2018 Annual Water Quality Report
Tower City Borough Authority
This report contains very important information about your drinking water. Translate it or speak to someone who understands it.
We are pleased to present to you this year's 2018 Tower City Borough Authority Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. I am pleased to report that our drinking water meets all federal and state requirements. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact The Authority Office at 717-647-4483 or attend any Regularly Scheduled Meeting They Are Held the First Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in the authority office at 219 E. Colliery ave Tower city PA. 17980.
Our water source is Well # 1 Located near Muir.Well # 3 located near Tower City
Well # 5 Locater near Sheridan and well # 6 located near Clarks Valley
Water Assessment of our sources was completed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection PA. DEP Protection The Assessment found that our sources are potentially most susceptible to See ( insert ) potential sources of contamination listed in the source water assessment summary overall our sources have little moderate high risk of significant contamination a summary report of the assessment is available on the source water assessment summary Reports ELibrary web page WWW.eilbrary dep.state.pa.us/dweb/view/collection-10045complete reports were distributed to the municipalities ,water supplier local planning agencies and PADEP offices copies of the complete report are available for review at the PA DEP at 717-705-4700
Tower city Borough Authority routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The analytical results are summarized in a table presented later in this report. The table reflects monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2018. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. In addition, DEP does not require annual monitoring for all contaminants. Therefore, some of the data provided in the table below are from prior years, as noted.
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 microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION:
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, which 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 storm water run-off, 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 storm water 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, EPA and DEP prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA and DEP 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 contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
In the following table, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we have provided the following definitions:
Action Level (AL) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Not Applicable (N/A) - Not applicable
Non-Detects (ND) - Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at a detectable level.
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - One part per million or milligrams per liter (corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000).
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - One part per billion or micrograms per liter (corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000).
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.
Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - 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.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)- The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.