City of Wichita's drinking water surpasses all federal and state drinking-water standards.

We encourage public interest and participation in our community's decisions affecting drinking water. City Council meetings occur on most Tuesdays at 9:00 AM in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 455 N. Main. The public is welcome to request time on the agenda for comments about water utility topics.

Consult the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water information.

Water Sources

The City of Wichita is supplied by surface water from Cheney Reservoir, and groundwater from a wellfield located in the Equus Beds Aquifer. Groundwater is also pumped from local wells around the water treatment plant. These sources are blended at the Wichita Water Treatment Plant just before entering the purification process.

How to Read This Table

The table shows the results of our water-quality analyses. Every regulated contaminant that we detected in the water, even in the most minute traces, is listed here. The table contains the name of each substance, the highest level allowed by regulation (MCL), the ideal goals for public health, the maximum amount detected (not the average), the usual sources of such contamination, footnotes explaining our findings, and a key to units of measurement. Definitions of MCL and MCLG are important.

Maximum Contaminant Level or 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 treatment technology.

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

Action Level (AL)
The concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirement that a water system must follow

Treatment Technique (TT)
A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. The data presented in this report is from the most recent testing done in accordance with regulations.

Key to Table

• NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Units
• ppm = parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l)
• ppb = parts per billion
• NA = not applicable

Water-Quality Table Footnotes

• 90% of fifty (50) collected tap samples were less than 12 ppb. Four (4) of fifty (50) tap samples were above the AL of 15 ppb.

• 99% of the samples tested were below the treatment technique (TT) level of 0.5 NTU.

Unregulated Contaminants

Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen found in surface water throughout the U.S. Although filtration removes cryptosporidium, the most commonly-used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100 percent removal. Our monitoring indicated the occasional presence of these organisms in our source water, but not in the treated water. Current test methods do not allow us to determine if the organisms are dead or if they are capable of causing disease.

Ingestion of cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infection. Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Most healthy individuals can overcome the disease within a few weeks.

However, immuno-compromised people are at greater risk of developing life-threatening illness. We encourage immuno-compromised individuals to consult their doctor regarding appropriate precautions to take to avoid infection.

Cryptosporidium must be ingested to cause disease, and it may be spread through means other than drinking water.

Required Additional Health Information

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes limits on the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled 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 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 radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

1. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

2. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

3. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

4. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems.

5. 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 which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than is 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 are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.

Concerning Lead in Our Water

Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home's water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.

Search for Excellence

Our utility has joined the Partnership for Safe Water, a national initiative to help achieve operational excellence in water treatment. The partnership was developed through cooperation among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and water supply associations to provide better protection for consumers from microbial contaminants that can cause intestinal illness.

National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Compliance

For more information, call the City of Wichita at (316) 269-4763.

When available, water quality data for community water systems throughout the United States is available at http://www.waterdata.com/.

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