Hill Air Force Base's water supply got high marks in a recently published Consumer Confidence Report, a yearly "report card" that discusses the quality of the base's drinking water system.

The 75th Aerospace Medicine Squadron's Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight published the Confidence Report for Hill AFB on July 1. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires all drinking water system managers to write a report like this each year.

"Our drinking water meets or exceeds both state and federal drinking water standards for water quality," said 1st Lt. Rebecca Rasweiler-Richter, the 75th Air Base Wing's bioenvironmental engineering water program manager.

The Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight routinely samples Hill AFB's water to ensure it meets state and federal standards for drinking water. This sampling occurs at least monthly on the base and is done under the direction of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

Examples of the contaminants tested for include: microbial contaminants; inorganics (metals and salts); volatile organic chemicals (pesticides, herbicides and solvents); synthetic organic chemicals (industrial solvents, paints and dyes); physical contaminants (dissolved solids); and radioactive contaminants.

"We are held to strict drinking water standards set forth by the EPA and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality," said Staff Sgt. John Krolak, a 75th ABW bioenvironmental engineer technician.

Drinking water sources can include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

To ensure safe drinking water, the EPA limits the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The drinking water might contain small amounts of some contaminants, though the mere presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

According to the report, the Hill AFB public water system received no violations during 2011.

Hill AFB serves a population of approximately 21,000 people and receives most of its drinking water from wells several hundred feet deep that are located on the base. Hill AFB may potentially supplement the base water supply with water from the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. Weber Basin gets its water from deep wells, the Weber River, and several creeks along the Wasatch Front. According to the Weber Basin Consumer Confidence Report, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District also provides water that meets or exceeds state and federal regulations.

Copies of the Hill AFB and Weber Basin Consumer Confidence Reports are available for viewing at the base library (Building 440) and at the bioenvironmental engineering office (Building 249).

For more information, contact the Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight at 801-777-4551.