CITY OF NEW BUFFALO – ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

THE CITY OF NEW BUFFALO
ANNUAL DRINKING
WATER QUALITY REPORT
WSSN # 04680

FOR THE YEAR 2025

In 1998, a new federal rule was passed to ensure that customers of community water supplies receive annual documentation of drinking water quality. The City of New Buffalo is your water supplier, and we are pleased to present you with this annual water quality report. Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable drinking water supply that meets all federal and state requirements. The results of this report show that we are reaching our goal.
Source Water Assessment

Your water comes from Lake Michigan (a surface water source). Our raw water is pumped to our Water Treatment Plant which treats and delivers finished water to storage tanks, distribution mains and finally to your household water tap. The State of Michigan performed an assessment of our source water in 2003 to determine the susceptibility or the relative potential of contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a six-tiered scale from “very-low” to “high” based primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry and contaminant sources. The susceptibility of our source water is rated “moderately high.”

Susceptibility Determination: The source water assessment for the City of New Buffalo’s Water Intake includes 8 listed potential contaminant sources within the susceptible area, plus agricultural, urban and industrial runoff from the New Buffalo River Source Water Area. Combining these potential contaminant sources with the moderately sensitive intake yields a moderately high susceptibility determination for the City of New Buffalo’s source water.

This assessment provides the city with a basis to institute a source water protection program as another tool to ensure the continued safety of our water supply.

A copy of the full Source Water Assessment Report can be obtained by contacting the City of New Buffalo at (269) 469-1500.

WATER FILTRATION PLANT • 300 MARX DR • NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN 49117
(269)469-1500 Ext. 300 •waterdept@cityofnewbuffalomi.gov
Health and Safety Information

Drinking water, including bottled water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk. The sources of both tap and bottled drinking water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, and can pick up substances resulting from animal or human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water (untreated water) include: Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife; Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring, or result from urban storm water runoff and residential uses; Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, septic systems, and urban or agricultural runoff (i.e., pesticides and herbicides); or Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. All these contaminants were below the level of concern in your water supply.

More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (1-800-426-4791 or visit https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/safe-drinking-water-information

To ensure that tap water is safe, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Information for Vulnerable Populations: Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as people 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. Federal guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are also available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline, (1-800-426-4791).

Effects of Lead in Drinking Water: Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and parts used in service lines and in home plumbing. The City of New Buffalo Water System is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing in your home. Because lead levels may vary over time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling results do not detect lead at one point in time. You can help protect yourself and your family by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family’s risk. Using a filter, certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead, is effective in reducing lead exposures. Follow the instructions provided with the filter to ensure the filter is used properly. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Before using tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formulas, flush your pipes for several minutes. You can do this by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. If you have a lead service line or galvanized requiring replacement of service line, you may need to flush your pipes for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact Ken Anderson, Water Superintendent, at the City of New Buffalo Water Filtration Plant for available resources to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.://water.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

The City of New Buffalo maintains a State certified microbiological laboratory that tests your water 365 days a year. If you have any questions concerning your water utility or need a copy of this Water Quality Report mailed to you, please contact Mr. Ken Anderson, Water Superintendent, at (269) 469-0381 or by e-mail at waterdept@cityofnewbuffalomi.gov. You may also attend our monthly City Council Meeting on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at 224 West Buffalo Street (New Buffalo City Hall).

WATER QUALITY DATA

The table below lists the EPA’s regulated and unregulated contaminants detected in The City of New Buffalo’s drinking water during 2025. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented is from January 1,2025 to December 31, 2025.

Regulated Monitoring (Sampled at Water Filtration Plant)
Detected Substance (units) Highest Level Detected Range
Of Detects EPA’s
MCL EPA’s
MCLG Violation
Yes / No Likely Sources of Substance
*Turbidity (ntu) 0.14 0.03-0.14 0.3* or no sample above 1.00 N/A No Soil Runoff
Chlorine Residual –
Free (ppm) 1.61 0.95-1.61 4.0 4.0 No Water additive used to control microbes

Fluoride (ppm) 0.62 0.62
(Single
Sample) 4.0 4.0 No Water Additive Which Promotes Strong Teeth; Erosion of Natural Deposits
Radioactive Contaminants
Radium
(Gross Alpha -Rad) (pCi/L)
Sample Date – 6/05/2023 3.26 3.26
(Single
Sample) 15 0 NO Erosion of natural deposits
Radium
(Combined 226/228)
(pCi/L)
Sample Date – 08/03/2020 1.32 1.32 (Single Sample) 5 0 NO Erosion of natural deposits
Regulated Monitoring for Disinfection By-Product Rule (Sampled in Water Distribution System)
Detected Substance (units) Highest Running
Annual Average Range Of
Detects EPA’s
MCL EPA’s
MCLG Violation
Yes / NO Likely Source of Substance
TTHM
(Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb) 28 28
(Single
Sample) 80.0 N/A No By-Product of Drinking Water Chlorination
HAA5
(Total Haloacetic Acids)
(ppb) 14 14
(Single
Sample) 60.0 N/A No By-Product of Drinking Water Chlorination
Additional Regulated Monitoring (Sampled in Water Distribution System)
Detected Substance
(units) Highest Running Annual Average Range Of
Detects
MRDL
MRDLG
Violation
Yes / No Likely Source of Substance
Total Chlorine Residual (ppm) 0.77 0.52-1.02 4.0 4.0 No Water Additive Used for Disinfection

