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.