Water Rates:

Residential Base Rate Water $33.72 for the first 5,000 gal
.55 for each 1,000 gal after
(Outside City): $36.75 for the first 5,000 gal
.52 for each 1,000 gal after
Commercial Base Rate Water $55.12 for the first 5,000 gal
.83 for each 1,000 gal after

Paystation link: http://direct.paystation.com/city-rockland

The first water system was established in 1914 by Doc Marsh, and it served the community until 1947.  In 1947, a corporation was formed by 8 local men to build and improve on the current system which they operated until 1959 when they sold it to the City.  In early times, the water was stored in a stone underground cistern, and even a buried railroad tank car!  The Council began pushing for a new water and sewer system.  Over the years, several improvements were made including a newer distribution system installed in 1969.  It was mostly constructed of AC concrete pipe.  A 10,000 gallon storage tank was added in 1975.  By the late 1990’s, however, the system was reaching the end of its design life and was inadequate to provide recommended fire flows.  It had also had several occurrences of coliform bacteria in the recent past.  In 1999, a new system went online.  All new water distribution mains and laterals, with 6″ lines to reduce maintenance, increase pressure, reduce leaking, and provide fire flow capability were installed.  More fire hydrants, isolation valves, and a pressure sustaining valve were added to the system.  Water meters were included in the project so customers would pay for the water they used, which drastically reduced water consumption.  A new water storage tank was installed above the cemetery.  This project guaranteed an ample supply of clean water for the community for many years to come.  The project was financed by an Idaho Community Department Block Grant, a Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant, and a Rockland Water and Sewer bond.

The Rockland Municipal water system serves the community through 120 connections.  The system consists of 2 wells, a 100,000 gallon above ground storage reservoir, and associated distribution piping.  The wells pump water directly to the storage reservoir where the water flows by gravity to the distribution system.  There are 2 pressure reducing stations located in vaults in town.  Well #1 located on Aspen Lane is used as a secondary source for the water system.  Drilled in 1970, it was drilled to a depth of 401 feet, with a 12″ casing all 401 feet.  Static water level when drilled was 63 feet.  Well #2 (also located on Aspen Lane) was drilled in September of 1985.  This well serves as the primary water source for the city.  the 460 foot well had a static water level of 80 feet when drilled.  The pump was replaced in 2013.  Each of the well houses include a LMI hypochlorinator unit, available if an emergency arises.  The distribution system piping is constructed primarily of PVC pipe.  The main lines are 6″ with the line going to the tank being 10″.  There are 40 fire hydrants.  Based on Department Of Environmental Quality’s determination, the wells have been determined to be groundwater that is not under the influence of surface water.

Rockland CCR 2019

Do I need to take special precautions?

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer 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. EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791).

Where does my water come from?

The City of Rockland’s drinking water comes from 2 400 + foot deep wells located on Aspen Street on the eastern edge of the city.

Source water assessment and its availability

Single aquifer groundwater system. The source water assessment report may be viewed at the city building.

Why are there contaminants in my drinking water?

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 (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (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, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity:
microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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 stormwater runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming; pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater 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, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

How can I get involved?

Rockland has a Source Water Protection committee that meets periodically to review and update the Source Water Protection Plan. If you would like to be a committee member, please contact the mayor.
Additionally, water and sewer are included as an ongoing agenda item in our monthly city council meetings held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm.

Water Conservation Tips

Did you know that the average U.S. household uses approximately 400 gallons of water per day or 100 gallons per person per day? Luckily, there are many low-cost and no-cost ways to conserve water. Small changes can make a big difference – try one today and soon it will become second nature.

• Take short showers – a 5 minute shower uses 4 to 5 gallons of water compared to up to 50 gallons for a bath.
• Shut off water while brushing your teeth, washing your hair and shaving and save up to 500 gallons a month.
• Use a water-efficient showerhead. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.
• Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
• Water plants only when necessary.
• Fix leaky toilets and faucets. Faucet washers are inexpensive and take only a few minutes to replace. To check your toilet for a leak, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it or replacing it with a new, more efficient model can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
• Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered. Apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb it and during the cooler parts of the day to reduce evaporation.
• Teach your kids about water conservation to ensure a future generation that uses water wisely. Make it a family effort to reduce next month’s water bill!
• Visit www.epa.gov/watersense for more information.

