Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District is proud to provide high quality drinking water to our customers.  This annual water quality report shows the source of our water, lists the results of our tests, and contains important information about water and health issues.  You will be notified if there is any reason for concern about our water.  We are proud to show you that the water that we provide has surpassed EPA water quality standards.  The water in our lines undergoes testing for over 80 contaminants according to governmental requirements.  As you will see in the following table, we detected only nine (9) items in the water, and all of those items were at safe levels below the MCL.

​

Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District conducts monthly board meetings on the second and last Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. est. in the board room at 2647 North State Road 545 near Dubois, Indiana.  Please feel free to attend and participate in these meetings.  For public involvement opportunities and District information please visit our web site at www.plrws.net.

 

YOU CAN TAKE YOUR DRINKING WATER FOR GRANTED, BECAUSE WE DO NOT!

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

     

 

OVERVIEW:

 

Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District provides water to 26 water utilities and over 5,842 customers.  In all, water treated by the District is distributed into parts of eleven (11) southern Indiana counties.  The District meets or exceeds the testing and reporting requirements of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). 

 

2023 testing included weekly microbiological tests with zero positive results for total coliform.  A special testing for the gasoline additive MTBE was reported to be below the detection level.  The District participates in the state dental fluoridation program and adds fluoride to the treated water.  Lead and copper tests were conducted in 2023 at 30 sites in the District with results below maximum contamination level.  

 

WATER SOURCE:

 

In 2023, the sole source of the water treated and distributed by Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District was surface water from the Patoka Reservoir.  For more information about your drinking water, please call us at (812) 678-8300.   As an end user and consumer of water, you can help to protect the sources of drinking water by increasing and promoting efforts to recycle materials and properly dispose of chemicals, used oils and petroleum products, batteries, and other household refuse.  Source water assessment is available for review at the District office.

 

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.  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 Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

 

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells.  As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity. 

​

Contaminants that may be present in source 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 runoff, and residential uses.

• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, storm water runoff, and residential use.

• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.