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Tuesday, August 1, 2017

2016 ECWSA Consumer Confidence Report

2016 Consumer Confidence Report - PWS ID #5100033

Evans City Borough Public Water Supply


Information for Spanish Speaking Customers
Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre la calidad de su agua beber. Traduscalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien. (This report contains very important information about your drinking water.  Please translate it or speak to someone who understands it.)


Water System Information:
We are pleased to present to you this year’s Consumer Confidence Report for the Evans City Water & Sewer Authority (Authority) Public Water System.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water and services that we deliver to you every day.  Our primary goal is to provide you with a safe, dependable, and affordable supply of drinking water. 
Included in this report are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
In accordance with the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendment, the Authority provides this report on the quality of our drinking water to our water customers each year.  Unless otherwise noted, this report represents data compiled during the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.  Last year we conducted many tests for various contaminants.  None of the detected contaminants exceeded the stringent standards and limits set by the EPA and the PADEP. 
If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Water and Sewer Authority monthly public meetings, which are held on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Evans City Borough Municipal Building.  If you have any questions concerning this report or your water utility, please contact Mr. Marty Fabian, Operations Manager, at (724) 432-3428, Ext. 3.
Where does my water come from?
In February 2012 the Authority began purchasing bulk water from Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC). With the activation of the PAWC supply interconnect; the Evans City Borough Public Water Supply became what the PADEP refers to as a consecutive water system, meaning that we now purchase bulk water produced by PAWC for distribution to our customers.  The Evans City Borough Water Treatment Plant was disconnected from our distribution system at that time.
The bulk water purchased from PAWC is produced at their Ellwood City Water Treatment Plant (WTP).  The Ellwood City WTP draws source water from Slippery Rock Creek and is capable of producing 5.2 million gallons of potable water per day (MGD).
The PADEP and PAWC completed an assessment for the drinking water source for the Ellwood City WTP in February 2003.  The water source is considered most vulnerable to the following activities: the accidental release of contaminants along the major transportation corridors, bridges, and railroads; storm water runoff from agricultural activities; storm water runoff from residential areas; accidental release or overflow from wastewater treatment plants, and discharge leachate from landfills.
A copy of the completed Source Water Assessment may be obtained by calling the local office of the Pennsylvania DEP at (724) 656-3160 or by following the link below:
http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/Get/Document-59667/RS6370011001%20Ellwood%20City.pdf
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 Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Water Quality Data
The tables below list all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2016 calendar year. The presence of contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.  Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing completed during the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.  The EPA and/or PADEP require the Authority to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently, therefore, some of our data, though representative, is more than one year old.  Please note that many more contaminants were tested for, however, those that were not detected are not listed below.
A potable water emergency interconnect with Cranberry Township public water supply system is available when needed.  This emergency interconnect was not utilized during the 2016 calendar year.  If the interconnect had been utilized, applicable sampling results would be provided in the tables below.

DETECTED SAMPLE RESULTS:
Chemical Contaminants Measured in Distribution System
Contaminant
MCL in CCR Units
MCLG
Level Detected
Range of Detections
Units
Sample Date
Violation
Y/N
Sources of Contamination
Chlorine
MRDL
= 4
MRDLG
= 4
0.4
0.3– 0.4
ppm
2016
N
Water additive used to control microbes.
HAA5
60
-
22.1*
15.5 – 27.7
ppb
2016
N
By-products of drinking water chlorination
TTHM
80
-
34.4*
18.2 – 50.0
ppb
2016
N
* 2016 Running Annual Average (RAA) for Haloacidic Acids (HAA5) and Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Lead and Copper – As Measured in Distribution System
Contaminant
Action Level (AL)
MCLG
90th Percentile Value
Units
# of Sites Above AL of Total Sites
Violation
Y/N
Sources of
Contamination
Lead
15
0
0
ppb
0 out of 5
N
Corrosion of household plumbing
Copper
1.3
1.3
0.31
ppm
0 out of 5
N
Lead and Copper samples were taken and analyzed in 2016

Microbial – As Measured in Distribution System
Contaminant
MCL
MCLG
Highest # or % of Positive Samples
Violation
Y/N
Sources of Contamination
Total Coliform
Bacteria
No more than 1 positive monthly sample
0
0
N
Naturally present in the environment

Units Descriptions
Term
Definition
ppm
parts per million (ppm) is equivalent to milligrams per liter (mg/L) which is equivalent to one penny in $10,000 worth of pennies
ppb
parts per billion (ppb) is equivalent to micrograms per liter (µg/L) which is equivalent to one penny in $10,000,000 worth of pennies
NTU
Nephelometric Turbidity Units (a measure of water clarity)
NA
Not applicable

Important Drinking Water Definitions
Term
Definition
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.
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.
TT
Treatment Technique:  A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
AL
Action Level:  The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
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 disinfectant 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.
MinRDL
Minimum residual disinfectant level:  The minimum level of a disinfectant required to be present at the point of connection to the PAW supply system.

Some Information on Lead in Drinking Water
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 services lines and home plumbing.  Evans City Borough 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 and cooking.  If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.  If you are concerned about lead in your 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.

Is my water safe?
We are pleased to report that the water delivered to your home or business complied with all state and federal drinking water requirements.
Do I need to take special precautions?
No special precautions for the general population are necessary at this time based on the results of the 2016 sampling program.
Monitoring/Reporting - Violations and Notifications
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.
Why are there contaminants in my drinking water?
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 Agency's (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.  It can also pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity such as:
·            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 stormwater 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 stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and septic systems
·            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, the EPA and the PADEP prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
Conclusion
We hope this report provides you with valuable information to understand the continual efforts we are making to provide a quality water supply to our customers.  In the future, it may be necessary to make additional improvements to our water system to ensure customers are provided with a safe, dependable water supply.  The costs of these improvements may need to be reflected in future rate structures.
The Evans City Water and Sewer Authority is working around the clock to provide top quality water to each and every tap.  We ask that all customers help us to protect and conserve our water resources, which are vital to our present community and the future of our children.