Source Water Protection Tips

Protection of drinking water is everyone’s responsibility. You can help protect your community’s drinking water source in several ways:

• Eliminate excess use of lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides – they contain hazardous chemicals that can reach your drinking water source.
• Pick up after your pets.
• If you have your own septic system, properly maintain your system to reduce leaching to water sources or consider connecting to a public water system.
• Dispose of chemicals properly; take used motor oil to a recycling center.
• Volunteer in your community. Find a watershed or wellhead protection organization in your community and volunteer to help. If there are no active groups, consider starting one. Use EPA’s Adopt Your Watershed to locate groups in your community, or visit the Watershed Information Network’s How to Start a Watershed Team.
• Organize a storm drain stenciling project with your local government or water supplier. Stencil a message next to the street drain reminding people “Dump No Waste – Drains to River” or “Protect Your Water.” Produce and distribute a flyer for households to remind residents that storm drains dump directly into your local water body.

Other Information

Additional Information for Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. City of Rockland is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish 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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Additional Information for Arsenic

While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.

Water Quality Data Table

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.

Additional Contaminants

In an effort to insure the safest water possible the State has required us to monitor some contaminants not required by Federal regulations. Of those contaminants only the ones listed below were found in your water.

Undetected Contaminants

The following contaminants were monitored for, but not detected, in your water.

Contact Name: Joe Jones
Address: 135 South Main, P.O. Box 113
Rockland, ID 83271
Phone: 208-548-2489

Cross Connection Control Survey

The purpose of this survey is to determine whether a cross-connection may exist at your home or business. A cross connection is an unprotected or improper connection to a public water distribution system that may cause contamination or pollution to enter the system. We are responsible for enforcing cross-connection control regulations and insuring that no contaminants can, under any flow conditions, enter the distribution system. If you have any of the devices listed below please contact us so that we can discuss the issue, and if needed, survey your connection and assist you in isolating it if that is necessary.

• Boiler/ Radiant heater (water heaters not included)
• Underground lawn sprinkler system
• Pool or hot tub (whirlpool tubs not included)
• Additional source(s) of water on the property
• Decorative pond
• Watering trough

Source Water Protection Tips

Protection of drinking water is everyone’s responsibility. You can help protect your community’s drinking water source in several ways:

• Eliminate excess use of lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides – they contain hazardous chemicals that can reach your drinking water source.
• Pick up after your pets.
• If you have your own septic system, properly maintain your system to reduce leaching to water sources or consider connecting to a public water system.
• Dispose of chemicals properly; take used motor oil to a recycling center.
• Volunteer in your community. Find a watershed or wellhead protection organization in your community and volunteer to help. If there are no active groups, consider starting one. Use EPA’s Adopt Your Watershed to locate groups in your community, or visit the Watershed Information Network’s How to Start a Watershed Team.
• Organize a storm drain stenciling project with your local government or water supplier. Stencil a message next to the street drain reminding people “Dump No Waste – Drains to River” or “Protect Your Water.” Produce and distribute a flyer for households to remind residents that storm drains dump directly into your local water body.

Results of radon monitoring

Radon is a radioactive gas that you can’t see, taste, or smell. It is found throughout the U.S. Radon can move up through the ground and into a home through cracks and holes in the foundation. Radon can build up to high levels in all types of homes. Radon can also get into indoor air when released from tap water from showering, washing dishes, and other household activities. Compared to radon entering the home through soil, radon entering the home through tap water will in most cases be a small source of radon in indoor air. Radon is a known human carcinogen. Breathing air containing radon can lead to lung cancer. Drinking water containing radon may also cause increased risk of stomach cancer. If you are concerned about radon in your home, test the air in your home. Testing is inexpensive and easy. Fix your home if the level of radon in your air is 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) or higher. There are simple ways to fix a radon problem that aren’t too costly. For additional information, call your state radon program or call EPA’s Radon Hotline (800-SOS-RADON).

Additional Information for Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. City of Rockland is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish 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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Additional Information for Arsenic

While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.

Water Quality Data Table

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.

Contact Name: Clerk
Address: P.O. Box 113 135 south Main
Rockland, ID 83271
Phone: 208-548-8924

Rockland Cross-Connection Control Plan

The purpose of Cross-Connection Control Program:Water provided by a public water system may be contaminated via cross-connections within the distribution system. The purpose of the cross-connection control program is to reduce the hazard of contamination of the public water system by identifying actual and potential cross-connections and taking action to protect the system from these hazards. This is accomplished by installing backflow prevention assemblies where hazards are identified; or ensuring that water-using equipment on the premises is installed in accordance with plumbing code requirements and good practice.

