FERNDALE, Wash. — The City of Ferndale recently published their annual water quality report (PDF) detailing results of drinking water sample analyses during 2018. Results for some substances are from multiple samples during the year while others are based on a single annual sample.
According to the city website,
All water purveyors are required to publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report which outlines important information about the drinking water they provide to their customers.
Contained in the recently released 2018 report is a table detailing the absence or presence of various substances in the samples. The City reports being in compliance with Food and Drug Administration requirements as the presence of the following substances are within their establish limits.
| Substance | Amount/Range Detected | Maximum Tolerance |
| Measured in “raw water” before treatment | ||
| Total organic carbon (ppm) | 0.50-5.12 (avg 1.35) | |
| Measured in Plant | ||
| Arsenic (ppm) | 0.002 | 0.01 ppm |
| Barium (ppm) | 0.041 | 2 ppm |
| Free Chlorine (ppm) | 0.6 to 0.8 | 4 ppm |
| Copper (ppm-measured at the treatment plant) | 0 to 0.035 | 1.3 ppm |
| Nitrate (ppm) | 0 positive of 1 sample | 10 ppm |
| Lead (ppm) | 0 to 0.004 | 0.015 ppm |
| Measured in Distribution | ||
| Total Coliform | 2 positive of 188 samples | ≥ 2 positive samples per month |
| Halo acetic acids (ppb) | 6.5 to 9.5 (avg 8.0) | 60 ppb |
| Total Trihalomethanes (ppb) | 33.2 to 48.4 (avg 40.8) | 80 ppb |
The following table provides comparison between the 2018 Water Quality report and previous 2015, 2016 and 2017 reports.
| Substance | 2015 Amt/Range Detected | 2016 Amt/Range Detected | 2017 Amt/Range Detected | 2018 Amt/Range Detected |
| Measured in “raw water” before treatment | ||||
| Total organic carbon (ppm) | 0.63-1.40 (avg 0.78) | 0.58-0.81 (avg 0.71) | 0.65 – 0.93 (avg 0.76) | 0.50-5.12 (avg 1.35) |
| Measured in Plant | ||||
| Arsenic (ppm) | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Barium (ppm) | 0.039 | 0.041 | 0.041 | 0.041 |
| Chlorine (ppm) | 0.6 to 0.8 | 0.5 to 0.9 | 0.5 to 0.9 | 0.6 to 0.8 |
| Lead (ppm) | 0 to 0.003 | 0 to 0.003 | 0 to 0.003 | 0 to 0.004 |
| Nitrate (ppm) | 0 positive of 1 sample | 0 positive of 1 sample | 0 positive of 1 sample | 0 positive of 1 sample |
| Measured in Distribution | ||||
| Total Coliform | 0 positive samples of 132 | 1 positive sample of 176 | 0 positive samples of 180 | 2 positive samples of 188 |
| Copper (ppm-measured in the distribution system) | 0 to 0.134 | 0 to 0.134 | 0 to 0.134 | 0 to 0.035 |
| Halo acetic acids (ppb) | 2.1 to 7.9 | 2.4 to 5.6 | 5.8 to 7.4 | 6.5 to 9.5 |
| Total Trihalomethanes (ppb) | 11.3 to 44.8 | 9.2 to 39.6 | 32.1 to 48.7 | 33.2 to 48.4 |