Consumers in Hawaiian military communities can drink their water confidently

<p><i>Water quality reports show water on Oahu's Army posts is clean and safe</i></p><p>SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Every year since 1999, public water suppliers have been required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide Consumer Confidence Reports to their water users. These reports are essentially annual water quality reports that provide information on the origin of the drinking water, any sources of potential contamination, and the contaminant data for the previous year. </p><p>The Directorate of Public Works (DPW), Environmental Division (Army), is pleased to report that no violations occurred for any of the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii (USAG-HI), installations including Aliamanu Military Reservation, Fort Shafter, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Schofield Barracks. </p><p>The 2007 Consumer Confidence Reports will be sent to installation residences this month. They are also posted on the 25th Infantry Division Web page at www.25idl.army.mil/dpw/SafeDrinking.html. </p><p> Drinking water can come from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes or reservoirs, or ground water sources such as aquifers. The drinking water for USAG-HI installations comes from aquifers, which are natural underground reservoirs. As water passes over the earth's surface and percolates into the ground, it may dissolve naturally occurring minerals, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animal or human activity causing water contamination. </p><p>There are five main categories of contaminants including microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemicals, and radioactive elements. </p><p>Water sampling for these contaminants occurs throughout the year. Some monitoring occurs more often than others as outlined by the Safe Drinking Water Act. </p><p>The EPA sets limits on the amount of a contaminant present in drinking water. A violation occurs when the contaminant level exceeds the highest allowable level. </p><p><i>(Editor's Note: For more information, contact the DPW Environmental Division at 808-656-2878.)</i></p>

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Safe Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Reports