Spring Grove Water Company
Annual Drinking
Water
Quality
Report
Please call our office,
(717) 225-4711, if you have questions.
We're pleased to present the
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 1999This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and 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.
We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. In fact, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection presented a "Certificate of Commendation" to the Spring Grove Water Company for meeting all MCL, Monitoring and Treatment Technique Performance Requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Program during 1998.
Monitoring your water
The source of your water is the Codorus Creek Watershed. The Spring Grove Water Company routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 1998. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk.
Terms and Abbreviations
To help you better understand the tables inside this brochure we've provided the following definitions:
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 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 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.Millirems per year (mrem/yr)
Measure of radiation absorbed by the body.Million Fibers per liter (MFL)
Million fibers per liter is a measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.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
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 Contaminant Level
The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) 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 Contaminant Level Goal
The "Goal"(MCLG) 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.
TEST RESULTS
Microbiological Contaminants
Contaminant
(Unit of measurement)Violation
Y/NLevel
DetectedRange MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination 1. Total Coliform Bacteria N 0 0 presence of coliform bacteria in 5% of monthly samples Naturally present in the environment 2. Fecal Coliform and E. coli N 0 0 a routine sample and repeat sample are total coliform positive, and one is also fecal coliform or E. coli positive Human and animal fecal waste 3. Turbidity (ntu) N 1.05 (b) 0.5 2.04 Soil runoff
Inorganic Contaminants
Contaminant
(Unit of measurement)Violation Y/N Level Detected Range MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination 4. Copper (ppm) N 0.16 (a) 1.3 AL=1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives 5. Lead (ppb) N 12 (a) 0 AL=15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits 6. Nitrate (as Nitrogen) (ppm) N 3.88 (a) 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits 7. Nitrite (as Nitrogen) (ppm) N <0.02 (a) 1 1 Runoff from fertilizer use; from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Volatile Organic Contaminants
Contaminant
(Unit of measurement)Violation Y/N Level Detected Range MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination 8. Carbon tetrachloride (ppb) N <0.5 (a) 0 5 Discharge from chemical plants and other industrial activities 9. Trans 1,2 Dichloroethylene (ppb) N <0.5 (a) 100 100 Discharge from industrial chemical factories 10. Tetrachloroethylene (ppb) N <0.5 (a) 0 5 Leaching from PVC pipes; discharge from factories and dry cleaners 11. 1,2,4Trichlorobenzene (ppb) N <0.5 (a) 70 70 Discharge from textile-finishing factories 12. Toluene (ppm) N <0.5 (a) 1 1 Discharge from petroleum factories 13. Vinyl Chloride (ppb) N <0.5 (a) 0 2 Leaching from PVC piping; discharge from plastic factories Footnotes:
(a) Only one sample required (b) In October, 97.8% of turbidity samples met the turbidity limits
The Spring Grove Water Company tests for additional contaminants in addition to those listed above. During the past year, none of these were detected.
Special explanations regarding some common contaminants include:
Nitrates: 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 you should ask advice from your health care provider. As a precaution we always notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply. Lead: Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, but it can add to a persons total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced.As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. Were proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected.
All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or man made. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials. 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. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agencys Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
MCLs are set at very stringent levels for health effects. 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.
We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water, please contact Rich Lutz at (717) 225-4711.
Board of Directors meetings are held twice a year; however, they are not open to the public. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions that need the Boards attention, please contact Tom Norris at (717) 225-4711. Your inquiries will receive prompt attention.
We at the Spring Grove Water Company work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We also ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our childrens future.
Spring Grove Water Company
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2000 The P.H. Glatfelter Company