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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Quality Report 2004Water Quality Report for 2004 The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires each water purveyor in the state provide its customers with an annual water quality report. The report gives detailed information about the quality of the water that we provide to you. We have also included information about significant current and future activities, and hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions about this report or any other details about your water utility, please contact us at 512-930-3555. The demand for water continues to increase The demand for treated water is growing at a rate of 7% per year. Peak demand last summer was over 15 million gallons per day (MGD), or equal to 55% of the current system capacity. The average daily customer use of water expressed in gallons per capita per day (gcd) has averaged 160 gcd over the past five years. However, Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) must always maintain the necessary capacity to handle the summer peak. Conservation rates in effect The Residential Conservation Water Rates will be in effect on billings from June 1 through October 31. The increase in cost during this period is meant to provide incentive to conserve during the peak demand period. Also, the additional revenue is used to finance the construction of water treatment facilities to serve the peak demand. The conservation rates per 1,000 gallons are: Use City Outside City 0 – 19 $2.25 $2.60 20 – 29 $3.00 $3.35 30 – 39 $4.50 $4.85 40 or more $6.00 $6.35 Landscape irrigation conservation The most effective method you can use to conserve water is to control your use of water for landscape irrigation. It is the use of water for irrigation that causes the peak demand in the summer that puts strain on the system and eventually requires the installation of expensive treatment facilities. For best results, follow a 5-day watering schedule and irrigate between the hours of 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., with preference given to the time period when customers will not be using water for cooking and bathing (8 p.m. to 4 a.m.). Using the 5-day schedule will promote deep root growth and make your lawn more drought resistant. Watering during the late evening and early morning hours also minimizes the water lost to evaporation. The 5-day schedule is the same as the City of Austin’s schedule, and it is provided on our website located at www.georgetown.org. Water softener information The hardness of your water depends upon its source. Generally, customers living to the west of IH-35 are served by water from Lake Georgetown with a hardness of 200 mg/L (11-12 grains/gal). All other areas are served by the Edwards Aquifer with a hardness of 300 mg/L (17-18 grains/gal). Irrigation utility expansion GUS has expanded its service that uses treated effluent water to irrigate parks and golf courses. The Georgetown Country Club began using treated effluent in June 2004. The Cimarron Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant began operating in October 2004 with its effluent used to irrigate the Cimarron Hills Golf Course. The use of treated effluent from the Pecan Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to begin later this year to provide irrigation for the Sun City golf courses. “ A Safe Place” program enters its 9th year The “A Safe Place” program was started in 1997 to provide a point of contact for children who need help in an emergency. The GUS and Parks Service vehicles and staff supplement the Police and Fire Department vehicles by giving children another avenue to seek help. To learn more about “A Safe Place”, ask a child. Georgetown’s “A Safe Place” program received the American Public Power Association’s Community Service Award in 2003. Jennings Branch storage tank completed The construction of a new 1.2 million gallon elevated storage tank at the far north end of the City’s water service area is now complete. The tank provides for the water pressure and storage needs in the northern part of the service area. Edwards Aquifer protection program GUS recently completed its third year of testing for flaws in the wastewater collection system. The testing, required by the TCEQ, uses various methods to check piping and manholes for flaws that allow water to either enter or exit the system. The first two years of the testing program have focused on the Dove Springs 2 Wastewater Treatment Plant collection system. The third year of testing was performed in the Sun City and Oak Crest areas. The remaining collection system will be tested over the next five years. Once completed, the system will undergo continuous testing on a 5-year cycle. Protect your drinking water The use of drinking water in many industrial processes requires the use of a functioning and properly-tested backflow prevention device. These devices prevent the inadvertent introduction of hazardous materials into the drinking water system by preventing flow of the material in the reverse direction. Each device must be tested at least annually with the test results reported to GUS. Please call 930-3555 for further information. Your water meets all state and federal requirements for safety Georgetown Utility Systems is dedicated to providing high quality drinking water. This report provides information about the City's drinking water. We have included details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Last year we conducted more than 500 water quality tests and never exceeded the safe drinking water standards established by the EPA. We hope you will find the report helpful. Drinking water sources Your water comes from the Edwards Aquifer and Lake Georgetown. Source water assessment information is currently being developed by the TCEQ, and will be available once the study is completed. Contaminants in 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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791. 