Sunnyslope County Water District

 

2001 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

We are pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Quality Report. The purpose of this report is to increase your understanding and confidence in the quality of drinking water delivered to you by the Sunnyslope County Water District. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.

 

Please note that tenants, employees and students may not receive the report since they are not direct customers of the District. You may make this report available to such people by distributing copies or posting in a conspicuous location.

 

WATER SOURCE    

 

The Sunnyslope County Water District obtains 100% of its water supply from groundwater aquifers pumped from the District’s five active deep groundwater wells located throughout the District.

 

The other sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs and springs. 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, that 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, that are byproducts 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, United States Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Health Services Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminates in water provided by public water systems. Department regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

 

WATER QUALITY

 

The District is pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all Federal and State requirements.

 

In order to ensure that your drinking water is safe to drink the Environmental Protection Agency prescribes specific limits for the amount of certain contaminates in drinking water. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

 

Sunnyslope County Water District routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. Unless otherwise noted, the following tables show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2001. The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk.

 

 

 

Definitions

 

To help you understand our test results on the following tables, we are providing the following definitions of terms and abbreviations you may not be familiar with.

 

Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

 

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)- The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs (or MCLGs) as is economically and technologically feasible. Secondary MCLs are to protect the odor, taste, and appearance of drinking water.

 

Public Health Goal or PHG – The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. The California Environmental Protection Agency sets PHGs.

 

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - 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 and are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

 

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – 1/ 1,000,000 - a measurement of concentration on a weight or volume basis.

.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/l) – 1/1,000,000,000 - a measurement of concentration on a weight or volume basis.

 

Primary Drinking Water Standards (PDWS): MCLs for contaminants that affect health along with their monitoring and reporting requirements, and water treatment requirements.

 

Secondary Standards: refer to those constituents present in water, which do not affect the public health. These tests performed assure that your water meets certain unenforceable standards in appearance, odor and taste.

 

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are produced in the course of treatment as by-products of the chlorination process. Some THMs are thought to be cancer causing agents at certain levels. The California EPA MCL for TRIHALOMETHANES is 100 parts per billion (ppb). We are well under the MCL with a system average of 6.07 ppb.

 

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.

 

Methyl Tertiary – Butyl Ether (MTBE) this gasoline additive was tested for in 2001 and was not detected in our groundwater source.

 

Lead and Copper Testing - The 1994 Federal Lead & Copper Rule mandates a household testing program for these substances. According to the rule, 90% of the samples taken from high-risk homes must have levels less than 0.015 milligrams per liter of lead and 1.3 milligrams per liter of copper. If our results are above the 90% Action Level, corrective measures are to be taken. A high risk home is defined as a structure that contains lead pipes or copper pipes with lead solder installed between January 1983 to June 1986. Sunnyslope County Water Districts Lead and Copper results have always been below the Action Level.

 

New analytical instruments and techniques make it possible to measure quality of constituents in water that were undetectable in the past. The water quality results in this report show parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l) and even parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (ug/l) of detectable substances.

 

 

The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations.

 

The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations.

 

 

SUMMARY

 

As you can see by the above tables, our system had no violations. We’re proud that your drinking water meets or is lower than all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing program that some contaminants have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

 

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. Environmental Protection Agency and Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

 

We at Sunnyslope County Water District work 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.

 

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Bryan Yamaoka at (831) 637-4670. We want you, our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Board meetings. They are held in our District Office at 3416 Airline Highway on the second Thursday of every month 5:15 p.m.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about water:

 

IS MY WATER SAFE TO DRINK?

 

Yes, water supplied by the Sunnyslope County Water District meets or is below the stringent State and Federal regulations. These regulations require close monitoring of all water supplies, and we must report a summary of water quality monitoring to our customers each year.

 

HOW HARD IS OUR WATER?

 

Water hardness is dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium and occurs naturally in our water supply. There are no distinctly defined levels of what constitutes hard or soft water. Typically, if the amount of dissolved Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) is above 130 ppm or 8 grains per gallon, water is considered hard and can cause scale to build up in pipes, on faucets, and leave white spots on dishware. The District’s water hardness ranges from 300 to 360 ppm or 17 to 21 grains per gallon.

