Annual Drinking Water
Quality Report For 2007
Published June 27, 2008
Este reporte contiene
información importante sobre su agua para tomar. Si no entiende ingles, por
favor busque a alguien que le translada el reporte y le explique la información
a usted.
The annual
Consumer Confidence Report is mandated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), as a means of sharing information with residents regarding
Sources of
drinking water (both tap 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 the following: (A) Microbial contaminants such as viruses
and bacteria that may be from sewage treatment plants, septic systems,
agricultural livestock operations, or wildlife; (B) Inorganic contaminants such
as salts and metals that can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm
water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas
production, mining, or farming; (C) Pesticides and herbicides that may come
from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and
residential uses; (D) Organic chemical contaminants including synthetic and
volatile organic chemicals that are by-products of industrial processes and
petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water
runoff, and septic systems; and (E) Radioactive contaminants that can be
naturally occurring or can be the result of oil and gas production and mining
activities.
To ensure
that tap water is safe to drink, the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in
water provided by public water systems. The United States Food and Drug
Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water
that 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. 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, persons 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. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and
Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk
of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants as well as
more information about contaminants in tap water and potential health effects
can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking
Water Hotline at 800-426-4791. Information on bottled water can be obtained
from the United States Food and Drug Administration.
If a contaminant in sampled water is found to be out
of compliance with drinking water standards,
WATER
TREATMENT PLANT
WATER
SAMPLING
Contaminants
in your drinking water are routinely monitored according to Federal and State
laws. The State of
HEALTH EFFECTS INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING
TABLES
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, and detected nitrate levels are above 5 ppm, you
should ask advice from your health care provider.
If arsenic is less than the MCL, your drinking water meets EPA’s standards. EPA’s standard balances the current
understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of
removing arsenic from drinking water.
EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic,
which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and
is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.
Infants
and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general
population. It is possible that lead
levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a
result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead
levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested. Flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes
before using tap water. Additional
information is available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1-800-426-4791.
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that
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.
Radioactive contaminants, that can be naturally occurring
or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
TERMS &
DEFINITIONS
·
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 (µg/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.
·
Action Level (
·
Action Level Goal
(ALG) - The “Goal” is the level of a contaminant in drinking
water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. The ALG allows for a margin of safety.
·
Treatment
Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended
to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
·
Maximum
Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The “Goal” 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.
·
Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL)- The “Maximum Allowed” 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 Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The
level of a drinking water disinfectant, below which there is no known or
expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not
reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial
contaminants.
·
Maximum Residual Disinfectant 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.
·
Running Annual Average (RAA): An average of
monitoring results for the previous 12 calendar months.