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water before we treat it include: • Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. • Turbidity, which has no health effects, can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms • Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming. • Pesticides & herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential use. • Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring. • Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by- products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also can come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. Special population advisory 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 from their health care providers. EPA/Center for Disease Control guidelines on how to reduce the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800- 426-4791. Water quality monitoring To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. We treat our water according to the EPA regulations. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health. Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre el agua potable. Tradúzcalo ó hable con alguien que lo entienda bien Water quality data The table in this report lists all the drinking water contaminants we detected during tests conducted from January 1 through December 31, 2004, unless otherwise noted. The state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Therefore, some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old. Terms & Abbreviations • AL: Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. • MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level - the “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is 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. • MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - the “Goal” (MCLG) is 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. • N/A: not applicable • NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units – measure of the clarity of water • ND: not-detectable – laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present. • ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter • ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter • TT : Treatment Technique – a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. Microbiological Contaminants Constituent MCL MCLG Highest Measurement Lowest Monthly % of samples meeting limits Violation (Y or N) Typical Source of Contamination Total Coliform ND N Naturally present in the environment. Fecal Coliform ND N Human and animal fecal waste Turbidity (NTU) TT 0.3 0.21 100 N Soil runoff Inorganic Contaminants Constituent MCL MCLG Highest Level Range of Detection Sample Date Violation (Y or N) Typical Source of Contamination Barium (ppm) 2 2 0.049 0.0290 - 0.0490 2002-04 N Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits Fluoride (ppm) 4 4 0.222 0.201 - 0.222 2003-04 N Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories Nitrate (ppm) 10 10 3.50 0.128 - 3.50 2004 N Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits Nickel (ppb) 100 100 2.9 1.0-2.9 2002-04 N Erosion of natural deposits Chromium (ppb) 100 100 6.0 1.0-6.0 2002-04 N Discharge from steel and pulp mills; Erosion of natural deposits 4 Lead and Copper Constituent Action Level 90th Percentile # of sites exceeding Action Level Violation (Y or N) Typical Source of Contamination Copper (ppm) 1.3 0.283 0 N Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives Lead (ppb) 15 4.2 0 N Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits Disinfection By-Products Constituent MCL MCLG Average of All Sampling Points Range of Detected Levels Sample Date Typical Source of Contamination HAA5 Haloacedic Acids (ppb) 60 0 17.8 0-34.9 2004 By-product of drinking water chlorination THM Trihalomethanes (ppb) 80 0 30.1 17.0-58.5 2004 By-product of drinking water chlorination Unregulated Contaminants Constituent Average of All Sampling Points Range of Detected Levels Sample Date Typical Source of Contamination Chloroform (ppb) 9.03 2.3 – 13.6 2004 Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants Bromoform (ppb) 3.98 0.0 – 9.0 2004 Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants Bromodichloromethane (ppb) 10.25 4.6 – 17.3 2004 Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants Dibromochloromethane (ppb) 8.03 3.0 – 23.0 2004 Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants Perchlorate (ppb) < 4.0 0 - 4.6 2004 Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants The Georgetown Water Company began in 1883, with Municipal Electricity becoming available in 1911. Georgetown Public Works, now known as Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS), has been providing the City of Georgetown and its citizens with reliable and cost-effective energy, water, and transportation services for over 122 years. A world-wide operations & maintenance company based out of Denver, Colorado, OMI has provided operations and maintenance management services for the City’s water treatment plants since 1993. OMI was a Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Winner in 2000. The new GUS logo conforms to the new City logo, which was revealed in 2005 to more readily represent the City’s values and core identity. This water quality report was prepared by OMI, Inc., and Georgetown Utility Systems. Published May 31, 2005.