help make sure the animals living in the watershed have the habitat and food they need. I am lucky to work on projects helping elk, deer, bears, birds, and fish, to name a few. We have a small team, so I often get to assist our forester and fish biologist with their work, and I always learn new things. We work in a beautiful place, and our work changes with the seasons, so every day is a new challenge. I am so grateful to be a part of the Tacoma Water team doing a job I love!"

Brian Ballard

Watershed Forester

"I have been working for Tacoma for five years and as a forester in the Pacific Northwest for 20. I work in several areas of the Green River Watershed, but my main focus is managing and caring for our forested lands and forest roads. I’m passionate about this work because resilient infrastructure and forest health directly impact the high-quality water we provide from the watershed. Poorly maintained roads impact water quality, so I work to remove roads that are no longer needed and disconnect our roads from surface water by maintaining and upgrading our drainage structures. Properly cared for forests provide natural filtration for clean water. I help maintain their health through active management like thinning and planting, and passive management such as monitoring forest health. I enjoy my job because the work directly and positively impacts the health of our watershed and people living in our region."

7

Reporting Chemicals inYour Water

The water quality table below shows substances we identified at the water source, treatment plant, and in the distribution system during our most recent sampling. The tables below don't include the other 35 inorganic chemicals, 67 volatile organic chemicals, and 73 synthetic organic chemicals we test for — including many industrial chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides — but did not find.

This dam sends water into the Green River Filtration Facility.

Regulated at Our Groundwater Sources

Understanding ppm and ppb

Visualizing 1 ppm

Four drops of water in a 55-gallon rain barrel

Definitions

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL):

The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG):

The level of a contaminant in drinking water below for which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

ppm

One part per million.

ppb

One part per billion.

NTU

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit is a standard to measure water clarity.

AL

Action Level is the concentration which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow. Action Levels are reported at the 90th percentile for homes at greatest risk.

Minimum Reporting Level, also known as Method Reporting Limit (MRL):

The smallest amount of a substance we can reliably measure and report in a sample.

Visualizing 1 ppb

One drop of water in a

13,000-gallon swimming pool

N/D

Not Detected (result is below the laboratory minimum detection level).

TT

Treatment Technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL):

Highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG):

The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

N/A

Not Applicable.

N/R

Not Regulated (not currently subject to EPA drinking water regulations).

How We Monitor and Test for Contaminants inYour Drinking Water

Determining which drinking water contaminants we test for is complex. Some are more common like bacteria, lead, copper, and treatment additives such as chlorine, fluoride, and pH. But we also test for other less common contaminants. We get help from our friends at the EPA to determine those contaminants.

The EPA works with engineers, scientists, doctors, and other health professionals to establish a Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). The CCL is a list of drinking water contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to EPA drinking water regulations. The Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) requires purveyors of public water systems to monitor for those items to confirm if they are present and how prevalent they are. The EPA reviews the results of water system monitoring and decides whether they need to put any new regulations

in place.

The EPA considers whether the:

Identifying Substances in Your Water

Tap water and bottled water sources include rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals

and can pick up other substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity. Those substances may include inorganic material such as salts and metals, synthetic and volatile organic material from industrial processes, storm water runoff and septic systems, and pesticides and herbicides

from agriculture and residential uses. To ensure your drinking water is safe, the EPA and the Washington State Board of Health prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain

contaminants in public water systems.

Operator Armin Wahanik performs an alkalinity analysis on water.

• Contaminant might adversely affect people’s health.
• Contaminant occurs in public water systems or whether a high chance is likely that it might take place often enough and at levels of concern to public health.
• Regulation (in the sole judgment of the administrator) of the contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity to reduce public health risks.

You will find the results from the fourth round of the UCMR, also known as UCMR4, in this report.

The fifth round of the UCMR (UCMR5) recently began. We will sample from 2023-2025.

While we did detect some contaminants, their levels

were well below those known or believed to be a health concern.

UCMR4 Unregulated Contaminants

For definitions, see page 9.

For more information on the UCMR4, visit

EPA.Gov/dwucmr/fourth-unregulated-contaminant-monitoring-rule.

For more information about the CCL, visit EPA.Gov/ccl.

Organisms

Cryptosporidium (KRIP-toe-spo-RID-ee-um) Cryptosporidium is a microscopic organism commonly found in open surface water sources. Swallowing Cryptosporidium can cause diarrhea, fever, and other stomach and abdominal symptoms. We tested the Green River for Cryptosporidium on a monthly basis from 2015 – 2017. We collected and analyzed samples using the best available method approved by the EPA. We did not detect Cryptosporidium in the untreated Green River during this period. Federal and state regulations require us to treat Green River water for Cryptosporidium. We remove any Cryptosporidium that might be present effectively with filtration. We have had no reported instances of Cryptosporidium- related health problems in our service area.

