Protecting Our Water Supplies
Bremerton is fortunate to have high quality water supplies. Surface water from the Union River headwaters and groundwater from wells located in the Bremerton area provide Bremerton’s water supply. Bremerton owns and protects the 3,000-acre watershed surrounding the Union River supply – this allows Bremerton’s surface water system to remain one of only a few systems not required to filter. This is a great value to our rate payers as water filtration plants cost 15-20 million dollars to construct and close to a million dollars a year to operate and maintain. To continue to ensure the source can remain unfiltered, access to the Union River Watershed is secured, patrolled, and limited to water supply and forestry management activities.
Groundwater wells are also safeguarded through the City’s Wellhead Protection Program to protect critical areas around the wellheads. All sources are managed according to state and federal regulations and best management practices for water supply systems. The Washington State Department of Health regularly inspects Bremerton’s water system, including the surface supply. Bremerton was selected for an “Exemplary Source Water Protection” Award in 2017 by the American Water Works Association.
Source Water Assessment Program
Washington State Department of Health Office of Drinking Water has compiled source water assessment data for all public water systems in Washington. This assessment shows wellhead protection zones and inventories potential contaminants as part of a coordinated effort to protect drinking water sources in Washington.
Washington DOH’s Source Water Assessment Program is online.
Source # |
Source Name |
Water Type |
Depth (feet) |
Susceptibility
Assessment |
Treatment |
S01 |
Union River Main Stream |
Surface Water |
|
High |
Chlorine, UV |
S02 |
Union River West Branch |
Surface Water |
|
High |
Chlorine, UV |
S07 |
Bremerton Well 2R |
Groundwater |
273 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S08 |
Bremerton Well 3 |
Groundwater |
316 |
Moderate |
Chlorine |
S12 |
Bremerton Well 7 |
Groundwater |
627 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S13 |
Bremerton Well 8 |
Groundwater |
578 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S14 |
Bremerton Well 13 |
Groundwater |
273 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S15 |
Bremerton Well 14 |
Groundwater |
278 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S17 |
Bremerton Well 17 |
Groundwater |
293 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S20 |
Bremerton Well 15 |
Groundwater |
294 |
High |
Chlorine |
S21 |
Bremerton Well 19 |
Groundwater |
182.5 |
Moderate |
Chlorine |
S22 |
Bremerton Well 20 |
Groundwater |
210.5 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S25 |
Bremerton Well 6R |
Groundwater |
645 |
Low |
Chlorine |
S27 |
Bremerton Well 18R |
Groundwater |
270 |
Moderate |
Chlorine |
Outside Sources
Bremerton’s Water System receives water from Port Orchard’s McCormick Woods Water System, through a shared reservoir in the area between Gorst and Port Orchard.
Bremerton's Water Needs Minimal Treatment
Bremerton's water system is operated and maintained by experienced personnel certified by the State. Bremerton's Union River water source is such good quality that the city is not required to install a filtration facility as long as all water quality, operational, and watershed protection requirements are met. Bremerton consistently meets these high standards. Treatment of Bremerton’s water currently consists of disinfection (chlorine and ultraviolet light) and corrosion control. Corrosion treatment increases the pH of water to about 8 and is required to prevent Bremerton’s water from leaching lead from customer’s household plumbing. Sampling results confirm this treatment is successful in achieving corrosion control.
The City of Bremerton performs systematic flushing of the water distribution system. Customers are notified about flushing through newspaper ads, neighborhood signs, the city's website, e-News, and the Water Hotline 360-473-5490. Flushing is a process of sending a rapid flow of water through the mains to clean them. This helps to maintain water quality by removing naturally-occurring sediment. Flushing may cause temporary discoloration of your water. If this happens, call the Water Hotline or visit Bremerton's website for instructions on flushing your service. If your water does not clear up after the flushing process, please call the Customer Response Line at 360-473-5920.
Water Quality Summary
To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Department of Health and EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Your drinking water is regularly tested according to federal and state regulations in both the water sources and the distribution system. Last year the City of Bremerton conducted over 1,200 tests for the parameters listed below. Only those detected are listed in the water quality summary.
Our water system has violated a surface water treatment monitoring requirement. Even though this was not an emergency, as our customer you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation. We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific parameters on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During the month of September 2021, we did not complete all the testing for biological contamination.
What should you do? There is nothing you need to do at this time. The table below lists the parameter not properly tested for, how often we are required to sample for this parameter, how many samples we are required to take, how many samples we took, and when samples should have been taken.
Source Fecal Coliform |
Five days each week system serves water to the public |
1 sample every day for five days during the week |
4 samples were taken |
5 samples should have been taken Sept. 5-11, 2021 |
What happened? What is being done? During the week of September 5 through September 11, 2021, only 4 source fecal coliform samples were taken instead of the required 5 per week for each week the water system serves water to the public per WAC 246-290-694 (l)(b). A holiday occurred on the Monday of that week, and the operator of the day neglected to collect the 5th sample on Saturday as planned to make up for the holiday.
All other required bacteriological monitoring was completed in September (23 source fecal coliform samples and 51 post-treatment samples from the distribution system) and the drinking water delivered to your tap met all state and federal water quality standards. However, the City takes its responsibility as a water purveyor and steward of public health very seriously. The source fecal coliform monitoring standard operating procedure was updated, and all staff attended refresher trainings on pertinent drinking water regulation and requirements.
Substances Detected
Listed below are the few substances detected in Bremerton's water last year. All results meet protective standards set by federal and state agencies. Not listed are the substances that were tested but not detected. The amounts allowed in drinking water are so small, they are measured in parts per million or parts per billion. We have tried to make this report easy to understand; however, drinking water quality issues can be technical. For additional water quality information, please call 360-473-5920. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than a year old.