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF I USE A SELF-REGENERATING WATER SOFTENER?

 

Self-regenerating water softeners use salt, the type that uses rock salt or potassium, may deposit up to 600 pounds of brine into the sewer system and into the environment each year. That’s a problem because Sunnyslope County Water District wastewater treatment plant cannot remove these salts during the treatment process and these salts along with our wastewater effluent are recycled back into the groundwater. Our Regional Water Quality Control Board permit requires us to reduce the salt byproducts in our wastewater effluent.

 

IF I ALREADY OWN A SELF-REGENERATING WATER SOFTENER, WHAT CAN I DO TO LESSEN ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT?

 

Water softeners use the least salt when they are set to regenerate “on demand”, after a certain amount of water has been processed, and not just on a timer. If you do not have an on-demand setting, make sure to turn the unit off when it is not being used, such as when you go on vacation. Also, set the unit at the lowest hardness level that will soften the water. Experiment with the settings to see what is acceptable to you.

 

WHY DOES MY WATER LOOK CLOUDY? MILKY WATER?

 

Cloudy or milky water is usually due to air bubbles in the water. Distribution pipes, carry water under pressure, meaning air is dissolved in the water. These bubbles initially make a glass of water appear cloudy, but will slowly rise and disappear.

 

WHY DOES MY DRINKING WATER TASTE OR SMELL FUNNY?

 

Taste comes from the dissolved minerals in the water. The two most common reasons for poor tasting or smelling water are:

 

1.        Chlorine odor is usually a result of the chlorine used to disinfect the water supply. If the smell is particularly bothersome, let the water stand in an open container, the chlorine will dissipate. The container can then be covered for later use.

2.        A rotten-egg odor in groundwater is caused by a non-toxic (in small amounts) hydrogen sulfide dissolved in the water and usually found from the hot water faucet. A remedy is to slightly turn up the temperature in your hot water heater. Also, if you let the water flush for a few seconds, the smell will disappear.

 

HOW OFTEN IS CHLORINE CHECKED IN THE WATER SYSTEM?

 

Chlorine is added to the water pumped from the district wells to provide a high degree of disinfection over a long period of time. Because we get our water from five different wells, it is necessary to control the amount of chlorine added to the water. We measure the chlorine residual at five different locations in our water distribution system daily.

 

The weekly microbiological tests we perform look for presence of indicator organisms called coliform bacteria. If these indicator organisms are detected, there is a potential that other pathogenic (disease causing) organisms may be present. Our system is protected against microbiological contamination and the water you drink contains a small amount of chlorine to maintain a disinfectant capability. We have never detected E. Coli in our water system.

 

HOW LONG CAN I STORE DRINKING WATER?

 

Drinking water that is thoroughly disinfected can be stored indefinitely in capped plastic or glass containers that will not rust. Be careful not to use plastic that will make the water taste bad, Because the taste will become “flat” after extended storage, periodic replacement is recommended. It is recommended to store water in a refrigerator if possible.

IS FLUORIDE ADDED TO OUR DRINKING WATER?

 

No, fluoride is not added to the District’s water supply. However, fluoride does occur naturally and is present in the water supply between 0.21 mg/l to 0.37 mg/l. By comparison, the fluoride level does not exceed the California Maximum Contaminant Level of 2 mg/l.

 

FOR ADDITIONAL DRINKING WATER INFORMATION?

 

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. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

WHAT CAN I DO TO SAVE WATER?

 

Free home water surveys are available including toilet leak checks, free water saving devices and sprinkler system audits.

 

Replace older toilets that use 3.5 gallons or more per flush with newer more water efficient models that use 1.6 gallons per flush. This could save up to 10,000 gallons of water per year. Rebates are available.

 

Install water-efficient showerheads and aerators (2.5 gallons per minute).

HOW MUCH WATER DOES THE AVERAGE HOME USE EACH MONTH?

In the year 2001,1,975 cubic feet or 14,722 gallons.
Average use in March (the lowest month)is 940 cubic feet or 7,031 gallons.
Average us in June (highest month)is 3,183 cubic feet or 23,809 gallons.

 

For additional information on free water conservation assistance & products contact the Water Conservation Specialist at: (831) 637-4378.

Web Site: www.sbcwd.com (click on water conservation)