Note 1: Definitions are on pages 5 and 6.
Note 2: The EPA requires monitoring for over 80 drinking water contaminants. Those listed above are only those contaminants detected in your drinking water. For a complete list contact the Water Filtration Plant.

Regulated Lead and Copper Monitoring (Sampled at Customer’s Tap – 2024)
Detected
Substance
(units) 90th
Percentile
Detected Range
Of
Detects Sites
Found
Above AL EPA’s
AL EPA’s
MCLG Violation
Yes / NO Likely Source of Substance
** Copper (ppb) 100 0 – 100 0 1300 1300 No Corrosion of Household Plumbing
** Lead (ppb) 3 0 – 3 0 12 0 No Corrosion of Household Plumbing
Special Unregulated Monitoring (Sampled at Water Filtration Plant)
Detected
Substance
(units) Highest Level Detected
Likely Source of Substance
Sodium (ppm) 8.9 (Single Sample)
Erosion of Natural Deposits
Additional Unregulated Monitoring (Sampled at Water Filtration Plant)
Detected Substance
(units) Highest
Level Detected
Likely Source of Substance
Hardness as CaCO3 (ppm) 137 (Single Sample)
Erosion of Natural Deposits
Sulfate (ppm) 32 (Single Sample)
Erosion of Natural Deposits
PH (su) 7.6 Measurement of Acidity of Water
Chloride (ppm) 17 (Single Sample)
Erosion of Natural Deposits
Regulated Volatile Organic Compounds (Samples at Water Filtration Plant)
Detected Substance (units) Highest
Level Detected EPA’s
MCL EPA’s
MCLG Violation
Yes / NO Likely Source of Substance
TTHM
(Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb) 23 (Single Sample) 80.0 N/A No By-Product of Drinking Water Chlorination

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – Sampled at Water Filtration Plant ( 2/25/25 )
Regulated Contaminant MCL, TT, or MRDL MCLG or MRDLG Level Detected Range Violation Yes/No Typical Source of Contaminant
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (ppt) 370 N/A N/D N/A NO Discharge and waste from industrial facilities utilizing the Gen X chemical process
Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) (ppt) 420 N/A N/D N/A NO Discharge and waste from industrial facilities; stain-resistant treatments
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) (ppt) 51 N/A N/D N/A NO Firefighting foam; discharge and waste from industrial facilities
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (ppt) 400,000 N/A N/D N/A NO Firefighting foam; discharge and waste from industrial facilities
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (ppt) 6 N/A N/D N/A NO Discharge and waste from industrial
facilities; breakdown of precursor compounds
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) (ppt) 16 N/A 2 N/A NO Firefighting foam; discharge from electroplating facilities; discharge and waste from industrial facilities
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (ppt) 8 N/A 2 N/A NO Discharge and waste from industrial facilities; stain-resistant treatments

DEFINITIONS

RAA – Running Annual Average.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) – The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of Microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Level Goal (MRDLG) – The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG’s do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

AL (action level) – The concentration of a contaminant which if exceeded triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

MCLG – Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) is 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.

NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Units

ppb – Parts per billion

ppm –Parts per million

ppt – Parts per trillion

pCi/L – (Picocuries per Liter): The standard unit of measurement for radon in the United States, representing one-trillionth of a curie or radioactivity per liter of air.

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

Unregulated Contaminants – Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of the unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulations are warranted.

90th Percentile – 90 percent of the samples were at or below the numbers listed. (Copper = 100 ppb, Lead = 3 ppb).

N/A – Not applicable.

* – Turbidity – Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. 100 percent of our samples met the required limits of less than or equal to 0.30 NTU in 95% of samples taken each month and shall not exceed 1.0 NTU at any time.

** – Lead & Copper – The state allows us to monitor contaminates less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. Copper and lead samples were collected on 6-27-24 through 8-14-24.
Infants and children who drink water containing lead more than the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.
Our Public Water Supply has zero lead service lines.

2024 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Deficiency Details
Missing range of results for both lead and copper on 2024 CCR. Sample results table is missing the range of results for both lead and copper monitoring. Based on records reviewed, lead results from the most recent monitoring (collected between 6/27/24 – 8/14/24) ranged from 0ppb to 3ppb, and Copper ranged from 0ppb to 100ppb.

This concludes our report for the calendar year 2025. Your 2026 Water Quality Report can be expected before July 1, 2027.