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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 City of Georgetown Water Quality Report2014 Water Quality Report The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires each water purveyor in the state to provide its customers with an annual water quality report. Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) is dedicated to providing high quality drinking water. Last year we conducted more than 600 water quality tests and never exceeded the safe drinking water standards established by the EPA. Our water comes from both surface water and groundwater sources. Surface water is primarily supplied by Lake Georgetown where the water has a hardness of 200 mg/L (11-12 grains/gal) and is considered low on the hardness scale. Ground water is served by the Edwards Aquifer with a hardness of 300 mg/L (17- 18 grains/gal) and is considered high on the hardness scale. For more information, contact the Customer Care Center at 512-930- 3640. Public participation opportunities Learn more about your water utility on the City of Georgetown website www.georgetown.org, Facebook page www.facebook.com/CityofGeorgetown, or by attending an Advisory Board or City Council meeting. See www.georgetown.org for more details. Year Round Irrigation Schedule The City of Georgetown has adopted a year round, three-day irrigation schedule as the standard watering schedule for automatic irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers. City water customers follow the adopted irrigation schedule which is based on the last digit of your address number. Odd addresses may water Tuesday and/or Thursday and/or Saturday. Even addresses may water Wednesday and/or Friday and/or Sunday. Watering with a hand-held hose or bucket can be done on any day. Violations of these restrictions may result in fines. The current, standard water rates are based on increasing usage blocks, with the first 0 to 10,000 gallons priced at $1.75 per 1,000 gallons. At 11,000 gallons of water use in a month, the rate increases to $2.40 per 1,000 gallons. For a detailed description of water rates and tiers, please visit https://customercare.georgetown.org/rates/. AquaMessenger: You may be able to receive automatic email usage alerts when your monthly usage exceeds a pre-set level. Sign up online at water.georgetown.org or call the Customer Care Center at (512) 930-3640. 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. 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. Sources 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. 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. The City of Georgetown is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been setting for several hours you can minimize the potential lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to two 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 at (800) 426-4791 or at http//www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. The TCEQ completed an assessment of our source water and results indicate that some of our sources are susceptible to certain contaminants. The sampling requirements for our water system are based on this susceptibility and previous sample data. Any detection of these potential contaminants will be found in the Water Quality Report. For more information on the Source Water Assessment and protection efforts, please contact us. Special population advisory You may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly or immuno- compromised persons such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer; those who have undergone organ transplants; those who are undergoing treatment with steroids; and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders can be particularly at risk from infections. You should seek advice about drinking water from your physician or health care provider. Additional guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (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. Many constituents (such as calcium, sodium, or iron) which are often found in drinking water can cause taste, color, and odor problems. The taste and odor constituents are called secondary constituents and are regulated by the State of Texas, not the EPA. These constituents are not causes for health concern. Therefore, secondary’s are not required to be reported in this document but they may greatly affect the appearance and taste of your water 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, 2012, 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. Este informe incluye informacion importante sobre el agua potable. Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este informe en espanol, favor de llamar at tel. (512) 930- 3640– para hablar con una persona bilingue en espanol. 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 ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter ND: not-detectable – laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present. 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 N/A N/A 0 100 N Naturally present in the environment Fecal Coliform & E Coli N/A N/A ND 100 N Human and animal fecal waste Total Organic Carbon N/A N/A 3.43 100 N Naturally present in the environment Turbidity (NTU) TT 0.3 .19 100 N Soil runoff Inorganic Contaminants Constituent MCL MCLG Average Level Range of Detection Sample Date Violation (Y or N) Typical Source of Contamination Barium (ppm) 2 2 0.04 0.0388 - 0.0499 2014 N Discharge of drilling waste, metal refineries, erosion of natural deposits Fluoride (ppm) 4 4 0.20 0.18 – 0.21 2014 N Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories Nitrate (ppm) 10 10 2.21 0.017 - 3.25 2014 N Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits Nickel (ppb) .1 .1 0.0021 .0014 – .0029 2014 N Erosion of natural deposits Chromium (ppb) .1 .1 Less than Detection Limit Less than Detection Limit 2014 N Discharge from steel and pulp mills; Erosion of natural deposits Lead and Copper Constituent Action Level 90th Percentile Sites exceeding Action Level Violation (Y or N) Typical Source of Contamination Copper (ppm) 1.3 0.228 0 N Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives Lead (ppb) 0.015 0.0027 0 N Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products Constituent MCL MCLG Average of All Sampling Points Range of Detected Levels Sample Date Typical Source of Contamination Chloramines (ppm) 4.0 4.0 2.68 .2-3.81 2014 Primary Disinfection for surface water Chlorine (ppm) 4.0 4.0 2.28 .1-3.50 2014 Primary Disinfection for ground water HAA5 Haloacedic Acids (ppb) 60 0 6.55 1.4 – 13.5 2014 By-product of drinking water chlorination THM Trihalomethanes (ppb) 80 0 27.02 4.5 – 82.9 2014 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) 2.75 0 – 11.2 2014 Unregulated contaminants monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants Bromoform (ppb) 7.42 0.5 – 20.1 2014 Bromodichloromethane (ppb) 6.13 0.8 – 21.0 2014 Dibromochloromethane (ppb) 9.88 1.1 – 30.6 2014 Perchlorate (ppb) 0.00300 0.00197 – 0.00625 2012 Organic Contaminants Constituent Average of All Sampling Points Range of Detected Levels Sample Date Typical Source of Contamination Atrazine (ppb) <0.1 <0.1 – 0.17 2014 Runoff from herbicide used on row crops. Total Organic Carbon Year Contaminant Average Level Minimum Level Maximum Level Unit of Measure Source of Contaminant 2014 Source Water 2.71 1.02 4.43 ppm Naturally present in the environment. 2014 Drinking Water 2.30 .99 3.43 ppm Naturally present in the environment. 2014 Removal Ratio 1.02 .61 1.46 % removal N/A This water quality report was prepared by Georgetown Utility Systems and OMI, Inc. 3 Substance (units) Year Sampled Average Range of Detections Typical Source Chlorate (ppb) 2013 374 ND - 1400 Agricultural defoliant or desiccant; disinfection byproduct; and used in production of chlorine dioxide. Chromium (ppb) 2011 0.30 ND – 0.44 Naturally occurring element; used in making steel and other alloys; used for chrome plating, dyes, and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preservation. Chromium (VI) (ppb) 2013 0.21 ND – 0.27 Naturally occurring element; used in making steel and other alloys; used for chrome plating, dyes, and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preservation. Molybdenum (ppb) 2013 0.19 ND – 2.2 Naturally-occurring element found in ores and present in plants, animals, and bacteria; commonly used form molybdenum trioxide used as a chemical reagent. Strontium (ppb) 2013 393 120 – 980 Naturally-occurring element; historically, commercial use of strontium has been in the faceplate glass of cathode-ray tube televisions to block x-ray emissions. Vanadium (ppb) 2013 2.2 1.4 – 3 Naturally-occurring elemental metal; used as vanadium pentoxide which is a chemical intermediate and a catalyst.