Village
of Waterville
________________________________________________________
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2010
Village of Waterville Water System
122 Barton Ave - Waterville, NY 13480
(Public Water Supply ID# NY3202415)
I NTRODUCTION
To comply with State regulations, the Village of
Waterville will be annually issuing a report describing the quality of
your drinking water. The purpose of this report is to raise your
understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our
drinking water sources. Last year, your tap water met all State drinking
water health standards. This report provides an overview of the water
quality for last year. Included are details about where your water comes
from, what it contains, and how it compares to State standards.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking
water, please contact Anthony (Jamie) Bechy, Superintendent of Public
Works at 841-4221. We want you to be informed about your drinking water.
If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled
village board meetings or contact us during normal business hours. The
meetings are generally held the 1 st
and 3rd
Monday each month at the Village
Hall, 122 Barton Ave., Waterville at 7:00pm.
WHERE DOES
OUR WATER COME FROM?
In general, 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 from human activities. Contaminants that
may be present in source water include microbial contaminants; inorganic
contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants;
and radioactive contaminants. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to
drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount
of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The
State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for
contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for
public health. Our water system serves 688 service connections (homes and
businesses) providing water to approximately 1741 residents. Our water
source is from two, drilled groundwater wells located in the village. The
water is treated with liquid chlorine prior to entering the distribution
system.
S
OURCE WATER
ASSESSMENT
INFORMATION
A Source Water Assessment has been completed for the
WATERVILLE VILLAGE Water System. Possible and actual threats to drinking
water source(s) were evaluated. The state source water assessment includes
a susceptibility rating based on the risk posed by each potential source
of contamination and how easily contaminants can move through the
subsurface to the source(s). The susceptibility rating is an estimate of
the potential for contamination of the source water, it does not mean that
the water delivered to consumers is, or will become contaminated. The
Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) is designed to compile, organize
and evaluate information to make better decisions regarding protecting
sources of public drinking water. A copy of the assessment, including a
map of the assessment area, can be obtained by contacting us, as noted
above.
The land uses around the WATERVILLE VILLAGE Water
System sources were rated for their potential to cause contamination to
the sources. The sources were considered at a medium risk for
pesticides/herbicides, nitrates, protozoa and enteric bacteria. This is
combined with a medium risk of contamination from petroleum from discrete
sources and a high natural sensitivity based on soils, surficial geology,
aquifer information and bedrock geology to create a medium high to high
susceptibility for the sources to contamination. See section “ Are
there contaminants in our drinking water?”
for a list of the contaminants that have been detected. The source water
assessments provide resource managers with additional information for
protecting source waters into the future.
Based upon the SWAP Report determinations, good
judgment should be used and caution should be exercised when determining
placement of certain materials, actions and facilities, including septic
systems, high-risk businesses or chemical storage near the source(s). We
work hard to ensure that the source of water for our system is protected
from contamination.
A
RE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN OUR DRINKING
WATER?
As the State regulations require, we routinely test
your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include
total coliform, inorganic compounds, nitrate, lead and copper, radioactive
contaminants, disinfection byproducts, volatile organic compounds, and
synthetic organic compounds. The table presented below depicts which
compounds were detected in your drinking water. The State allows us to
test for some contaminants less than once per year because the
concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our
data, though representative, may be more than one year old.
It should be noted that all drinking water, including
bottled drinking water, might be reasonably 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 - 800-426-4791 or the Oneida County
Health Department at 315-798-5064.
WHAT
DOES THIS INFORMATION MEAN?
As you can see by the table, our system had no violations.
We have learned through our testing that some contaminants have been
detected; however, all of these contaminants were detected below the level
allowed by the State.
I
S OUR WATER SYSTEM MEETING OTHER RULES
THAT GOVERN OPERATIONS?
During 2010, our system was in compliance with applicable
State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.
D
O I NEED
TO TAKE
SPECIAL
PRECAUTIONS?
Some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing
microorganisms or pathogens in drinking water than the general population.
Immunocompromised 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 provider
about their drinking water. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to
lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other
microbial pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(800-426-4791).
L
EAD INFORMATION
The Federal Lead and Copper Rule requires us to include
the following information about Lead in drinking water with our Annual
Water Quality Report. “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. Our water system 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.
W
HY SAVE
WATER AND
HOW TO
AVOID
WASTING
IT?
Although our system has an adequate amount of water to
meet present and future demands, there are a number of reasons why it is
important to conserve water:
♦
Saving water saves energy and some of
the costs associated with both of these necessities of life;
♦
Saving water reduces the cost of energy
required to pump water and the need to construct costly new wells, pumping
systems and water towers; and
♦
Saving water lessens the strain on the
water system during a dry spell or drought, helping to avoid severe water
use restrictions so that essential fire fighting needs are met.
You can play a role in conserving water by becoming conscious of the
amount of water your household is using, and by looking for ways to use
less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water. Conservation tips
include:
♦ Automatic dishwashers use 15
gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So get
a run for your money and load it to capacity.
♦
Turn off the tap when brushing your
teeth.
♦
Check every faucet in your home for
leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it up and
you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.
♦
Check your toilets for leaks by putting
a few drops of food coloring in the tank - watch for a few minutes to see
if the color shows up in the bowl.
It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from
one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you save more
than 30,000 gallons a year.
C
LOSING
Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your
family with quality drinking water this year. In order to maintain a safe
and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that
will benefit all of our customers. The costs of these improvements may be
reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in
order to address these improvements. We ask that all our customers help us
protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community. Please
call our office if you have questions. |