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Annual
Drinking Water Quality Report
Jal Water System
Consumer
Confidence Report 2005
We're
pleased to present to you this year's Annual Quality Water Report. This report
is designed to inform you about the quality 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. Our water source comes from
five production
wells, which draw water from the Jal Underground Water Basin.
Jal
Water System routinely monitors for constituents
in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the
results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December
31st, 2005. As
water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or
contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive
substances. 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.
If
you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility,
please contact Gilbert Martinez at (505) 395-3340.
If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled
council meetings. They are held on
the second Monday of every month at City Hall.
The
Source Water Assessment & Protection Report is intended primarily to provide
water utility companies, and water customers with information about the
susceptibility of their water supplies to contamination.
The Jal Water System is well maintained and operated, and sources of
drinking water are generally protected from potential sources of contamination
based on well construction, hydrogeologic settings and system operations and
management. The susceptibility rank
of the entire water system is MODERATE. Please
contact the Jal Water System to discuss the findings of the SWAPP report.
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 contaminant 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.
·
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.
·
Variances
& Exemptions (V&E)
- State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under
certain conditions Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant
which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water
system must follow.
·
Treatment
Technique (TT)
- (mandatory language) A treatment technique is a required process intended to
reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
·
Maximum
Contaminant Level
- (mandatory language) 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
- (mandatory language) 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 |
||||||
|
Contaminant (Unit
Measurement) |
Violation Y/N |
Level
Detected |
Date Tested |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely
Source of Contamination |
|
Microbiological
Contaminants |
||||||
|
1.
Total Coliform Bacteria
|
N |
None |
1/2005
thru 12/2005 |
0 |
presence
of coliform bacteria in 5% of monthly samples |
Naturally
present in the environment |
|
2.
Fecal coliform and
E.coli |
N |
None |
1/2005
thru 12/2005 |
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 |
|
Radioactive
Contaminants |
||||||
|
4.
Beta/photon emitters ** |
N |
7.10 |
3-3-04 |
0 |
50 |
Decay
of natural and man-made deposits |
|
**Note:
The MCL for Beta particles is 4 mrems/year.
EPA considers 50 pci/l to be a level of concern for beta particles.
|
||||||
|
5.
Alpha emitters |
N |
5.7 |
3-3-04 |
0 |
15 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
|
6.
Combined radium (pCi/1) |
N |
0.18 |
5-7-04 |
0 |
5 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
|
Uranium
(pCi/L |
N |
6 |
5-7-04 |
0 |
30 |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
|
Inorganic
Contaminants |
||||||
|
8.
Arsenic |
N |
7.1 |
11-3-05 |
01 |
101 |
Erosion
of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and
electronics production wastes |
|
* * * * * 1. These arsenic values are effective
January 23, 2006. Until then, the MCL is 0.05 mg/L and there is no MCLG. |
||||||
|
10.
Barium |
N |
23.2 |
11-3-05 |
2 |
2 |
Discharge
of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural
deposits |
|
13.
Chromium |
N |
1.4 |
11-3-05 |
100 |
100 |
Discharge
from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits |
|
14.
Copper |
N |
U |
9-27-05 |
1.3 |
AL=1.3 |
Corrosion
of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from
wood preservatives |
|
16.
Fluoride |
Y
|
2.48 |
11-3-05 |
4 |
4 |
Erosion
of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge
from fertilizer and aluminum factories |
|
17.
Lead |
N |
6.0 |
9-27-05 |
0 |
AL=15 |
Corrosion
of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
|
Nickel
(unregulated) |
N |
2.3 |
11-3-05 |
100 |
N/A |
Erosion
of natural deposits; discharge from mining and refining |
|
19.
Nitrate (as Nitrogen) |
N |
1.5 |
11-3-05 |
10 |
10 |
Runoff
from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of
natural deposits |
|
21.
Selenium |
N |
6.4 |
11-3-05 |
50 |
50 |
Discharge
from petroleum and metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits;
discharge from mines |
|
22.
Thallium |
N |
0.04 |
3-29-04 |
0.5 |
2 |
Leaching
from ore-processing sites; discharge from electronics, glass, and drug
factories |
Disinfection
By-Products
|
||||||
|
63.
HAA5
[Total Haloacetic Acids] |
N |
4.55 |
9-30-05 |
0 |
60 |
By-product
of drinking water chlorination |
|
64.
TTHM
[Total trihalomethanes] |
N |
1.59 |
10-03-05 |
0 |
80 |
By-product
of drinking water chlorination |
What
does this mean?
As
you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We’re proud that your
drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have
learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminants have been
detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.
*Arsenic above 5 up through 10 ppb: While
your drinking water meets the current standard for arsenic, it does contain low
levels of arsenic. The standard balances the current understanding of
arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from
drinking water. The 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.
**
Fluoride: The table shows that our
system has a continuing problem of a violation of the secondary maximum
contaminate level (SMCL) for fluoride. This
is an alert about your drinking water and a cosmetic dental problem that might
affect children under 9 years of age. At
low levels, fluoride can help prevent cavities, but children drinking water
containing more than 2 milligrams per liter (MG/L) of fluoride may develop
cosmetic discoloration of their permanent teeth (dental fluorosis).
The drinking water provided by the Jal Water System has a fluoride
concentration of 2.48 MG/L.
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).
In
our continuing efforts to comply with the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water
Act and 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. Thank
you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water
this year and for your understanding.
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