Water Quality Report

As a regional water supplier serving about 900,000 consumers in multiple counties in Central Indiana, Citizens Energy Group prides itself in providing safe, reliable and high quality water. As required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this annual drinking water report provides information on where water comes from and how it compares to current public water supply standards. This report contains a summary of water quality data collected over the past calendar year. If after reading this report you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 317-924­-3311.

Citizens Energy Group obtains water from several sources:

Indianapolis & Morgan County

• The White River supplies two of the four surface water treatment plants: White River and White River North. Morse Reservoir, near Noblesville, stores water to assure a dependable supply in the White River to these plants. 

• Fall Creek is another surface water supply. Geist Reservoir and Citizens Reservoir store water to assure an adequate supply for the Fall Creek and White River treatment plants. 

• A number of wells are used intermittently to supplement the supplies to the White River, White River North and Fall Creek plants. 

• Citizens also receives some surface water from Eagle Creek Reservoir, which supplies water to the T.W. Moses treatment plant.

• Citizens presently operates six groundwater treatment plants that serve smaller portions of its service territory: White River North, Geist Station, Harding Station, South Well Field, Harbour, and Ford Road. These ground water treatment plants treat water pumped from underground water sources called aquifers.

Citizens Westfield

Citizens Westfield operates three groundwater treatment plants that serve the service territory: River Road, Cherry Tree, and Greyhound Pass. These groundwater plants treat water pumped from underground water sources called aquifers. In addition, Citizens Westfield purchases a portion of its water supply from Citizens Water Indianapolis.

Citizens Westfield - South Madison

Citizens operates the South Madison groundwater treatment plant near Lapel. Three onsite groundwater wells supply groundwater to this treatment plant. 

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs, and groundwater wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals 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, bacteria, and protozoa, which may come from wastewater 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 storm water runoff, and residential uses.

• Organic chemical contaminants, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

• Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring and can 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.

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 pose a health risk.

Surface water comes from rivers, creeks, streams, and reservoirs and may contain more pollutants and contaminants than groundwater. Groundwater comes from wells drilled deep into the ground. Groundwater usually has higher mineral content than surface water.

Groundwater treatment plants aerate and filter water to remove dissolved iron and manganese. Surface water treatment plants physically remove solids or other contaminants through coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration. Chlorine is added to kill any bacteria present and to maintain a level of disinfectant as the water travels through the distribution system. Surface water treatment plants also utilize ultraviolet light disinfection to further protect water quality. Fluoride is added to help strengthen resistance to cavities in teeth. A small amount of ammonia is used to minimize byproducts of the disinfection process and to allow chlorine to persist longer in the distribution system. Citizens Water Indianapolis also feeds orthophosphate to minimize the possibility of corrosion in customer plumbing.

One of the easiest ways you can protect water quality is to limit the use of lawn fertilizers. When you do use fertilizer, make sure it’s phosphorus-free. Excess phosphorus provides nutrients to algae that can harm water quality. For more information on drinking water protection, visit www.citizensenergygroup.com/Water/Protection.

Wellhead Protection - In order to minimize the risk of groundwater contamination, Citizens has implemented a Wellhead Protection Program in accordance with the State Wellhead Protection Rule and local ordinances. The program works with local planning teams and regulators; maps wellhead protection areas; identifies potential sources of groundwater contamination; works with businesses to prevent spills and releases of chemicals; and prepares a contingency plan in case of contamination. View Wellhead Protection Areas

Source Water Assessments - An inventory of identified potential sources of contamination upstream of each surface water treatment facility has been conducted by the United States Geological Survey for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). These assessments are a helpful component of Citizens’ overall source water protection strategy.

Raw water may contain cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants, which water treatment technologies effectively inactivate. However, some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised individuals, such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly individuals, and infants, can be particularly at risk for infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA and Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or epa.gov. 

Cryptosporidium is a microbial contaminant that lives in the intestines of animals and people. When ingested, this microbial contaminant may cause a disease called cryptosporidiosis, which causes flu-like symptoms. Although cryptosporidium has not been found in treated finished drinking water, cryptosporidium is found in surface water sources such as the White River, Fall Creek, and Eagle Creek Reservoir.

Citizens utilizes a stringent monitoring program, testing source water and finished drinking water as well as using online monitors that measure the clarity of the water, which helps determine the likeliness of the microbe’s presence in drinking water. In addition, Citizens’ surface water treatment process uses ultraviolet disinfection to further improve water quality protection.

