Reports

2013 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)

2013 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Town of Rowland

Water System Number:  03-78-040

We are pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.  This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality.  Included are details about your source(s) of water, 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 we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.  We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and to providing you with this information because informed customers are our best allies.  If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water, please contact Mr. Jessie Watson at 910-422-3333.  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 at Town Hall on the second Tuesday and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm.

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 microbial 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.  [Name of Utility] 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 stormwater 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 stormwater 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; 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 ground water from two wells located in town.

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 North Carolina.  The purpose of the assessments was to determine the susceptibility of each drinking water source (well or surface water intake) to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs).  The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that include maps, background information and a relative susceptibility rating of Higher, Moderate or Lower.

The relative susceptibility rating of each source for the Town of Rowland 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
Well # 1 Lower March 2013
Well #2 Moderate March 2013

The complete SWAP Assessment report for the Town of Rowland may be viewed on the Web at:  www.ncwater.org/pws/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 MailServiceCenter, Raleigh, NC27699-1634, or email requests to swap@ncdenr.gov.  Please indicate your system name, number, and provide your name, mailing address and phone number.  If you have any questions about the SWAP report please contact the Source Water Assessment staff by phone at 919-707-9098.

It is important to understand that a susceptibility rating of “higher” does not imply poor water quality, only the system’s potential to become contaminated by PCSs in the assessment area.

Violations that Your Water System Received for the Report Year

During 2013, or during any compliance period that ended in 2013, we received no monitoring violations covering the time period from January through December 2013.

 Water Quality Data Tables 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, 2013.  The EPA and the State allow 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 regulations are 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.

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

Maximum Residual Disinfection 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 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.

 

Tables of Detected Contaminants

Microbiological Contaminants in the Distribution System – For systems that collect less than 40 samples per month)

 Contaminant (units) MCL ViolationY/N YourWater  MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
 Total Coliform Bacteria(presence or absence) N ND 0 one positive monthly sample Naturally present in the environment
Fecal Coliform or E. coli(presence or absence) N ND 0 0   (Note:  The MCL is exceeded if 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

 

Inorganic Contaminants 

 Contaminant (units) Sample Date MCL ViolationY/N YourWater Range Low        High MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
Fluoride (ppm) 9/28/11 N 0.121 0.121 4 4 Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories

 

Nitrate/Nitrite Contaminants

 Contaminant (units) MCL ViolationY/N YourWater Range Low        High MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
Nitrate (as Nitrogen) (ppm) N ND N/A 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits

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.

 

Lead and Copper Contaminants

 Contaminant (units) Sample Date YourWater # of sites found above the AL MCLG AL Likely Source of Contamination
Copper (ppm)(90th percentile) 12/05/12 .217 0 1.3 AL=1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits
Lead  (ppb)(90th percentile) 12/05/12  ND 0 0 AL=15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

 

 Contaminant (units) MCL/MRDLViolationY/N YourWaterRAA (Stage 1) RangeLow     High MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
TTHM (ppb)                                [Total Trihalomethanes] N ND N/A 80 By-product of drinking water chlorination
HAA5 (ppb)[Total Haloacetic Acids] N ND N/A 60 By-product of drinking water disinfection

 

 For TTHM:  Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

For HAA5:  Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

The PWS Section requires monitoring for other misc. contaminants, some for which the EPA has set national secondary drinking water standards (SMCLs) because they may cause cosmetic effects or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, and/or color) in drinking water.  The contaminants with SMCLs normally do not have any health effects and normally do not affect the safety of your water.

 

Other Miscellaneous Water Characteristics Contaminants

 Contaminant (units) Sample Date YourWater RangeLow/High SMCL
Iron (ppm) 09/28/11 0.196 0.196 0.3 mg/L
Sodium (ppm) 09/28/11 11.2 11.2 N/A
pH 09/28/11 6.68 6.68 6.5 to 8.5

 

 

 

 

 

Consumer Confidence Report Certification Form

Water System Name:_Town of Rowland

Water System No.:  03 – 78 – 040      Report Year: 2012     Population Served: 1150

The Community Water System (CWS) named above hereby confirms that all provisions under 40 CFR parts 141 and 142 requiring the development of, distribution of, and notification of a consumer confidence report have been executed.  Further, the CWS certifies the information contained in the report is correct and consistent with the compliance monitoring data previously submitted to the primacy agency by their NC certified laboratory.  In addition, if this report is being used to meet Tier 3 Public Notification requirements, as denoted by the checked box below, the CWS certifies that public notification has been provided to its consumers in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 141.204(d).

Certified by:  Name:   Joe McGirt      Title: Water & Sewer ORC

Signature:  Original signed by Joe McGirt     Phone Number:  910-422-3333

Delivery Achieved Date:   May 1, 2013………Date Reported to State:  May 1, 2013

Check all methods used for distribution (see instructions on back for delivery requirements and methods):

X   Notification of Availability of Paper Copy (other than in the CCR itself)

Notification Method      On water bill

X   Notification of CCR URL  —  URL:     www.townofrowland.com

Notification Method:     On water bill 

“Good faith” efforts (in addition to the above required methods) were used to reach non-bill paying consumers such as industry employees, apartment tenants, etc.  Extra efforts included the following methods:

X   posting the CCR on the Internet at URL: www.townofrowland.com

*       mailing the CCR to postal patrons within the service area

*       advertising the availability of the CCR in news media (attach copy of announcement)

*       publication of the CCR in local newspaper (attach copy)

X    posting the CCR in public places such as: Town Hall; Nutrition Site

*       delivery of multiple copies to single bill addresses serving several persons such as:  apartments, businesses, and large private employers

X   delivery to community organizations such as: Fire Department; Rescue Squad