Your Tap Water – Drink it!
A Water Quality Report for 2010 from the
Fitchburg Division of Water Supply
PWS 2097000 www.fitchburgwater.com
Este informe contiene informacion muy importante su agua beber. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.
Le rapport contient des informations concernant la qualite de l’eau de votre communaute. Faites-le traduire, ou parlez-en a un qui le comprend bien.
The City of Fitchburg Water Division is committed to providing you safe drinking water and fire protection that meets or surpasses state and federal standards.
This service is available 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. All this at a cost of less than ½ penny for a gallon of water! This brochure details what you need to know about your drinking water. For more information about your water call 978-345-9616.
Safe drinking water
Safe drinking water is indispensable to every community. The sources of drinking water (both tap 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.
City Council meetings often have water related issues on their agenda and we would encourage your attendance and participation in these meetings. City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm in City Hall and can be seen on local access TV. The agenda is posted on the City’s website (www.fitchburgma.gov).
Drinking Water Contaminants
In nature, all water contains some impurities – there is no such thing as “naturally pure water.” As water flows in rivers and lakes or filters through soil or rock (ground water) it will dissolve or absorb substances it contacts. Some of these substances are harmless while others are not. Water suppliers use treatment methods that are appropriate for the quality of their “source water”. For example, the Fitchburg Division of Water Supply adds chlorine disinfectant to kill bacteria and other germs, and adds fluoride for dental care. Activated carbon is also used in the treatment process to absorb and remove organic chemicals.
CONTAMINANTS THAT MAY BE PRESENT IN SOURCE WATER (BOTH TAP AND BOTTLED) INCLUDE:
Microbial Contaminants: such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from wildlife, septic systems, sewage treatment plants, and livestock operations.
Pesticides and Herbicides: that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
Inorganic Contaminants: such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from storm water runoff, wastewater discharges, or industry.
Organic Chemical Contaminants: include chemicals that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive Contaminants: can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and/or mining activities.
SOURCE WATERS
Source Water Assessment and Protection Program (SWAP)
Massachusetts conducts a source water susceptibility assessment as a measure of a water supply’s potential to become contaminated due to land uses and activities within its recharge area. In 2002, the DEP ranked Fitchburg’s reservoirs as having high susceptibility. The susceptibility of a water source to contamination does not imply poor water quality. Actual water quality is best reflected by the results of regular water tests. Fitchburg protects its drinking water by monitoring the water for chemicals, treating, filtering, and disinfecting the water supply, and by protecting the land surrounding the reservoirs. In 2010, using a grant from the Federal Forest Legacy Program, the Water Division purchased 95 acres of additional watershed land. This additional land adds to the nearly 4000 acres that the division owns and maintains. The full source water assessment report, which explains the Department of Environmental Protection ranking, can be seen online at http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/2097000.pdf, or by calling the Fitchburg Division of Water Supply at (978) 345-9616.
Water Filtration Facilities
From the reservoirs the water passes through a two step filtering process to remove contaminants and we also add a disinfectant to protect our customers against microbial contaminants. The City has two plants to treat and distribute water to Fitchburg residents, the J.A. Provencial and Regional Water Treatment Facilities. In 2010 the Water Division initiated a 1.1 million dollar upgrade to our Regional Filtration Facility that will retrofit the treatment process to a more efficient and reliable technology. This retrofit will lower operating cost and will insure the availability of high quality, reliable drinking water and fire protection for the City of Fitchburg for decades to come.
Drinking Water Quality
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the MassDEP and EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
We are required to monitor our drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. If we fail to monitor the water or to report results on time; we are in violation of the regulations. The bottom line is that the water quality is excellent and meets or surpasses EPA’s allowable limits. We are proud to report that we had no violations in 2010.
The water quality information presented in the tables below is from results of more than 10,000 tests performed on samples collected in 2010, unless otherwise noted in the tables. We have received a waiver from testing for arsenic and perchlorate on an annual basis, since past testing showed no evidence of these contaminants being present in our water supplies.