Citizens ensures that water leaving treatment facilities and traveling through water distribution mains is free of lead. Citizens regularly tests drinking water from customer taps for lead and copper and takes steps in its treatment process to ensure that corrosive conditions that would contribute to elevated levels of lead and copper are not created in the distribution system. While rare, elevated lead levels are sometimes found in isolated samples of tap water taken from customer homes that have lead service lines or plumbing. Since each home has different plumbing pipes and materials, test results may differ for each home, but it is important to note that most homes with lead service lines or plumbing do not have elevated levels of lead in the tap water.

Once every three years, drinking water regulations require Citizens to sample tap water from 50 homes in the Indianapolis system and 30 homes in the Westfield system. These samples are taken from homes whose ages indicate that they either have lead service lines or have copper pipes with lead solder. Results from these sampling events continue to be below the EPA’s action levels for lead and copper. Results from these sampling events are included in the data tables below.

For Citizens water customers, the water service line, which is the underground pipe that connects the water main to your home or business, is owned by the property owner. Citizens has published an online information portal featuring a searchable customer service line inventory. Citizens also mails annual notifications to customers who own or may own a lead service line. Customers can view the up-to-date status of their service line using the web-based map at https://citizensenergygroup.com/service-line-map

If a customer’s service line makeup is listed as unknown within the inventory, the U.S. EPA has developed an online step-by-step guide to help people identify lead pipes in their homes called Protect Your Tap: A Quick Check for Lead. It is available at: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/protect-your-tap-quick-check-lead

While Citizens is not a public health agency, we provide our customers with information about the impact of lead on human health, as advised by the U.S. EPA. 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. While water in the Citizens distribution system arrives to each customer’s service line lead-free, the makeup of individual service lines and customers’ in-home plumbing introduces the potential for lead exposure. You share responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from the lead in your home plumbing. The following methods may reduce that potential:

• Properly use a filter certified to remove lead (such as one certified by NSF or ANSI) for water used in drinking and cooking.

• Flush the tap by running the water for five minutes before drinking if water has been unused for more than six hours.

• Avoid consuming water from the hot water faucet and do not use hot tap water to prepare baby formula. Boiling does not remove lead from water.

• Regularly clean debris and sediment from the faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator).

• Check to see if interior plumbing or faucets contain lead and replace any that do. Look for the “Lead Free” label when replacing or installing plumbing fixtures.

• Consider using an alternative source for drinking and cooking water, such as bottled water, if not choosing to use the methods described above.

To learn more about minimizing lead exposure risk, visit www.citizensenergygroup.com/lead. For information on lead in drinking water and testing methods, visit U.S. EPA’s page at https://www.epa.gov/lead

Customers can have their water tested for the presence of lead by visiting www.citizensenergygroup.com/lead and completing the request form for tap sampling, or by calling 317-924-3311. They will receive a sampling kit in the mail that contains information on how to sample tap water and return the sample for analysis, after which analytical results will be sent to the customer.

Citizens received approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in 2022 to begin implementing a lead service line replacement program for customers. This program enables Citizens to replace all customer-owned lead-containing service lines within its service territory, estimated to be between 55,000 and 75,000. Citizens will reach out to customers in upcoming project areas via mail, email, and text message. If customers wish to replace the service line on their properties at their own cost, Citizens will partner to cover the cost of replacing the portion of the service line in the public right-of-way. For more information on the lead service line replacement program Citizens is implementing, including maps where work is ongoing, visit https://www.citizensenergygroup.com/lslrp

As is common with water in this region, Citizens' water is considered “hard” due to the natural levels of the minerals calcium and magnesium. Water hardness, expressed as calcium carbonate, typically ranges from around 200 to 425 milligrams per liter or parts per million (ppm). This equates to 12 to 25 grains per gallon (the measure often referred to in determining water softener settings). Water hardness can vary depending on the hardness of the source water that is used to supply different treatment plants. More specific information about the water hardness typical at your address can be obtained by calling 317-924-3311.

Wise water use can help save you money and ensure a sustainable water supply. Did you know that during hot, dry weather events, approximately 40 to 70% of all drinking water produced in Central Indiana is used for lawn irrigation purposes? Consider these hints for water conservation:

• Water your lawn no more than twice per week.

• If you have an irrigation system, use a rain sensor to avoid watering when it’s raining.

• To prevent evaporation, don’t water your lawn during the heat of the day.

• Use a shut-off nozzle on your garden hose, and never use water to clean sidewalks and driveways.

• To conserve year-round, regularly check for leaks in toilets and faucets, and run dishwashers and washing machines only when they’re full.

• Don’t let the water run when brushing your teeth or shaving.

• Consider buying low-flow plumbing fixtures and high-efficiency appliances with EPA WaterSense and Energy Star labels.