2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
PWSID #CO0130035
2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
PWSID #CO0130035
Esta información es importante. Si no la pueden leer, necesitan que alguien
se la traduzca.
(This information
is important. If you are unable to read, it is necessary that someone
translate.)
The Genesee Water & Sanitation District is pleased to present to you this year’s water quality report. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.
General Information About Drinking Water
All 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. 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 of infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, or to receive a copy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and microbiological contaminants call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
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, that 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 byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also may come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
· Radioactive contaminants, that 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, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
Our Water Source
Source Water
Type
Bear Creek Surface Water
If we used purchased water, this report is required to include water quality data for the purchased water with this report. Genesee does not purchase water.
The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment has provided us with a Source Water
Assessment Report for our water supply, you may obtain a copy of the report by
visiting http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/wq/sw/swaphom.html.
Potential
Contamination In Our Source Water Area Comes From EPA Hazardous Waste Generators; EPA Chemical Inventory/Storage Sites;
Permitted Wastewater Discharge Sites; Aboveground, Underground and Leaking
Storage Tank Sites; Solid Waste Sites; Existing/Abandoned Mine Sites; Other
Facilities; Commercial/Industrial/Transportation; High Intensity and Low
Residential; Urban Recreational Grasses; Row Crops and Fallow; Pasture/Hay;
Deciduous, Evergreen and Mixed Forest; Septic Systems and Road Miles.”
The Source Water Assessment Report provides a screening-level evaluation of potential contamination that could occur. It does not mean that the contamination has or will occur. We can use this information to evaluate the need to improve our current water treatment capabilities and prepare for future contamination threats. This can help us ensure that quality finished water is delivered to your homes. In addition, the source water assessment results provide a starting point for developing a source water protection plan.
Please contact John McWilliams at 303-278-9780 to learn more about what you can do to help protect your drinking water sources. If you have any questions about the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report or to learn more about our system or to attend scheduled public meetings, please contact the District office at 303-278-9780 or email us at info@geneseewater.com. We want you, our valued customers, to be informed about the services we provide and the quality water we deliver to you every day.
Please share this information with all other people who drink this water especially those who may not have received this notice directly.
Terms and Abbreviations
To help
you understand the terms and abbreviations used in this report, we have
provided the following definitions:
·
Action
Level (
· Action Level Goal (ALG) - The “Goal” is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.
· Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The “Maximum Allowed” 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.
· Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The “Goal” 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.
· Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - 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.
· 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 the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
· Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - Nephelometric turbidity
unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just
noticeable to the average person.
· Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/L) - One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
· Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (µg/L) - One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
· Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/L) - One part per trillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.
· Parts per quadrillion (ppq) or Picograms per liter (picograms/L) - One part per quadrillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000,000 years or one penny in $10,000,000,000,000.
· Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
· Running Annual Average (RAA) - An average of monitoring results for the previous 12 calendar months.
· Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) – Non-enforceable, recommended limits for substances that affect the taste, odor, color or other aesthetic qualities of drinking water, rather than pose a health risk.
· Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Water Quality Data
Genesee
Water & Sanitation District routinely monitors for contaminants
in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following table(s) show all detections
found in the period of January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 unless otherwise
noted. The State of
Note: Only detected contaminants appear in this report. If no tables appear in this section, that means that Genesee Water & Sanitation District did not detect any contaminants in the last round of monitoring.
Detected
Regulated Substances
|
|||||||
Monitored leaving the treatment plant:
|
|||||||
|
Organics and Inorganics |
Collection Date |
Highest Value |
Range |
Unit |
MCL
|
MCLG
|
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Barium |
11/23/2009 |
0.025 |
N/A |
ppm |
2 |
2 |
Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits |
|
Fluoride |
Monthly |
1.10 |
0.64 – 1.10 |
ppm |
4.0 |
4.0 |
Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes
strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories |
|
Nitrate |
11/23/2009 |
0.26 |
N/A |
ppm |
10 |
10 |
Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic
tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits |
|
Disinfection By-Products |
Year |
Compliance Description |
Requirement |
Typical Sources |
|||
|
Control of Disinfection By-Products Precursors |
2009 |
We used enhanced
treatment to remove the required amount of natural organic material and/or we
demonstrated compliance with alternative criteria. |
TT |
Natural organic material that is present in the
environment |
|||
|
Turbidity |
Collection Date |
Level Found |
TT Requirement |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|||
|
Turbidity |
06/15/2009 |
0.28 |
Maximum 1 .0 NTU for any single measurement |
Soil runoff |
|||
|
Jan-Dec 2009 |
100% |
In any month, at least 95% of samples must be less
than 0.3 NTU |
|||||
Monitored
in distribution system:
|
|||||||
Substance
|
Collection
Date
|
Average
|
Range
|
Units
|
MCL
|
MCLG
|
Likely Source
of Contamination
|
Haloacetic
Acids (HAA5)
|
Quarterly
RAA |
21
|
17
- 25
|
ppb
|
60
|
N/A
|
By-product of drinking water disinfection
|
|
Total Trihalomethanes
(TTHM)
|
Quarterly
RAA
|
53
|
33
– 76
|
ppb
|
80
|
N/A
|
By-product of drinking water disinfection
|
|
Chlorine (free) |
Quarterly
RAA
|
0.62
|
0.10
- 1.37
|
ppm
|
MRDL
4.0
|
MRDLG
4.0
|
Drinking water disinfectant
|
Monitored at customer taps:
|
|||||||
Substance
|
Collection
Date
|
90th
Percentile
|
Units
|
|
Likely Source
of Contamination
|
||
Copper
|
9/2009 |
0.08
|
ppm
|
1.3
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of
natural deposits; leaching from wood Preservatives
|
||
Lead
|
9/2009
|
8
|
ppb
|
15
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of
natural deposits |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Detected Unregulated Substances
|
|||||||
Monitored
leaving the treatment plant:
|
|||||||
|
Secondary
Contaminants/Other Monitoring |
Collection Date |
Highest Value |
Range |
Units |
Secondary Standard |
||
|
MPA WTP Raw and Finished |
9/29/2009 |
4.5 |
3.8-4.0 |
UNITS |
N/A |
||
|
Sodium |
11/23/2009 |
21 |
N/A |
MG/L |
10,000 |
||
|
Sulfate |
11/23/2009 |
8 |
N/A |
MG/L |
250 |
||
Secondary standards are non-enforceable guidelines for contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor or color) in drinking water. The EPA recommends these standards, but does not require water systems to comply.
Health
Information about Water Quality
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. Flush your tap for 30 seconds before using
tap water.
Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and many have an increased risk of getting cancer. Additional information is available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
|
Violations - None |
.
Genesee Water and Sanitation District
17301 W. Colfax Ave., #220
Golden, CO 80401
303.278.9780
www.geneseewater.com