CCR-Price's-Fork-Merrimac-2022.pdf2022
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 14 individual
public water miles systems
in the unincorporated areas
of the County. Combined,
these systems consist of
almost 100 miles of water
mains, 8 wells, 20 water
tanks, 22 pumps, 24
pressure reducing valves,
five connections to the NRV
Regional Water Authority,
and two connections to the
City of Radford, Ap-
proximately 26 million
gallons of water are distrib-
uted 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:
Chuck Campbell
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 PWSID 1121580
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 EX-
CEEDS ALL VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY STANDARDS
ZERO SAMPLING VIOLATIONS IN 2022
ZERO REPORTING VIOLATIONS IN 2022
100% VDH & USEPA COMPLIANT IN 2022
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: (i)
microbial contaminants, such as virus-
es and bacteria, which may come
from sewage treatment plants, septic
systems, agricultural livestock opera-
tions, and wildlife; (ii) inorganic con-
taminants, such as salts and metals,
which can be naturally occurring or
result from urban storm water runoff,
industrial or domestic wastewater
discharges, oil and gas production,
mining, or farming; (iii) pesticides and
herbicides, which may come from a
variety of sources such as agriculture,
urban storm water runoff, and resi-
dential uses; (iv) organic chemical
contaminants, including synthetic
and volatile organic chemicals, which
are byproducts of industrial processes
and petroleum production, and can
also come from gas stations, urban
storm water runoff, and septic sys-
tems; (v) 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,
EPA prescribes regulations that limit
the amount of certain contaminants
in water provided by public water
systems. FDA regulations establish
limits for contaminants in bottled
water which must provide the same
protection for public health.
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 contami-
nants and potential health effects can
be obtained by calling the Environ-
mental Protection Agency's Safe
Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-
4791).
Some people may be more vulnera-
ble to contaminants in drinking water
than the general population. Immu-
no-compromised persons such as
persons with cancer who are under-
going chemotherapy, persons who
have undergone organ transplants,
people with HIV/AIDS or other im-
mune 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 micro-
bial contaminants are available from
the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-
426-4791).
General information
Page 2 Consumer Confidence Report
and disinfection. All these processes
work together to remove the physi-
cal, chemical and biological contami-
nants to make the water safe for
drinking. The New River was deter-
mined to be of high susceptibility to
contamination using criteria devel-
oped by the State in its USEPA ap-
proved Source Water Assessment
Program. The assessment report
consists of maps showing the source
water assessment area, an inventory
of known land use activities of con-
cern, and documentation of any
known contamination within the last
five years from the date of the assess-
ment. Treatment plants are operated
to minimize threats associated 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 groundwa-
ter supplied systems: Riner and
Woodview. These wells have a high
susceptibility to contamination due
to migration of contaminants with
land use activities of concern, poten-
tial conduits to groundwater and/or
potential sources of contamination in
the assessment areas.
There has been no known contami-
nation of these sources within the
last five years. Source water assess-
ments are available to view upon
written request.
The 14 water systems operated by
the Public Service Authority include
both surface water and groundwater
sources. 6 are supplied by the NRV
Regional Water Authority; Prices
Fork/Merrimac, Belview, Jennelle
Road, Christiansburg to Elliston,
Viewland and Mudpike Road. Two
are supplied by the City of Radford:
Plum Creek and Bethel. 6 are sup-
plied by wells operated by the PSA:
Riner, Woodview.Walton Farms, Dry
Valley, Bethel Woods and Twin Boul-
ders. 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 Treat-
ment Plant or The City of Radford
Water Treatment Plant. Treatment
consists of chemical addition, coagu-
lation, flocculation, settling, filtration
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, 2022. 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 Non Detects
Level 1 Assessment
Level 2 Assessments
Lab analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present or is below detection limit
A study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine
(if possible) why coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.
A very detailed study of the waterworks to identify potential problems and
determine (if possible) why an E. coli PMCL violation has occurred and/or why total
coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.
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 two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned abou t 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
2022 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 in 1.00 1.00 YES 2022 Naturally present in the CARBON compliance if environment
REMOVAL RATIO ≥ 1
TURBIDITY (NTU) N/A TT, 1 NTU 0.17 0.06 to 0.17 YES 2022 Soil runoff 95% of the time max TT, ≤0.3
(95% of the time) 100%
Inorganic contaminants present
CONTAMINANT LEVEL IN DATE OF TYPICAL SOURCE
(units) MCLG MCL DETECTED RANGE COMPLIANCE SAMPLE OF CONTAMINATION
FLOURIDE (ppm) 4 4 0.57 N/A YES 2022 Erosion of natural deposits
Water additive which promotes
strong teeth
NITRATE/NITRITE 10 10 0.62 N/A YES 2022 Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching
(ppm) from septic tanks, sewage, erosion
of natural deposits
BARIUM (ppm) 2 2 0.023 N/A YES 2022 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 MRDL=4 1.48 0.20 to 2.7 YES 2022 Water additive used to control
microbes
HALOACETIC ACID N/A 60 28 1 to 27 YES 2022 By-product of drinking water
(ppb) disinfection
TOTAL TRIHALO- N/A 80 31 1 to 46 YES 2022 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 ND 0 YES 2021 Corrosion of household
plumbing
COPPER (ppm) 1.3 1.3 0.0405 0 YES 2021 Corrosion of household plumbing
VIOLATION INFORMATION
There were no violations during 2022
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT CRYPTOSPRORIDIUM MONITORING
In 2018, the NRV Regional Water Authority monitored for Cryptosporidium in the source water (before treatment) as required by
EPA’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR). Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite found in sur-
face water throughout the United States. Ingestion of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infection. Al though
filtration removes Cryptosporidium, the most commonly-used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100 percent removal. Under the
LT2ESWTR, the average Cryptosporidium concentration determines if additional treatment measures are needed. Twenty -four sam-
ples are required for analysis over a two-year period. During 2018, the average Cryptosporidium concentration was 0.005 oocysts per
liter for the 18 samples collected. Based on the Cryptosporidium monitoring results so far and the current performance of the treat-
ment plant, we anticipate meeting the future treatment requirements of the LT2ESWTR.
Monitoring Results for Sodium (Unregulated No Limits Designated)
Level Detected Sample Date Typical Source Guidance
9.7 mg/L 2022 Naturally Occurring; Addition of
treatment chemicals/processes
For individuals on a very low sodium diet (500mg/day), EPA
recommends that drinking water sodium not exceed 20mg/L.
Should you have any health concerns, contact your health
provider