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CCR-Price's-Fork-Merrimac-2015.pdf2015 This report is designed to inform you about your drinking water quality. Our goal is to provide a safe and dependable supply of drink- ing water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to protect your water supply. The quality of your drinking water must meet state and federal require- ments administered by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). The Montgomery County Public Service Authority (PSA) operates nine individual public water miles systems in the unincorpo- rated areas of the County. Combined, these systems consist of almost 100 miles of water mains, four wells, 16 water tanks, 22 pumps, 24 pressure reducing valves, seven connections to the NRV Regional Water Authority, and two con- nections to the City of Radford, Approximately 25.5 million gallons of water are distributed by the PSA monthly. If you have questions about this report, please contact: on the second floor in the Montgomery County Government Center, 755 Roanoke Street in Christiansburg. Our goal is to provide a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to protect your water supply. Don Todora PSA Operations Specialist (540) 381-1997 For additional information about any aspect of your drinking water or to learn how to participate in decisions that may affect the quality of your drinking water, please contact: Bob Fronk PSA Director (540) 381-1997 PSA board meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in the multipurpose room # 2 Introduction This and other important information are available on the PSA website: MontVA.com/psa Consumer Confidence Report Price’s Fork/Merrimac Montgomery County Public Service Authority Water Systems THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY IS PLEASED TO REPORT THAT YOUR DRINKING WATER IS SAFE AND MEETS OR EXCEEDS ALL VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY STANDARDS. Drinking water, including bottled drinking 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. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general pop- ulation. Immuno-compromised per- sons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ trans- plants, people with HIV/AIDS or oth- er immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particular- ly at risk from infections. These peo- ple should seek advice about drink- ing water from their health care pro- viders. USEPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants along with additional information can be obtained by calling the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426- 4791) or by visiting their website (www.epa.gov/safewater). The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reser- voirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves natu- rally-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: (1) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. (2) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, indus- trial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas produc- tion, mining, or farming. (3) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, ur- ban storm water runoff, and residential uses. (4) Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial process- es and petroleum production, and can also come from gas sta- tions, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. (5) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas produc- tion and mining activities. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the USEPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provid- ed by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. General information Page 2 Consumer Confidence Report The City of Radford Water Treatment Plant. Treatment consists of chemical addition, coagulation, flocculation, settling, filtration and disinfection. All these processes work together to remove the physical, chemical and biological contaminants to make the water safe for drinking. The New River was determined to be of high susceptibility to contamination using criteria developed by the State in its USEPA approved Source Water As- sessment Program. The assessment report consists of maps showing the source water assessment area, an inventory of known land use activi- ties of concern, and documentation of any known contamination within the last five years from the date of the assessment. Treatment plants are operated to minimize threats associat- ed with potential contamination of these water sources. Treatment of the groundwater sources at the PSA's wells consist of the addition of chlorine to disinfect the water. Chlorine residuals and turbidities are checked on a daily basis at the wells and throughout all the individual distribution systems. Water storage tanks are checked at least two times weekly. Source water assessments have been completed for the PSA’s groundwater supplied systems: Riner and Woodview. These wells have a high susceptibility to contamination due to migration of contaminants with land use activities of concern, potential conduits to groundwater and/or potential sources of contamination in the as- sessment areas. There has been no known contamination of these sources within the last five years. Source water assessments are availa- ble to view upon written request. The nine water systems operated by the Public Service Authority include both surface water and groundwater sources. Four are supplied by the NRV Regional Water Authority; Prices Fork/Merrimac, Belview, Jennelle Road, Christiansburg to Elliston and Mudpike Road. Two are supplied by the City of Radford: Plum Creek and Bethel. Two are supplied by wells operated by the PSA: Riner and Woodview. In March of 2014 the connection to the NRV Regional Water Authority became the perma- nent supply to Prices Fork-Merrimac, and Prices Fork-Merrimac was con- nected to Warm Hearth. The New River is the surface water source supplying the systems connected to NRV Regional