Giardia (GEE-are-DEE-uh)

Giardia lamblia is another microscopic organism commonly found in open-surface waters such as rivers, lakes, and streams. Like other water systems that use open surface water sources, federal and state regulations require us to treat Green River water for Giardia. We kill Giardia effectively with disinfecting chemicals like chlorine

and ozone.

Gases

Radon

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Breathing radon can cause lung cancer in humans. Ninety-eight percent of detected radon comes from indoor air generally released from soil beneath homes. Radon can release from tap water, but in much smaller quantities – only about 1% of radon exposure comes from drinking water. We test for radon in our groundwater sources. Federal guidelines require drinking water to contain no more than 4,000 picocuries per liter (a picocurie is a measure of radiation). We took 111 samples and tested them between 1992 and 2020. Findings show an average of 291 picocuries per liter. Our largest single test shows 530 picocuries per liter.

Understanding picocuries

The Curie (Ci) is a standard measure for the intensity of radioactivity contained in a sample of radioactive material.

A picocurie (pCi) is a measure of the rate of radioactive decay of radon. One pCi is one trillionth of a Curie.

1 pCi

=

0.000000000001 Ci

Minerals

Lead and Copper

Studies cited by the EPA show swallowing lead or copper can cause health problems, especially in pregnant women and young children. Lead and copper found in drinking water usually come from home plumbing. Some homes have higher levels than other homes. Water with a low pH can cause copper to dissolve directly from pipes into water and lead to dissolve from solder used to join copper pipes. Lead-based solder was banned in 1986, but small amounts of lead can still be found in many brass-plumbing fixtures and can slowly dissolve into water after standing in pipes for a long time.

Federal and state drinking water rules establish “action levels” allowable for lead and copper in water samples collected from homes. At least 90% of samples may have no more than 15 parts per billion (ppb) of lead in one liter of water and no more than 1.3 parts per million (ppm) of copper per liter.

Once every three years, we sample at least 50 homes for lead and copper.

We completed the most recent sampling in 2019. Results show our system met action levels for both lead and copper. Although we detected lead in a few homes, all were at levels below the 15 ppb action level.

To continue ensuring we meet regulatory requirements, we will continue to monitor and adjust pH levels to reduce corrosion in pipes. We will sample again for lead and copper in 2022.

Pregnant women and young children can be more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. If you have concerns about lead levels in the water at your home, have your water tested. Running water for two minutes after it sits stagnant in the pipe for a few hours can help clean the tap and reduce the amount of lead and copper in your water. A change in the temperature of water will also tell you when fresh water arrives.

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791 or at EPA.gov/SafeWater/Lead.

Sand and Silt

Because we take our water from the Green River, which, prior to 2015, was an unfiltered water source, pipeline shutdowns and fire flows from hydrants can stir up sand and silt that sits in the bottom of water mains throughout the water supply system.

Even though the water is treated, turbid events like these can cause water to appear visually unpleasant, but it remains safe.

2020 WATER QUALITY REPORT

11

Treating Your Water

In addition to filtering your water, in 2020 we treated our Green River drinking water supply with chlorine, fluoride, caustic soda, and ozone. Treating water with the chemical disinfectants, chlorine and ozone, is important to protect your health when water is drawn from a surface supply like the Green River. Placing disinfecting chemicals in water kills germs and microorganisms, making it safe to drink.

Fluoride

Tacoma voters approved fluoride treatment in 1988 and 1989 because of the dental health benefits it provides. The Tacoma City Council then enacted an ordinance directing fluoridation of our water supply. We currently fluoridate at a level of 0.7 ppm.

Caustic soda

We treat our Green River water supply with caustic soda to raise the pH (a measurement of acidity) of the water, making it less corrosive on plumbing and reducing the amount of lead and copper that can dissolve into your drinking water.

Ozone

Algae and other organic material in the Green River can create an objectionable taste and odor in your drinking water. We treat the Green River water supply with ozone, which effectively destroys any undesirable taste and smells that can occur and provides disinfection benefits to help ensure your water remains safe to drink. Ozone gas generates when we expose pure oxygen gas to electricity in an ozone generator. After creating ozone gas, we combine it with water and inject into pipeline reactors at the Green River Filtration Facility. Ozone only lasts for a few minutes in the water, and is not present in the water supply when it leaves the treatment site.

Mechanic Brett Cook and Treatment Supervisor K.C. Shankland check a hypochlorite pump.

