Water Quality Report
2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
2010
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Handy Sanitary District
PWS ID# 02-29-035
We are pleased to present to you with this year's Annual Drinking
Water Quality Report. This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality.
Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and
how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. Our constant goal is to
provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to
understand the efforts that we, along with the Town of
What EPA Wants You to Know
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).
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).
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. Handy Sanitary District 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 your water, you may wish to have your water tested.
Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can
take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or
at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
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 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 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 storm water
runoff, and septic systems; and 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 prescribes
regulations which 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.
When You Turn on Your Tap, Consider the Source
The water that is used by this system is surface water from Tuckertown Reservoir which is a part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Lakes System. The intake is located on Bringle Ferry Road
Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Results
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Public
Water Supply (PWS) Section, Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) conducted
assessments for all drinking water sources across
The relative susceptibility rating of each source for Town of Denton was
determined by combining the contaminant rating (number and location of PCSs
within the assessment area) and the inherent vulnerability rating (i.e.,
characteristics or existing conditions of the well or watershed and its
delineated assessment area). The assessment findings are summarized in the table
below:
Susceptibility of Sources to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs)
|
Source Name |
Susceptibility Rating |
SWAP Report Date |
|
Tuckertown Reservoir |
Higher |
March 2007 |
The complete SWAP Assessment report for Town of Denton may be viewed on the Web at:
http://swap.deh.enr.state.nc.us/swap/. Note that because SWAP results and reports are periodically updated by
the PWS Section, the results available on this web site may differ from the
results that were available at the time this CCR was prepared.
If you are unable to access your SWAP report on the web, you may mail a
written request for a printed copy to:
Source Water Assessment Program – Report Request, 1634
It is
important to understand that a susceptibility rating of “higher” does not
imply poor water quality, only the systems’ potential to become contaminated by
PCS’s in the assessment area.
Water Quality Data Table of Detected Contaminants
We routinely monitor for over 150
contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The
table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected
in the last round of sampling for the particular contaminant group. The presence
of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health
risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from
testing done January 1 through December 31, 2010. The EPA or the State
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. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality,
is more than one year old.
Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted.
Important Drinking Water Definitions:
Not-Applicable (N/A)
– Information not applicable/not required for that particular water system or
for that particular rule.
Non-Detects (ND)
- Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at the level
of detection set for the particular methodology used.
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 (ug/L) - One part per billion 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.
Action Level
(AL) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers
treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Treatment Technique (TT)
- A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a
contaminant in drinking water.
Maximum Residual Disinfection 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.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - 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 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.
Extra Note: MCLs are set at very
stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many
regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day
at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the
described health effect.
Microbiological Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
MCL Violation
Y/N |
Your
Water |
MCLG
|
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Total Coliform Bacteria
(presence or absence)
|
N |
0 |
0 |
one positive monthly sample |
Naturally present in the environment |
|
Fecal Coliform or E. coli (presence or absence) |
N |
0 |
0 |
0 (Note: The MCL is exceeded if a routine sample and repeat sample are
total coiform positive, and one is also fecal coliform or E. coli
positive) |
Human and animal fecal waste |
Turbidity*
|
Contaminant (units)
|
MCL Violation
Y/N |
Your
Water |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Turbidity (NTU)
|
N |
0.165 |
N/A
|
TT = 1 NTU |
Soil runoff |
|
100% |
|
TT = percentage of samples < 0.3
NTU |
* Turbidity is a measure of the
cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the
effectiveness of our
filtration system. The turbidity rule requires that 95% or more of the
monthly samples must be less than or equal to 0.3 NTU
Unregulated Inorganic
Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
Sample Date |
Your
Water |
Range
Low
High |
Secondary MCL |
|
Sulfate (ppm) |
12/16/09 |
44.1 |
NA |
250 |
Synthetic Organic Chemical (SOC) Contaminants Including
Pesticides and Herbicides
|
Contaminant (units)
|
Sample Date |
MCL Violation
Y/N |
Your
Water |
Range
Low
High |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
2,4-D (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
70 |
70 |
Runoff from herbicide used on row crops |
|
2,4,5-TP (Silvex) (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
50 |
50 |
Residue of banned herbicide |
|
Dalapon (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
200 |
200 |
Runoff from herbicide used on rights of way |
|
Dinoseb (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
7 |
7 |
Runoff from herbicide used on soybeans and vegetables |
|
Pentachlorophenol (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
0 |
1 |
Discharge from wood preserving factories |
|
Simazine (ppb) |
04/14/10 |
N |
ND |
NA |
4 |
4 |
Herbicide runoff |
Lead and
Copper Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
Sample Date |
Your
Water |
# of sites found above the AL |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Copper (ppm)
(90th percentile) |
October 2009 |
.0167 |
0 |
1.3 |
AL=1.3 |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits;
leaching from wood preservatives |
|
Lead (ppb)
(90th percentile) |
October 2009 |
0
|
0 |
0 |
AL=.015 |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
Radioactive Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
Sample Date |
MCL Violation
Y/N |
Your
Water |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Alpha emitters (pCi/L) |
01/19/09 |
N |
ND |
0 |
15 |
Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Uranium (pCi/L) |
01/19/09 |
N |
ND |
0 |
20.1 |
Erosion of natural deposits |
* Note:
The MCL for beta particles is 4 mrem/year.
EPA considers 50 pCi/L to be the level of concern for beta particles
Total Organic
Carbon (TOC):
|
Contaminant (units)
|
TT Violation Y/N |
Your Water
(RAA Removal Ratio) |
Range Monthly Removal Ratio
Low - High |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
Compliance Method
(Step 1 or ACC#__) |
|
Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio)
(TOC)-TREATED |
N |
52.3% |
42% 59% |
N/A |
TT |
Naturally present in the environment |
STEP 1 |
Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
MCL/MRDL
Violation
Y/N |
Your
Water
(AVG) |
Range
Low High |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
TTHM (ppb)
[Total Trihalomethanes] |
N |
.06 |
.028 .122 |
N/A |
.080 |
By-product of drinking water chlorination |
|
HAA5 (ppb)
[Total Haloacetic Acids] |
N |
.04 |
.005 .094 |
N/A |
.060 |
By-product of drinking water disinfection |
|
Chlorine (ppm)
|
N |
1.11 |
.29 1.78 |
MRDLG = 2 |
MRDL = 4 |
Water additive used to control microbes |
Secondary Contaminants, required by the NC Public Water Supply Section, are
substances that affect the taste, odor, and/or color of drinking water. These
aesthetic contaminants normally do not have any health effects and normally do
not affect the safety of your water.
Water Characteristics Contaminants
|
Contaminant (units)
|
Sample Date |
Your
Water |
Range
Low/High
|
Secondary MCL |
|
Iron (ppm)
|
2010 |
0.011 |
N/A
|
0.3 |
|
Manganese (ppm) |
2010 |
0.0027 |
N/A |
0.05 |
|
pH |
2010 |
7.4 |
N/A |
6.5 to 8.5 |