2007 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

10 2007 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report Johnston County Public Utilities PWS # 03 - 51 - 070 We are pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report This report is a synopsis of last year’s water quality Included are details about from where your water comes , what it contains , and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and to providing you with this information Éste informe contiene información muy importante sobre la calidad de su agua potable Una copia de este reporte en español está disponible en la Oficina de Servicio Público en el Centro de Land Use We provide service for communities and towns throughout our county including most unincorporated parts of the county , the towns of Four Oaks , Princeton , Kenly , Clayton , and Wilson’s Mills , and two private utility companies Aqua NC and Carolina Water Services The County system also supplements the towns of Micro , Benson , Pine Level , Smithfield , Selma , and Fuquay - Varina with additional water In 2007 our water department produced and provided approximately 316 billion gallons of water to our customers Our principal water source is surface water from the Neuse River , which forms just above Durham where the Eno and Flat Rivers converge The Neuse River flows approximately 190 miles through eastern North Carolina to the Pamlico Sound The county also purchases water for distribution in its system from the town of Smithfield Neuse River source and the town of Benson Cape Fear River source Our intake and treatment facility are located one half mile east of Wilson’s Mills , NC There are two reservoirs on site Each reservoir contains 35 million gallons The treatment system has five main steps to remove or reduce harmful contaminants presedimentation , coagulation , clarification , filtration by multimedia high rate filters , and disinfection Once treatment is complete , water is pumped into elevated storage tanks for distribution throughout the water system The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA wants you to Know 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 Environmental Protection Agencys EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline 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 , in some cases , radioactive material , and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity Contaminants that may be present in source water include microbial contaminants , such as viruses and bacteria that 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 runoff , 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 runoff , 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 runoff , and septic systems ; and radioactive contaminants , which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink , EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health 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 Water Drinking Hotline 800 - 426 - 4791 The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR , Public Water Supply PWS Section , Source Water Assessment Program SWAP conducted an assessment of the drinking water sources across North Carolina The purpose of the assessment was to determine the susceptibility of each drinking water source well or surface water intake to Potential Contaminant Sources PCSs The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that include maps , background information and a relative susceptibility rating of Higher , Moderate or Lower The relative susceptibility rating of each source for Johnston County Public Utilities was determined by combining the contaminant rating number and location of PCSs within watershed and the inherent vulnerability rating ie , characteristics or existing conditions of the well or watershed and its delineated assessment area It is important to understand that a susceptibility rating of “ higher ” does not imply poor water quality , only the systems ’ potential to become contaminated by PCS’s in the assessment area The assessment findings are summarized in the table below Susceptibility of Sources to Potential Contaminant Sources PCSs Source Name Susceptibility Rating SWAP Report Date Neuse River Higher April 4 , 2007 The complete SWAP Assessment report for Johnston County Public Utilities may be viewed on the Web at http wwwdehenrstatencus pws swap Please note that because SWAP results and reports are periodically updated by the PWS Section , the results available on this web site may differ from the results that were available at the time this CCR was prepared To obtain a printed copy of this report , please mail a written request to Source Water Assessment Program – Report Request , 1634 Mail Service Center , Raleigh NC 27699 - 1634 , or email request to swap @ ncmailnet Please indicate your system name , PWSID , and provide your name , mailing address and phone number If you have any questions about the SWAP report please contact the Source Water Assessment staff by phone at 919 - 715 - 2633 If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility , please contact Timothy G Broome , PE , Director of Utilities and Engineering , by calling 919 209 - 8333 or by writing to this address Johnston County Utility Dept PO Box 2263 , Smithfield , North Carolina 27577 We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility You can attend Board of Commissioners meetings on the first Monday of each month , at 10 00 am , in the Johnston County Courthouse , at 212 Market Street , Smithfield , NC Find out more on the Internet at wwwjohnstonnccom Definitions 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 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 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 MRDLG - Maximum Residual Disinfection Level Goal – 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 MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfection Level – The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants th 90 Percentile – 90 of samples are equal to or less than the number in the chart ND – Non - Detects – Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at the level of detection set for the particular methodology used NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Units – A measure of the clarity of water Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person N A – Not - applicable – Information not applicable not required for that particular water system or for that particular rule ppb – parts per billion – micrograms per liter ug l – One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years , or a single penny in 10,000,000 ppm – parts per million – milligrams per liter mg l – One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in 10,000 RAA – Running annual average TT – Treatment Technique – A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water PageWe routinely monitor for over 150 contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected in the last round of sampling for the particular contaminant group The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk Unless otherwise noted , the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31 , 2007 The EPA or 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 Some of the data , though representative of the water quality , is more than one year old Your Range Sample Violation Contaminant Units MCLG MCL Water Low High Date Yes No Likely Source of Contamination Disinfectants & Disinfection By - Products Haloacetic Acids ppb N A 60 478 RAA 327 - 696 2007 No Byproduct of drinking water chlorination Haa5 Total Trihalomethanes ppb N A 80 581 RAA 450 - 820 2007 No Byproduct of drinking water chlorination TTHMs Chlorine ppm MRDLG 4 MRDL 4 272 Average 133 - 410 2007 No Water additive used to control microbes Chloramine ppm MRDLG 4 MRDL 4 270 RAA 200 - 390 2007 No Water additive used to control microbes Inorganic Contaminants Erosion of natural deposits ; Water additive March Fluoride ppm 4 4 041 N A No which promotes strong teeth ; discharge 2007 from fertilizer and aluminum factories Synthetic Organic Chemical Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides Simazine ppb 4 4 020 011 - 044 2007 No Herbicide runoff 2,4 - D ppb 70 70 021 N A 2007 No Runoff from herbicide used on row crops Turbidity Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system The turbidity rule requires that 95 or more of the monthly samples must be less than or equal to 03 NTU MCL Violation Contaminant units Yes No Your Water MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination 027 Highest N A TT 1 NTU Turbidity NTU No Soil runoff TT percentage of samples lt; 03 NTU 100 Lead and Copper Contaminants Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water , you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800 - 426 - 4791 Contaminant Units Sample Your Water # of sites MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination Date found above the AL Corrosion of household plumbing systems ; Copper ppm July 2006 0163 0 13 AL 13 erosion of natural deposits ; leaching from wood th 90 percentile preservatives Lead Corrosion of household plumbing systems ; ppb July 2006 11 3 0 AL 15 th 90 percentile erosion of natural deposits Radioactive Contaminants MCL Contaminant units Sample Violation Your Water MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination Date Y N RAA Alpha emitters pCi L 2007 N 013 0 15 Erosion of natural deposits Beta photon emitters pCi L 2007 N 157 0 50 Decay of natural and man - made deposits Combined radium pCi L 2007 N 005 0 5 Erosion of natural deposits Note The MCL for beta particles is 4 mrem year EPA considers 50 pCi L to be the level of concern for beta particles Disinfection Byproduct Precursors Contaminants Depending on the TOC in our source water , the system MUST have a certain removal of TOC or must achieve alternative compliance criteria If we do not achieve that removal , there is an alternative removal If we fail to meet the alternative removal , we are in violation of a Treatment Technique TT Your Water Range Monthly Violation RAA Contaminant units Removal Ratio Compliance Method Y N Removal Ratio Low - High MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination Step 1 or ACC # __ Total Organic Carbon Naturally present in the removal ratio N 113 093 – 140 N A TT Step 1 environment TOC - TREATED Unregulated Inorganic Contaminants Step 1 TOC Removal Requirements Contaminant Sample Your Range Secondary Source Water Alkalinity units Date Water Low High MCL Source Water TOC Mg L as CaCO3 in percentages Sulfate ppm March 2007 154 N A 250 mg L 0 – 60 gt; 60 – 120 gt; 120 gt; 20 – 40 350 250 150 gt; 40 – 80 450 350 250 Unregulated VOC Contaminants Unregulated contaminants are those for gt; 80 500 400 300 which EPA has not established drinking water standards The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future Water Characteristics Contaminants Secondary Contaminants , regulation is warranted required by the NC Public Water Supply Section , are substances that affect Sample Your Range the taste , odor , and or color of drinking water These aesthetic contaminants Contaminant Date Units Water Low High normally do not have any health effects and normally do not affect the safety March 1,3,5 - Trimethylbenzene ppb 180 N A of your water 2007 Contaminant Sample Your Range Secondary March Sec - Butylbenzene ppb 63 N A units Date Water Low High MCL 2007 Sodium ppm March 2007 295 N A N A March Bromochloromethane ppb 13 N A pH March 2007 78 N A 65 to 85 2007 In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in the water system The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements Our staff in the Johnston County Department of Utilities work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources , which are the heart of our community , our way of life and our children’s future Page