Water Authority and The City of Radford. The raw water goes to either the NRV Regional Water Authority Treatment Plant, Sources and treatment of your drinking water Page 3 Contaminants in your drinking water are routinely monitored according to Federal and State regulations. The table on the following page shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2015. Any contaminants not listed in the table were not detected in your drinking water. PSA water is routinely monitored for up to 76 regulated, 48 unregulated, and many non-regulated contaminants. The Virginia De- partment of Health allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these con tami- nants do not change frequently. Some of our data presented in the following table may be more than one year old. In the table and elsewhere in this report, you will find many terms and abbreviations with which you might not be familiar. The fol- lowing definitions are provided to help you better understand these terms. Quality on Tap ppm mg/l parts per million milligrams per liter One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years, or a single penny in $10,000.00. ppb µg/l parts per billion micrograms per liter One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.00 MCLG Maximum Contaminant Level Goal the level of contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG's allow for a margin of safety. MCL Maximum Contaminant Level the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL's are set as close to the MCLG's as feasible using the best available treatment technology. AL Action Level the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow pCi/L Picocuries per liter a measure of the radioactivity in water N/A Not Applicable abbreviation used in the "range" section mrem/yr millirems per year a measure of radiation absorbed by the body MRDLG Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal the level of drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG’s 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. TT Treatment Technique a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Unit a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person. ND Not Detected Lab analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present or is below detection limit Additional health information for lead If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lea d in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Montgomery County Public Service Authority is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of m aterials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead expo- sure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking . If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, an d steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791) or at http:// www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. Drinking water levels The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets MCL’s at very stringent levels. In developing these standards, USEPA assumes that the average adult drinks two liters of water each day throughout a 70—year lifespan. USEPA generally sets MCL’s at levels that will result in no adverse health affects for some contaminants or a one-in-one million chance of having the described health effect for other contaminants. Price’s Fork/Merrimac 2015 water quality results of regulated contaminants In the distribution system Microbiological contaminants present CONTAMINANT LEVEL IN DATE OF TYPICAL SOURCE (units) MCLG MCL DETECTED RANGE COMPLIANCE SAMPLE OF CONTAMINANT TOTAL ORGANIC N/A TT,met 1.0 1.0 YES 2015 Naturally present in the CARBON when ≥ 1 environment TURBIDITY (NTU) N/A TT, 1 NTU 0.9 0.02 to 0.09 YES 2015 Soil runoff max TT, ≤0.3 100% 95% of the time Inorganic contaminants present CONTAMINANT LEVEL IN DATE OF TYPICAL SOURCE (units) MCLG MCL DETECTED RANGE COMPLIANCE SAMPLE OF CONTAMINATION FLUORIDE (ppm) 4 4 0.60 N/A YES 2015 Erosion of natural deposits Water additive which promotes strong teeth NITRATE/NITRITE 10 10 0.37 N/A YES 2015 Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching (ppm) from septic tanks, sewage, erosion of natural deposits BARIUM (ppm) 2 2 0.022 N/A YES 2015 Discharge of drilling wastes, discharge from metal refineries, erosion of natural deposits Volatile organic contaminants present CONTAMINANT LEVEL IN DATE OF TYPICAL SOURCE (units) MCLG MCL DETECTED RANGE COMPLIANCE SAMPLE OF CONTAMINATION CHLORINE (ppm) MRDLG=4 MRDLG=4 2.45 1.7 to 3.5 YES 2015 Water additive used to control microbes HALOACETIC ACID N/A 60 43 17 to 53 YES 2015 By-product of drinking water (ppb) disinfection TOTAL TRIHALO- N/A 80 41 41 to 61 YES 2015 By-product of drinking water METHANES (ppb) disinfection At the customer tap Inorganic contaminants present CONTAMINANT ACTION 90TH # SITES IN DATE OF TYPICAL SOURCE (units) MCLG LEVEL PERCENTILE EXCEEDING AL COMPLIANCE SAMPLE OF CONTAMINATION LEAD (ppb) 0 15 3.3 0 YES 2014 Corrosion of household plumbing COPPER (ppm) 1.3 1.3 0.092 0 YES 2014 Corrosion of household plumbing VIOLATION INFORMATION There were no violations during 2015. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WATER The PSA is continually working to maintain the quality of your water and to improve your water distribution system. Over the past few years many old and undersized water lines have been replaced; most of the PSA’s residential water meters have been replaced, and several pressure reducing control valves have also been replaced. In the coming years these improvements will continue Other major improvements have been an inspection and maintenance contract to a company for the PSA’s water tanks. This company on a scheduled basis washes out, disinfects, paints and repairs both the interior and exterior of the water tanks. Another company has been contracted to inspect, pressure and flow test, and maintain the PSA’s fire hydrants. They have also painted and color coded the PSA fire hydrants based on pressure and flows.