What are cross-connections?Cross-connections are actual and potential unprotected connections between a potable water system and any source or system containing unapproved water or a substance which is not safe. Examples of cross-connections include:1.Improperly installed irrigation systems that may allow backsiphonage of stagnant, bacteriologically unsafe water into the piping system.2.Improperly plumbed water-using devices such as hot-tubs, boilers or commercial dishwashers which may allow unsafe water back into the domestic piping system. 3. Interconnections between the potable system and a non-potable system.

What is a Cross Connection and what is Backflow?

Cross-Connection – is the physical connection between the potable (drinking) water system and an “end-use” (water utilizing fixture, equipment, or process) where a potential water contaminating hazard exists.

Backflow – is the undesired reverse flow of contaminants into the potable water from an “end-use” hazard and is typically driven by common, but unfavorable, hydraulic events in the public water distribution system.

Rockland ordinance Chapter 22, Section C, Part 15 reads: All lawn sprinkler systems will be installed with a backflow prevention device to protect against contamination of the city water supply.

Rockland requires sprinkler systems, which are connected to the City’s potable water systems to have backflow prevention devices. As with all other cities in the United States, the City of Rockland is required to ensure that homeowners have backflow devices connected and tested on a regular basis.

Backflow prevention devices prevent harmful substances – such as fertilizers, animal waste, and other substances – from entering the City’s drinking water system. If the contaminants enter the drinking water supply, it could harm the homeowner as well as other homeowners connected to City drinking water.

All homeowners should check to see if their homes requires a backflow prevention device, and – if needed – have one installed and tested regularly.

Above is one of several sprinkler system backflow prevention Above are 2 types of vacuum break

devices available to protect our water system from contamin- devices for outdoor hose bibs. The

ation caused by unplanned hydraulic action. upper device screws onto the bib then

the hose attaches. Bottom photo shows

faucet w/ built in vacuum break to

prevent backflow.

The vacuum break devices shown on the right, above, are not required, but are strongly advised.

The backflow prevention devices on sprinkler systems, permanent plumbed pools & hot tubs, chemical labs, and boiler systems require annual testing by a licensed tester and a copy of results of the test forwarded to the City of Rockland. This testing is a state requirement and failure to comply is cause to terminate service in order to protect all water customers. Do your part to keep our water safe!

You may be asked to fill out a cross connection survey. It is fast and easy to do and helps the city identify potential backflow problems.

A partial list of licensed backflow device testers is available from the City of Rockland.

Premises or Facilities Requiring Protection – An approved backflow prevention device or assembly shall be installed according to local plumbing regulations and prior to any branch line if any of the following conditions exist?

Note: This is not an all-inclusive list

AG=Air Gap RPBA=Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly

DCVA=Double check valve assembly AVB=Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker

Assembly standards and specifications – The term “Approved Backflow Prevention Assembly” shall mean an assembly that has completely met the laboratory and field performance specifications of the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research (FCCHR) established by: Specifications of Backflow Prevention Assemblies – Section 10 of the most current edition of the Manual of Cross-Connection Control.

Enforcement- Service of water to any facility on the water provider’s premises may be discontinued if an occupant, tenant or consumer interferes with or obstructs the implementation of this policy. If it is found that a backflow prevention assembly has been removed, bypassed, or if an unprotected cross-connection exists on a tenant or consumer’s premises, service shall be discontinued. Service to a facility, tenant or consumer may be discontinued immediately and without written notice if, in the opinion of the water provider such action is necessary to protect public health or the public water supply. Service will not be restored until all circumstances, conditions, or defects causing discontinuance of service are fully corrected.

State law requires Community water system providers to implement and enforce a cross-connection control program to prevent toxic or hazardous materials from entering the system. Programs must include at least the following:

An inspection program to locate cross-connections and determine required suitable protection.

A requirement that suitable protection is installed before providing water service for new connections.

A requirement that adequate backflow prevention assemblies are installed, operating, and inspected and tested annually by a tester licensed by the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses (IBOL).

A requirement that assemblies that cannot pass annual testing or are defective shall be repaired, replaced, or isolated within 10 business days. If no action is taken after 10 business days, water service to the failed assembly must be disconnected.

Discontinuance of service for any facility where suitable backflow protection has not been provided for a cross-connection.