REGULATED CONTAMINANTS
SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Highest level allowed
MCL
MRDL Highest level detected in the distribution system Range detected in the distribution system Goals MCLG MRDLG # samples above MCL MRDL Violation yes/no Sources of Contamination
Total Coliform Bacteria presence in <5% of samples/month 1.7% positive N/A 0 positive <0.3% no Naturally present in the environment
Chlorine Residual 4.0 ppm 0.6 ppm (running annual average) 0.02 - 1.5
ppm N/A 0 no Disinfection of drinking water
Haloacetic Acids 60 ppb 32 ppb (running annual average) 2.6 – 57.6
ppb N/A 0 no By-product of drinking-water chlorination
Trihalomethanes 80 ppb 60 ppb (running annual average) 24.6 – 124.5
ppb 0 9 of 40 no By-product of drinking-water chlorination
Dates Collected 90th percentile Action Level (AL) MCLG # sites sampled # sites above AL Sources of Contamination
Copper (ppm) 8/24/10-9/3/2010 0.27 1.3 1.3 30 0 Corrosion of household plumbing systems
Lead (ppb) 8/24/10-9/3/2010 7 15 0 30 1 Corrosion of household plumbing systems
SAMPLES TAKEN AT THE SOURCE
Highest level allowed (MCL) Highest level detected going to the distribution system Range going into the distribution system Goals (MGLG) # samples above MCL Violation yes/no Sources of Contamination
Fluoride 4 ppm 0.96 ppm 0.00 - 1.1
ppm 4 ppm 0 no Additive for dental health
Radium-226 and -228 combined (2007) 5 pCi/L 0.1 pCi/L N/A 0 0 no Erosion of natural deposits
Turbidity (NTU) TT=1.0 and monthly% <0.3 ≥ 95% 1.22 = highest level and monthly% < 0.3 = 99.47% N/A N/A 1 no Indicates effectiveness of our filtration system.
KEY:MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to 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.. AL (Action Level) : The concentration of contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. ppm (parts per million) a unit of measure, equal to milligrams per liter - about one drop in one 55- gallon barrel of water. ppb (parts per billion) a unit of measure, equal to micrograms per liter – about one drop in 1000 55-gallon barrels of water. pCi/L: picocuries per liter ( a measure of radioactivity). Lead and Copper 90th percentile: Out of every ten homes sampled, 9 were at or below this level. 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 (ex. chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide). 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. Treatment Technique (TT ) A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in the drinking water.
Unregulated and
Secondary Contaminants Date(s) Collected Result or Range Detected Average Detected SMCL ORSG Possible Source
Inorganic Contaminants
Sodium (ppm) 6/2/2010 5.7-10.6 8.2 ---- 20 Natural sources; runoff from use as salt on roadways; by-product of treatment process
Sulfate (ppm) 6/2/2010 4-4.8 4.4 250 ---- Natural sources
Organic Contaminants
Bromodichloromethane (ppb) 6/9/2010 1.4 - 6.4 3.9 --- --- By-product of drinking water chlorination
Chloroform (ppb) 6/9/2010 7.4-297 297 --- --- By-product of drinking water chlorination
Dibromodichloromethane (ppb) 6/9/2010 0-.8 .8 --- --- By-product of drinking water chlorination
Inorganic Secondary Contaminants ( not required )
Manganese (ppb) 10/18/2010 ND - 7 50* --- Erosion of natural deposits
Chloride (ppm) 10/18/2010 10-13 11.5 250 --- Runoff from road de-icing, use of inorganic fertilizers, landfill leachates, septic tank effluents, animal feeds, industrial effluents, irrigation drainage, and seawater intrusion in coastal areas
Color (C.U.) 10/18/2010 <5 <5 15 --- Naturally occurring organic material
Odor (T.O.N.) 10/18/2010 3 TON --- Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives0
PH 10/18/2010 7.18-7.21 7.195 6.5-8.5 --- -----
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (ppm) 10/18/2010 26-38 32 500 --- Erosion of natural deposits.
• The EPA has established a lifetime health advisory (HA) value of 300 ppb for manganese to protect against concerns of potential neurological effects, and a one-day and 10-day HA of 1000 ppb for acute exposure.
Unregulated contaminants are those for which there are no established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist regulatory agencies in determining their occurrence in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted.
Important information from EPA and DEP…
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 United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
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 Fitchburg Water Department is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your tap 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 the 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.
This water quality report contains information about which substances (contaminants) are present in your drinking water and the levels at which they were found. Some contaminants may cause adverse health effects in young children or in people with compromised immune systems. Check with your healthcare professional if you are concerned about contaminants in your water. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
What is a Cross-Connection?
A cross connection occurs whenever a drinking water source comes in contact with dangerous contaminants. The outside water spigot and garden hose is one of the most common sources of cross connections at homes. Garden hoses are often left lying on the ground and may come in contact with contaminants such as fertilizers, cesspools, or garden chemicals. Under certain conditions, these contaminants can be drawn back into the drinking water line. A hose bibb vacuum breaker is a device that can be attached to sill cocks and in turn connected to a hose. It consist of a spring-loaded check valve that seals against an atmospheric outlet when the water supply pressure is turned on. When the water supply pressure is turned off, the device vents to the atmosphere, protecting the drinking water from being contaminated. We urge customers to consider using one of these devices on their garden hoses. For more information on how to purchase a hose bibb vacuum breaker, call our meter office at 978-345-9616 ext.105.