Chlorine

Chlorine is our primary disinfection treatment. While it does an excellent job of killing the microorganisms that may be harmful to you, chlorine also reacts with the natural organic material commonly found in surface water sources like lakes, rivers, and streams. This reaction forms compounds called “disinfection byproducts.” We must meet drinking water standards for two groups of disinfection byproduct compounds.

Byproduct levels found in water depend primarily on:

Disinfection byproduct levels vary throughout the year. Byproducts often increase during the warmest months when our water supply has its highest levels of natural organic material and chemical reactions happen faster.

We work to minimize byproduct levels and have adjusted portions of our system operations.

Treatment Supervisor K.C. Shankland inspects the thickener that causes particles to settle.

DeliveringYour Water

Most of your water comes from the Green River in South King County. The Green River Watershed is a 231-square-mile forested area that serves as a collection point for melting snow and seasonal rainfall in an uninhabited area of the Cascade Mountains between Chinook and Snoqualmie Passes. We own land along the river, which is about 11% of the watershed.

Through agreements with other landowners, we limit watershed access and carefully control activities, such as recreation, road maintenance and logging. We also own and operate seven wells on the North Fork of the Green River and take water from them during periods when Green River water is turbid. We supplement the Green River supply with groundwater from more than 20 additional wells to meet peak summer demands. Most are in Tacoma city limits.

How to Know Your Drinking Water is Safe

People often ask, “How do I know my water is safe?” Our state of the art water treatment plant at the Green River Filtration Facility ensures your water is safe to drink when it leaves the plant. That isn’t the end of our work to ensure your water remains safe on its way to and once it arrives at your home. We also monitor our system continuously.

We monitor the chemistry of your water for quality throughout the water distribution system to ensure that when you turn on the tap, you can trust the water that comes out. Our Washington State certified water quality specialists perform field analysis on more than 45 samples taken from over 65 locations throughout the system each week to ensure proper pH, chlorine, temperature, and fluoride levels. An independent State of Washington certified laboratory also analyzes our samples for bacteria.

Another essential part of assuring water quality is through cross-connection control efforts. Controlling cross-connections helps ensure that hazards associated with your personal water use don’t contaminate the public water distribution system. We work to control cross-connections through periodic hazard surveys and by requiring the installation and testing of backflow prevention assemblies.

Common hazards that require backflow prevention:

Spring snow melt in the Green River Watershed provides most of your drinking water.

The Importance of Conserving Water

When each of us uses only as much water as we need, we conserve water. Conservation makes it possible to plan and provide for residential and commercial development, take only what we need from reservoirs and wells, and leave more water in the river for fish. When we each do our part, we help ensure enough water remains available for our wildlife and to meet our growing community's needs.

The Washington State Department of Health requires city water suppliers to establish a water conservation goal and report progress each year. Our water conservation goal is to reduce summer (May – October) water use by 6.65% per person from 2018 to 2028. Every family and business that uses water outdoors—for gardens, yards, and landscaping—plays a part in helping us reach that goal. Read the plan at MyTPU.org/WaterSystemPlan or learn about our conservation programs and tips at MyTPU.org/WaterSmart.

Keeping You Healthy

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 Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791.

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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791.

There are 1,399 miles of water mains that carry between 50 and 80 million gallons of water per day to homes and businesses.

Tacoma Public Utility Board

The Tacoma Public Utility Board is the governing and policy-making body for Tacoma Water. To be involved in water quality decisions, you may participate in public meetings, held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Public Utilities Auditorium, 3628 S. 35th St. in Tacoma. Note: To comply with Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28, meetings will not be conducted in-person and will have telephonic and virtual access for the public to attend until further notice. For details, go to MyTPU.org.

Your Water Quality Report

This report contains information about your drinking water. Congress and the EPA require us to inform you annually about your drinking water and its impacts.

Although most content in this report is required, we are pleased to share additional helpful information about your water and the work we do to get it to you.

We produce and mail this report for about 45 cents per customer.

Contact information

Water Quality

253-502-8207 • WaterQuality@CityofTacoma.org

Conservation

253-502-8723 • MyTPU.org/WaterSmart

Cross Connection Control / Backflow Prevention

253-502-8215 • MyTPU.org/BackFlow

Rates

253-441-4942

National Radon Hotline

1-800-55-RADON • 1-800-557-2366

Washington State Department of Health

DOH.WA.Gov/ehp/dw

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Safe Drinking Water Hotline

1-800-426-4791 • EPA.Gov/SafeWater

FPO FPO

3628 S. 35th St. • Tacoma, WA 98409

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