Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. -- Below is an annual report on the quality of the water delivered by Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Pima County, Arizona. Under the "Consumer Confidence Reporting Rule" of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, community water systems are required to report water quality information to the consuming public. Presented in this report is information on the source of D-M's water, its constituents and the health risks associated with any contaminants. 

Is my water safe? 

Last year, as in years past, your tap water met all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state drinking water health standards. Local Water vigilantly safeguards its water supplies and once again we are proud to report that our system has not violated a maximum contaminant level or any other water-quality standard. 

Do I need to take special precautions? 

Some people may be more vulnerable to acceptable levels of contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, persons with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking tap water. The EPA/Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791). 

Where does my water come from? 

The D-M drinking water system is totally independent from the city of Tucson's water supply. Our ground water is drawn from production wells throughout the base. Water is extracted from the Fort Lowell aquifer using eight wells located on base property. The water is disinfected with chlorine and is delivered to the consumer through a network of underground pipes known as a distribution system. Based on the size of our system and the number of customers, the base wells are registered with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality as non-transient, community water sources (Public Water Supply Identification Number AZ0420549). 

Source water assessment and its availability 

The well water is introduced to the base distribution system through eight Points of Entry. These eight POEs are where the majority of samples are collected for analysis and then compared to EPA and State of Arizona standards. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. This testing is conducted by the 355th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight. 

Why are there contaminants in my 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. The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells, which can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals, human activity, or from naturally occurring minerals or radioactive substances. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or by visiting http://www.epa.gov/safewater. 

How can I get involved? 

If you have questions concerning the content of this report or would like to review sampling data, call the Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight at 228-5369. If you have questions about the base water distribution system or how water is supplied to you, call the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron, Utility Element at 228-4167. 

Monitoring and reporting of compliance data violations 

In accordance with Title 18, Chapter 4 of the Arizona Safe Drinking Water Regulations, all community and non-transient, non-community water systems that use a chlorine or chloramine disinfectant shall monitor Maximum Residual Disinfection Level on a monthly basis and report results to the ADEQ on a quarterly basis. In addition, the same water systems are required to monitor and report total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids under the DBP regulation on a yearly basis. 

During our internal review, we identified that we have been reporting MRDL results quarterly, but failed to comply with the TTHM/HAA requirement during the summer months of 2006. No concerning levels of these contaminants have ever been recorded at D-M. 

The required TTHM/HAA samples will be collected during the summer months of 2007. 

Lead and copper rule violations 

In accordance with Title 18, Chapter 4 of the Arizona Safe Drinking Water Regulations, each public water system shall conduct tap water monitoring for lead and copper during each monitoring period. The monitoring period for D-M water system (system number 20549) is every three years with 40 total samples. 

During our internal review, we identified that we collected the required samples in 2001 and 2003, but failed to comply with the lead and copper tap water monitoring requirement during the summer months of 2006. There have been no reportable levels of lead and copper in past samples collected. 

The required lead and copper tap water samples will be collected during the summer months of 2007. 

Click here to view a complete Water Quality Data Table list of drinking water contaminants detected during the 2006 calendar year.