Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Town Of Union Bridge

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 is a well drilled in the Wakefield Marble geology located near Town Hall at the intersections of Whyte and Locust Streets.

This report shows our water quality and what it means.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Violet Hobbs at 410 775 2711. 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 fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at Town Hall.

The Town Of Union Bridge 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, 2004. 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:

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.

Treatment Technique (TT) – a treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking 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 - (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 (Unregulated)

Contaminant

Violation
Y/N

Level
Detected

Unit
Measurement

MCLG MCL Likely Source of
contamination
Sulfate N 35.8 mg/L

Naturally
Occurring

Sodium N 29.0 mg/L

 

TEST RESULTS Regulated

Contaminant

Violation
Y/N

Level
Detected

Unit
Measurement

MCLG MCL Likely Source of
contamination
Copper 12/03 N 0.34 ppm 1.3 AL=1.3

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits, leaching from wood preservatives

Lead 12/03 N 4 ppb 0 AL=15

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits

Nitrate (as Nitrogen) N 4.13 ppm 10 10

Runoff from feritilizer use. Leaching from septic tanks. Sewage; erosion of natural deposits

TTHM [Total trihalomethanes] N 9.82 ppb 0 100

By-product of drinking water chlorination

Microbiological Contaminants
Turbidity N .39 NTU NA TT

Soil runoff

 

Copper. Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with Wilson's Disease should consult their personal doctor.

Lead. Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

Nitrate. Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.

TTHMs [Total Trihalomethanes]. 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.

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.

We constantly monitor the water supply for various constituents. We have detected radon in the finished water supply at 10 picocuries per liter. There is no federal regulation for radon levels in drinking water. Exposure to air transmitted radon over a long period of time may cause adverse health effects.

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 constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

All 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.

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

Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments. Thank you for understanding. Please call our office if you have questions.

 

 

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