2011 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

2011 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

PWSID #:  1090058              NAME:  Riegelsville Water Company

Este informe contiene información importante acerca de su agua potable.  Haga que alguien lo traduzca para usted, ó hable con alquien que lo entienda.  (This report contains important information about your drinking water.  Have someone translate it for you, or speak with someone who understands it.)

 WATER SYSTEM INFORMATION:

This report shows our water quality and what it means.  If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Richard Meade at 215-901-5102.  We want you to be informed about your water supply.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings.  They are held the third (3^rd) Wednesday of every month immediately following the 7 pm Community Affairs meeting.

 SOURCES OF WATER:

Our water sources are 3 municipal wells, two of which are located in WilliamsTownship, one within the Borough of Riegelsville.  A Source Water Assessment of our sources was completed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).  The Assessment has found that our sources are potentially most susceptible to agricultural activities, Tier II sites, low density development, high density development, and major road activities.  Overall, our sources have little risk of significant contamination.  A summary report of the Assessment is available on the Source Water assessment & Protection Web page at:

(http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/watermgt/wc/Subjects/SrceProt/SourceAssessment/default.htm).  Complete reports were distributed to municipalities, water supplier, local planning agencies and PADEP office.  Copies of the complete report are available for review at the PA DEP Southeast Regional Office, Records Management Unit at (484) 250-5009.

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/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791)

MONITORING YOUR WATER:

We routinely monitor for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws.  The following tables show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2011.  The State allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently.  Some of our data is from prior years in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.  The date has been noted on the sampling results table. 

DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS:

Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) – The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) – The highest level of a disinfectant that is allowed in drinking water.  There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) – The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Minimum Residual Disinfectant Level (MinRDL) – The minimum level of residual disinfectant required at the entry point to the distribution system.

Treatment Technique (TT) – A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Mrem/year = millirems per year (a measure of                     ppm = parts per million, or milligrams per liter

radiation absorbed by the body)                                              (mg/L)

pCi/L = picocuries per liter (a measure of                           ppq = parts per quadrillion, or picograms per

radioactivity)                                                                          liter

ppb = parts per billion, or micrograms per liter                      ppt = part per trillion, or nanograms per liter

(µg/L)

DETECTED SAMPLE RESULTS

Chemical Contaminant
Contaminant	MCL In CCR Units	MCLG	Level Detected	Range of Detections	Units	Sample Date	Violation Y/N	Sources of Contamination
Nitrate	10	10	4.6275	.838 – 4.6275	ppm	2011	N	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits.ter additive to control microbes.
TTHM	80	n/a	2.85	2.85	Ppb	2009	N	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate	6	0	.38	.26 – .38	ppb	2011	N	Discharge from rubber and chemical factories
Chloroform (THM)	80	n/a	.80	.25 – .80	ppb	2011	N	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Bromodichloromethane (THM)	80	n/a	1.14	.11 – 1.14	Ppb	2011	N	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Chlorodibromomethane (THM)	80	n/a	.91	.91	Ppb	2011	N	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Dichloromethane	5	0	2.58	2.58	Ppb	2011	N	Discharge from pharmaceutical and chemical factories

 

Entry Point Disinfectant Residual
Contaminant	Minimum Disinfectant Residual	Lowest Level Detected	Range of Detections	Units	Sample Date	Violation Y/N	Sources of Contamination
Chlorine	.40	.65	.65 – .89	Ppm	2011	N	Water additive used to control microbes

 

Contaminant	Action Level (AL)	MCLG	90th Percentile Value	Units	# of Sites Above AL of Total Sites	Violation Of TT Y/N	Sources of Contamination
Lead	15	0	6.40	ppb	1	N	Corrosion of household plumbing
Copper	1.3	1.3	.244	ppm	0	N	Corrosion of household plumbing

 

OTHER VIOLATIONS:

 

Chemical regular monitoring or reporting violations:  There was a detect on the June VOC which resulted in a change to our monitoring requirements from annual to quarterly.  We failed to report for the 3^rd quarter which resulted in a reporting violation and failed to report for the 4^th quarter which resulted in a reporting violation.  In order to correct the violations we began quarterly monitoring in January 2012.

 EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION:

 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 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 water run-off, 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 run-off 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 storm water run-off and septic systems.

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

 In order to assure that tap water is save to drink, EPA and DEP prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  FDA and DEP 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 the water poses a health risk.  More information about contaminants and potential health effect can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

 INFORMATION ABOUT 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.  Riegelsville Water Company 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.

 OTHER INFORMATION:

 What is added to the water supply?  As a public water supplier, we add very small amounts of a chemical called chlorine to our water.  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) requires that the water be disinfected prior to delivery.  Chlorine kills any germs or bacteria that might be present in the water mains as the water is delivered to our customers.  The water as it comes from the ground is generally free of harmful bacteria.

 Riegelsville Water Company DOES NOT add Fluoride to its water supply system.

 IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Este informe contiene información importante acerca de su agua potable.  Haga que alguien lo traduzca para usted, o hable con alguien que lo entienda.

 Monitoring Requirements Not Met for VOCs

 Our water system violated several drinking water standards over the past year.  Even though these were not emergencies, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct these situations.

 We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis.  Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards.  During 2011 we failed to test as required during 3^rd and 4^th quarter and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of our drinking water during that time.

 What should I do?

 There is nothing you need to do at this time.

 The table below lists the contaminant(s) we did not properly test for during the last year, how often we are supposed to sample for VOCs and how many samples we are supposed to take, how many samples we took, when samples should have been taken, and the date on which follow-up samples were (or will be) taken.

 

 

What happened?  What was done?

 We have since taken the required samples, as described in the last column of the table above.  The samples showed we are meeting drinking water standards.

 For more information, please contact Richard Meade at (215) 901-5102.

 Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).  You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

 This notice is being sent to you as part of the annual CCR report.

 

PWS ID#:  1090058                   Date distributed:  06/22/2012