PWSID# NJ 1904001
Consumer
Confidence Report Quality on Tap Report
West Brookwood Water Department
For the Year 2005, Results from the Year 2004
We are pleased to present to
you this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality 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 is supplied from three groundwater wells. Well #1 draws groundwater from
the Kittatinny Aquifer, Well # 2 draws groundwater from the Gneiss Aquifer, and
Well # 3 draws groundwater from the Gneiss Aquifer.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (NJDEP) has completed and issued the Source Water Assessment Report
and Summary for this public water system, which is available at WWW.state.nj.us/dep/swap or by
contacting NJDEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water at (609) 292-5550. You may also contact your public water
system to obtain information regarding your water system’s Source Water
Assessment. This water system’s source
water susceptibility ratings and a list of potential contaminant sources is attached
We are pleased to report that our drinking water meets all
federal and state safety requirements.
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).
The
B.M.R.P.O.A., Inc.Water Department routinely monitors for contaminants 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, 2004.
|
TEST RESULTS
|
||||||
|
Contaminant |
Violation Y/N |
Level Detected |
Units of Measurement |
MCLG |
MCL |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Radioactive Contaminants |
||||||
|
Alpha emitters
|
N |
1.4 |
pCi/1 |
0 |
15 |
Erosion of
natural deposits |
|
Inorganic Contaminants: |
||||||
|
Barium |
N |
Avg = 0.015 Range = 0.01 – 0.02 |
ppm |
2 |
2 |
Discharge of
drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits |
|
*Copper |
N |
Avg = 0.16 Range = 0.01 – 0.31 |
ppm |
1.3 |
AL=1.3 |
Corrosion of
household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits |
|
Nitrate (as
Nitrogen) |
N |
Avg = 1.91 Range = 1.00– 5.74 |
ppm |
10 |
10 |
Runoff from
fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural
deposits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* 3 year cycle, sample date July 15. 2003
In
the following 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.
Picocuries per
liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity
in water.
Action Level - the
concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other
requirements which a water system must follow.
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.
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.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant 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 contamination
To ensure the
continued quality of our water we treat it is several ways.
Raw water is injected with
sodium hypochlorite at each well, at the point of entry to the distribution
system. The Safe Drinking Water Act regulations allow monitoring waivers to
reduce or eliminate the monitoring requirements for asbestos, volatile organic
chemicals and synthetic organic chemicals
Our system has received a
waiver for monitoring synthetic organic contaminants.
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.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your
water utility, please contact Barbara De Marco at (973) 347-1040. 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 Association meetings at Byram Township Town Hall, located
at 10 Mansfield Drive, Stanhope, New Jersey 07874. Meetings are held on the
second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm.
The state allows
us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the
concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though representative, are
more than one year old.
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 storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater
discharges, oil and gas projection, mining, or farming.
·
Pesticides
and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture,
urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
·
Organic
chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals,
which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can,
also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
·
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. Food and Drug Administration regulations
establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which 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 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.
Children may receive a slightly higher
amount of a contaminant present in the water than do adults, on a body weight
basis, because they may drink a greater amount of water per pound of body
weight than do adults. For this reason,
reproductive or developmental effects are used for calculating a drinking water
standard if these effects occur at lower levels than other health effects of
concern. If there is insufficient
toxicity information for a chemical (for example, lack of data on reproductive
or developmental effects), an extra uncertainty factor may be incorporated into
the calculation of the drinking water standard, thus making the standard more
stringent, to account for additional uncertainties regarding these
effects. In the cases of lead and
nitrate, effects on infants and children are the health endpoints upon which
the standards are based.
We at B.M.R.P.O.A., Inc., membership owned
West Brookwood Water Department work hard to provide top quality water to every
tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are
the heart of our community, our way of life and our children's future. Please
call our office if you have questions.
We have learned through our monitoring and
testing that some contaminants have been detected. As you can see by the table,
our system had no violations. We are proud that your drinking water meets or
exceeds all Federal and State safety requirements