2011 Consumer Confidence Report :: Jericho Underhill Water District

2011 Consumer Confidence Report

2011 Consumer Confidence Report (PDF)

JERICHO UNDERHILL WATER DISTRICT

P.O. Box 174

Underhill, VT 05489

Water System ID# VT0005096

Consumer Confidence Report – 2011

This report is a snapshot of the quality of the water that we provided in 2010. Included are the details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the water and the services we deliver to you every day. To learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings which are held at 7:00PM on the first Monday of each month in the basement of the United Church of Underhill,7 Park Street, Underhill VT 05489.

For information about the District or about this report please visit our website at http://jerichounderhillwater.org or contact District Clerk Jane Maheux at 802-899-3810 or District President Peter Mitchell at 802-899-4076.

Water Source Information

Your water comes from two wells as shown in the following table.

Source Name	Source Water Type
WELL 1	Ground Water
WELL 2	Ground Water

The State of Vermont Water Supply Rulerequires Public Community Water Systems to develop a Source Protection Plan. This plan delineates a source protection area for our system and identifies potential and actual sources of contamination. The Jericho Underhill Water District plan is available on our District website http://jerichounderhillwater.org. A hardcopy may be obtained by contacting District Clerk Jane Maheux at 802-899-3810. Please contact the District if you are interested in reviewing the plan.

Drinking Water Contaminants

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include surface water (streams, lakes) and ground water (wells, springs). As water travels over the land’s surface or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals. It also picks up substances resulting from the presence of animals and human activity. Some “contaminants” may be harmful. Others, such as iron and sulfur, are not harmful. Public water systems treat water to remove contaminants, if any are present.

In order to ensure that your water is safe to drink, the District tests it regularly according to regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State ofVermont. These regulations limit the amount of various contaminants:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which 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, may come from a variety of sources such as storm water run-off, agriculture, and residential users.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of mining activity

Organic contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also come from gas stations, urban storm water run-off, and septic systems.

Water Quality Data

The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the past year. It also includes the date and results of any contaminants that we detected within the past five years if tested less than once a year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily show that the water poses a health risk.

Terms and abbreviations - In this table you may find terms you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we have provided the following definitions:

Maximum Contamination Level Goal (MCLG): The “Goal” is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to human health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Contamination Level (MCL): The “Maximum Allowed”MCL is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): 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 disinfectants in controlling microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in

drinking water. Addition a disinfectant may help control microbial contaminants.

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

90th Percentile: Ninety percent of the samples are below the action level. (Nine of ten sites sampled were at or below this level).

Treatment Technique (TT): A process aimed to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l): (one penny in ten thousand dollars)

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (µg/l): (one penny in ten million dollars)

Picocuries per liter(pCi/L): a measure of radioactivity in water

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): NTU is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Running Annual Average (RAA): The average of 4 consecutive quarters (when on quarterly monitoring); values in table represent the highest RAA for the year

Detected Contaminants JERICHO UNDERHILL WATER DISTRICT for the five year period 2006 through 2010

Microbiological	Result	MCL	MCLG	Typical Source
No Detected Results were Found in the Calendar Year of 2010. Testing is monthly.

Primary Inorganic Chemical Contaminants	Collection Date	Highest Value	Range	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Typical Source
ARSENIC	7/13/2010	3	3	ppb	10		Erosion of natural deposits
IRON	2/13/2008	0.35	0.35	MG/L	0.30	---	Erosion of natural deposits
MANGANESE	7/13/2010	0.12	0.12	MG/L	0.05	---	Erosion of natural deposits

Volatile Organic Chemical Contaminants	Collection Date	Highest Value	Range	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Typical Source
XYLENES (TOTAL)	7/12/2007	0.0031	0.0031	ppm	10	10	Tank coating solvents

Radionuclides	Collection Date	Highest Value	Range	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Typical Source
COMBINED RADIUM (-226 & -228)	1/10/2008	0.29	0.29	pCi/L	5	0	Erosion of natural deposits
RADIUM-228	1/10/2008	0.29	0.29	PCI/L	5	0	Erosion of natural deposits

Unregulated Chemical Contaminants

Collection Date

Highest Value

Range

Unit

MCL

MCLG

Typical Source

HYDROGEN SULFIDE

2/13/2008

0.64

MG/L

3x threshold

odor number

---

Biological Activity in water

Disinfection By Products	Date	Value	Range	Unit	MCL	MCLG	Typical Source
TRIHALOMETHANES	7/13/2010	0.0044	---	ppm	0.080	0.060	By-product of chlorine disinfection

Lead and Copper

Date

90^th Percentile

95^th Percentile

Range

Unit

Sites

Over AL

Typical Source

COPPER

2009

0.13

0.1

0.04 - 0.14

ppm

1.3

Corrosion of household plumbing systems

Violation(s) that occurred during the year

We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. The below table lists any drinking water violations we incurred during 2010. A failure to perform required monitoring means we cannot be sure of the quality of our water during that time.

Type	Category	Analyte	Compliance Period
No Violations Occurred in the Calendar Year of 2010

Additional information (including steps taken to correct any violations listed above)

During 2010 the District as required by the Vermont Water Supply Division Rule tested for nitrate, gross alpha, inorganic chemicals, cyanide, and synthetic organic compounds. Except as noted in the tables above all results were that the substance was not detected.

As a safeguard against microbes, the District maintains a background level of chlorine. For aesthetic reasons the District uses orthophosphate to sequester iron and manganese. In conjunction with aVermontStateprogram for dental health, the District adds fluoride. In 2010 fluoride averaged 0.964ppm against a state target range of 0.7ppm to1.0ppm.

The Environmental Protection Agency has developed a national water conservation awareness program called WaterSense. Information about products labeled with the WaterSense logo, and hints about how to reduce residential water usage can be found at www.epa.gov/watersense.

Health information regarding drinking water

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 microbiological contaminants are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline.

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 JERICHO UNDERHILL WATER DISTRICT is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in customer 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 drinking 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.

There are no additional required health effects notices.

Public Notice - Uncorrected Significant Deficiencies: The system is required to inform the public of any significant deficiencies identified during a sanitary survey conducted by the Water Supply Division that have not yet been corrected.

Date Identified: 1/28/2009

Deficiency Identified: Inadequate Water Pressure (UnderNormal, Peak, or Maximum Flow Conditions) (DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM).

Status: This condition which could affect several houses onPoker Hill Road, was corrected in 2010 by the installation of a backup electrical generator. This generator will power pumps in the event of a power failure, and pressure will be maintained.

Distribution information

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place and distributing copies by hand or mail.