2009 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report For Public Water System Name: North Florence Improvement Public Water System Number: AZ04 11-056 Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre el agua usted bebe. Tradúzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien. and residential uses. • We are 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 stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, 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 stormwater 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 Arizona Department of Environmental Quality 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(s) The system’s sources of water are listed is ground water pumped from the Town of Florence Well No. 1. Source Water Assessments on file with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality are available for public review. If a Source Water Assessment is available, you may obtain a copy of it by contacting the Arizona Source Water Coordinator at (602) 771-4641. Potential sources of contamination in our source water area come from natural causes affecting groundwater, agricultural activities, and commercial and residential activities that might affect groundwater. The Source Water Assessment Report provides a screeninglevel 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 the Town of Florence at (520) 868-7677 to learn more about what you can do to help protect your drinking water sources, any questions about the annual drinking water quality report, to learn more about our system, or to attend scheduled public meetings. We want you, our valued customers, to be informed about the services we provide and the quality water we deliver to you every day. • Terms and Abbreviations To help you understand the terms and abbreviations used in this report, we have provided the following definitions: • • • • • • • • • 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. 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. Action Level (AL) - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. 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. The ALG allows for a margin of safety. Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. 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 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 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. 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. Running Annual Average (RAA): An average of monitoring results for the previous 12 calendar months. Not Applicable (N/A): Sampling was not completed by regulation or was not required. Water Quality Data We routinely monitor for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The State of Arizona requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. Some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. These tables show the results of our most recent monitoring for the period of January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009. Microbiological Contaminants Contaminant Total Coliform Bacteria for Systems that collects<40 samples per month MCL MCLG Unit No more than 1 positive monthly sample 0 Colony forming unit/100 ml Highest Number Positive Samples/ Mo. Violation (Yes or No) Sample Date Likely Source of Contamination 1 No 01/200912/2009 Naturally present in the environment Disinfectants Chlorine MRDL 4 MRDLG 4 Units ppm Level Detected & Range 0.53-1.20 2|P age Violation (Yes or No) No Sample Date/Year 2009 Source Water additive used to control microbes Disinfection Byproducts Contaminant Haloacetic Acids (HAA) Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) MCL MCLG Units Average 60 N/A ppb 2.3 80 N/A ppb 10.3 Highest RAA Violation (Yes or No) Sample Date/Year N/A N/A No 08/7/09 N/A N/A No 08/7/09 Range Likely Source of Contamination By-product of drinking water disinfection By-product of drinking water disinfection Inorganic Contaminants Contaminant MCL Nitrate (as Nitrogen) MCLG Units Level Detected/ Range Violation (Yes or No) Sample Date 10 10 ppm 1.9 No 01/23/09 Barium 2000 2000 ppb 5.3 No 06/19/07 Fluoride 4 4 ppm 0.80 No 06/19/07 Likely Source of Contamination Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories Lead and Copper Contaminant Number of Sites over AL Level/ Detected Range Violation (Yes or No) Sample Date/ Year AL ALG Units 90th Percentile Copper 1.3 1.3 ppm 0.11 0 <0.01-0.16 No 07/23/09 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits Lead 15 0 ppb 2.4 0 <1.0-5.3 No 07/23/09 Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits Likely Source of Contamination Health Effects Information About the Above Tables Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods-of-time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, and detected nitrate levels are above 5 ppm, you should ask advice from your health care provider. 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 Town of Florence 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 or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. 3|P age