Regulated at the Surface Water Source
Turbidity
|
Treatment Technique 5 NTU
|
N/A
|
Soil runoff
|
2.52 NTUs
|
0.37 - 2.52 NTUs
|
Yes
|
Sodium (most recently sampled in 2021)
|
No limit set
|
N/A
|
Naturally-occurring
|
5.19 ppm
|
ND - 5.19 ppm
|
Yes
|
Nitrate |
10 ppm |
10 ppm |
Fertilizer use |
< 0.5 ppm |
< 0.5 ppm |
Yes |
Regulated at the Groundwater Sources
Arsenic (most recently sampled in 2021)
|
10 ppb
|
0
|
Erosion of natural deposits
|
4 ppb
|
< 1 - 4 ppb
|
Yes
|
Sodium (most recently sampled in 2021)
|
No limit set
|
N/A
|
Naturally-occurring
|
11.7 ppm
|
< 5 - 11.7 ppm
|
Yes
|
Nitrate |
10 ppm |
10 ppm |
Fertilizer use |
< 1.76 ppm |
< 0.5 - 1.76 ppm |
Yes |
Regulated in the Distribution System
Total coliform
|
Presence of coliform in less than 5% of monthly samples
|
0
|
Naturally-occurring
|
There were zero coliform present in the 894 samples taken in 2021
|
Yes
|
Trihalomethanes
|
80 ppb
|
N/A
|
By-product of drinking water chlorination
|
74 ppb - locational running annual average
|
1.3 - 94 ppb
|
Yes
|
Haloacetic acids
|
60 ppb
|
N/A
|
By-product of drinking water chlorination
|
37 ppb - locational running annual average
|
0 - 66.1 ppb
|
Yes
|
Chlorine
|
4 ppm
|
4 ppm
|
Water additive used to control microbes
|
0.76 ppm annual average
|
0.02 - 1.49 ppm
|
Yes
|
Regulated at the Customer Tap
Lead (most recently sampled in 2020)
|
Action Level = 15 ppb
|
0
|
Household plumbing
|
5 ppb 90th percentile
|
No sample sites exceeded the Action Level
|
Yes
|
Copper (most recently sampled in 2020)
|
Action Level = 1,300 ppb
|
0
|
Household plumbing
|
41 ppb 90th percentile
|
No sample sites exceeded the Action Level
|
Yes
|
Definitions
- Action Level is the concentration of contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements a water system must follow. Ninety percent (90%) of all samples must be below this amount.
- MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) is 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.
- MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which no known or expected risk to health exists. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. MRDL (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level) is the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in water.
- MRDLG (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal) is the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which no known or expected risk to health exists.
- pCi/L stands for picocuries per liter. This is in parts per trillion.
- ppb is parts per billion and is the same as a microgram per liter (ug/L) (equivalent to one penny in $10,000,000).
- ppm is parts per million and is the same as a milligram per liter (mg/L) (equivalent to one penny in $10,000).
- N/A means not applicable.
- ND means the laboratory did not detect this substance.
- NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) is the measurement of water clarity. Monitoring turbidity is a good indicator of water quality.
- Treatment Technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant. Bremerton's surface supply is shut off when turbidity increases above set points.
Waiver Information
The Washington State Department of Health reduced monitoring requirements for the Bremerton system for various contaminants because sources were determined not to be at risk of contamination. Inorganic compounds, including arsenic and sodium, are among the list of contaminants with a waiver; years of last samples are listed in the table, and results met all applicable standards.
Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring
Unregulated contaminants are those for which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to help EPA determine their occurrence in drinking water and potential need for future regulation. These contaminants may be naturally occurring, or are, in some cases, byproducts of disinfection. Those found by the City of Bremerton in the 2018 round of UCMR sampling are listed in the following table. No cyanotoxins were detected in the 2018 sampling event.
Parameter |
Highest Level Detected in 2018 |
Ranges of Levels Detected in 2018 |
Manganese |
57.1 ppb |
9 - 57.1 ppb |
TOC (indicator) |
1400 ppb |
1200 - 1400 ppb |
HAA5 |
58.3 ppb |
0.4 - 58.3 ppb |
6BR |
4.3 ppb |
ND - 4.3 ppb |
HAA9 |
60.9 ppb |
0.4 - 60.9 ppb |
Information from EPA
Sources of both tap and bottled drinking water include rivers, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring substances such as minerals and radioactive materials. It also dissolves substances resulting from animal or human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water are microbes; pesticides; herbicides; and radioactive, organic and inorganic chemicals. To ensure tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Board of Health regulate the amount of certain contaminants in public 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 EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as those 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 guidelines on appropriate means to lessen risk of infection by
Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791. Bremerton's ultraviolet treatment inactivates
Cryptosporidium.
In Washington State, lead in drinking water comes primarily from materials and components used in household plumbing. The more time water has been sitting in pipes, the more dissolved metals, such as lead, it may contain. Elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially in pregnant women and young children. To help reduce potential exposure to lead: for any drinking water tap that has not been used for 6 hours or more, flush water through the tap until the water is noticeably colder before using for drinking or cooking. You can use the flushed water for watering plants, washing dishes, or general cleaning. Only use water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water is available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or online at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Be Prepared for Emergencies
Normally your water is safe to drink, but should a disaster happen, you will need to treat it or have an emergency supply on hand if the city’s water supply is interrupted. To prepare for a drinking water emergency, the American Red Cross recommends storing one gallon of water per person per day—enough for at least three days for drinking, food preparation, and sanitation. For more information on preparing for emergencies we recommend the following resources:
“Treating Drinking Water for Emergency Use”, Washington Department of Health
PDF
“Preparedness”, Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management
Website
Professional Water Organization
The City of Bremerton is proud to be members of the following professional water organizations: