Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

New Whiteland Water Works (PWSID # 5241006)

Our 2007 Water Quality Summary

(Este informe Contiene informaci’on muy importante sorbre su agua potable. Trad’uzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien)

 

 

 

To comply with state and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, New Whiteland Water Works issues a report annually describing the quality of your drinking water. The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect your drinking water sources. In 2007, your water was tested for many contaminants, all of which were below state and federal maximum allowable levels. This report provides an overview of last year’s (2007) water quality. It includes details about where your water comes from and what it contains. New Whiteland Water Works purchases it’s water from Indiana American Water which relies on ground water pumped from six well fields in Johnson County. A Source Water Assessment Plan has been developed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. This plan identifies potential contaminant sources of groundwater resources. Additionally Indiana-American Water has developed a Wellhead Protection Management Plan. This pro-active program provides an opportunity for community involvement for identifying methods to protect the ground water source.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Jim Lasiter at 535-4664. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month at 7:00 in the town hall ( 401 Mooreland Dr. New Whiteland ).

 

New Whiteland Utilities and Indiana American Water routinely monitor for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1, to December 31, 2007. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as:

 

Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage 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 and residential uses.

 

Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring.

 

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.

  

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. In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better  understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

 
 

Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

 

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.

 

Picocurie per liter (pCi/l) - picocurie per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

 

Action Level (AL)- the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

 

Millirems per year(mrem/year) - A measure of radiation absorbed by the body.

 

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.

 

NA - Not Applicable

 

Unregulated Substances - Substances that do not have MCL’s or MCLG’s. Monitoring of these substances helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants.

 

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 from year to year. Some data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old.

 

 

TESTS RESULTS

 

                 REGULATED SUBSTANCES                                                                      

Substance    (units) Year Sampled MCL MCLG DETECTED Range Violation    Typical Sources      

Alpha Emitters*            (pCi/L)         2004             15            0               2.0                         0.8-2.0         NO              Erosion of natural deposits    

Beta/photon Emitter**  (pCi/L)         2002             50            0               14.2                       5.8-14.2       NO             Erosion of Natural deposits

Barium                            (ppm)          2006              2             2               0.45                     0.083-0.45     NO             Discharge of drilling waste;                                                                                                                                         discharge from metal refineries;                                                                                                                                                                                       erosion from  natural deposits

cis-1-2-Dichloorethylene  (ppb)         2006            70           70              60.5                      ND-60.5       NO               Discharge from chemical factories

Trans- 1,2-Dichloroethylene (ppb)     2006             100        100             3.1                       ND-3.1         NO              Discharge from industrial chemical factories

Fluoride                          (ppm)          2006              4             4                  1.0                     0.8 -1.0        NO               Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which                                                                                                                                                        promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and 
                                                                                                                                        aluminum factories         

Nitrate                           (ppm)            2007          10            10                1.1                    0.02-1.1           NO             Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks,
                                                                                                                                        sewage; erosion of natural deposits

Nickel                           (ppb)             2006         NA***      NA              3.5                    0.5-3.5             NO              Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from making of

                                                                                                                                        stainless steel and other alloys

Radium 228                   (pCi/l)           2004            5               0              1.4                    0.30-1.40         NO              Erosion of natural deposits

 

Picloram                                 2007         500            500             0.6                    ND-0.6            NO               Herbicide runoff

 

    TTHMs                                                                                                                                 

[Total trihalomethanes]   (ppb)           2006          80           NA               18.09                 12.1-22.1       NO               By-product of drinking water chlorination

Haloacetic Acids                                     

   (HAA5)                        (ppb)          2006           60            NA              7.92                   5-10.9                                 By-product of drinking water chlorination

Chlorine                   (ppm)          2005              4               4              1.0                    0.2-1.0            NO               Water additive to control microbes

 

LEAD AND COPPER (Tap water samples were tested from 40 households throughout the service area)     Substance (units)    Year       Action   MCLG     90th          Number of       Violation         Typical Source

                             Sampled     Level                Percentile   Homes Above                 

                                                                                             Action Level                                                               

Copper           (ppm)           2007               1.3             1.3          0.97                    0                           NO                  Corrosion of household plumbing systems;
                                                                                                                                      erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives

Lead               (ppb)            2007               15               0           1.6                      0                           NO                   Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits

 

UNREGULATED SUBSTANCES                                                                                  

   Substance       (units) Year Sampled Detected    Range     Typical Source                        

Bromodichloromethane   (ppb)                         2004            2.3                  1.5-3.0           By-product of drinking water disinfection

Dibromochloromethane  (ppb)                          2004            0.7                  0.7-1.5           By-product of drinking water disinfection

Chloroform                     (ppm)                         2004            2.8                  1.9-4.2           By-product of drinking water disinfection

Sodium                           (ppm)                          2006           40                     7-40              Naturally occurring

Sulfate                            (ppm)                          2006           91.2                  45.6-91.2      Erosion of natural deposits

 


If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.

New Whiteland 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.

Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in some ground water. It may pose a health risk when the gas is released from water into air, as occurs during showering, bathing or washing dishes and clothes. Radon gas released from drinking water is a relatively small part of the total radon in air. Radon is released into home and groundwater from soil. EPA is proposing to regulate this substance in the range of 300 pCi/L to 1500 pCi/L. Inhalation of radon gas has been linked to lung cancer, however, the effects of radon ingested in drinking water are not yet clear. If you are concerned about radon in your home, tests are available to determine the total exposure level. For additional information on how to have your home tested, contact your Indiana Radon Hotline at (800) 272-9723 or call (800) SOS- RADON.

* The MCL for alpha particles is 4 mrem/year. EPA considers 50 pCi/l to be the level of concern for alpha particles.

** The MCL for beta/photon particles is 4 mrem/year. EPA considers 50 pCi/l to be the level of concern for beta/photon particles.

*** Although Nickel is a regulated contaminant, there is no MCL.

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 Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL's are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, 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.

In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.

 

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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Please call our office if you have questions.

 

 

Town of New Whiteland

401 Mooreland Dr.

New Whiteland, IN. 46184