2002 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

 

 

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           We're pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Quality Report. The purpose of this report is to increase your understanding and confidence in the quality of drinking water delivered to you by the Sunnyslope County Water District. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.

 

Please note that tenants, employees and students may not receive the report since they are not direct customers of the District. You may make this report available to such people by distributing copies or posting in a conspicuous location.

 

WATER QUALITY

 

            The District is pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all Federal and State requirements.

 

In order to ensure that your drinking water is safe to drink the Environmental Protection Agency prescribes specific limits for the amount of certain contaminates in drinking water. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

 

            Sunnyslope County Water District routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. Unless otherwise noted, the following tables show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 2002. The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk.

 

WATER SOURCE       

 

The Sunnyslope County Water District obtains potable drinking water from two distinct groundwater aquifers pumped from the District’s five active deep groundwater wells located throughout the district and treated surface water from the LESSALT Water Treatment Plant.

 

The other sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs and springs. 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:

S       Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

S       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.

S       Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

S       Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

S       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, United States Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Health Services Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminates in water provided by public water systems. Department regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

 

Drinking Water Source Water Assessment and Protection

 

Groundwater: An assessment of following Sunnyslope Ground Water Wells: Southside Well 02, Ridgemark Well 04, Enterprise Well 07, Ridgemark Well 05, and Ridgemark Well 08 were completed in March 2002. These sources are considered most vulnerable to the following activities not associated with any detected contaminants: Agricultural Drainage, Septic Systems – low density, Sewer collection systems, Wells – agricultural/Irrigation and grazing.

 

Surface Water:  An assessment of the LESSALT Water Treatment Plant Surface Water Source was completed in March 2002. This source is considered most vulnerable to the following activities not associated with any detected contaminants: Recreational Area, Government Agency Equipment Storage, Road, Streets, Septic Systems, Sewer Collection Systems, Grazing Animals, Farm Machinery, Wells and Irrigation.

 

A copy of the completed assessments may be viewed at the following locations:

 

Sunnyslope County Water District                                 Department of Health Services (DHS)

3416 Airline Highway                                                   Drinking Water Field Operations Branch

Hollister, CA 95023-9702                                             1 Lower Ragsdale Dr., Building 1 Suite 120

                                                                                   Monterey, CA 93940

 

 

 

            New analytical instruments and techniques make it possible to measure quality of constituents in water that were undetectable in the past. The water quality results in this report show parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l) and even parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (ug/l) of detectable substances.

 

The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations.

 

Up to 129 other contaminants were tested for in 2002 and not detected.

Unregulated Contaminants
Contaminant	Violation Y/N	Average Level Detected	Range	Unit Measurement	MCL
Total Hardness (as CaCO3) yr 2000 & 2001	No	277	120 – 360	ppm	N/A
Boron	No	792	200 – 1200	ppb	N/A
Calcium (Ca) yr 2001	No	48	24 – 65	ppm	N/A
Chromium, Hexavalent (CrVI) yr 2000 & 2001	No	7.83	0 – 12	ppb	N/A
Magnesium (Mg) yr 2000 & 2001	No	39	15 – 57	ppm	N/A
Sodium (Na) yr 2000 & 2001	No	117	64 – 150	ppm	N/A
Potassium (K) yr 00, 2000 & 200101	No	3	2.4 – 3.3	ppm	N/A
Total Alkalinity  (as CaCO3) yr 2000 & 2001	No	262	100 – 310	ppm	N/A
Bicarbonate (HCO3) yr 2000 & 2001	No	262	100 – 310	ppm	N/A
Vanadium	No	5.2	4.0 – 7.0	ppb	N/A
pH (Laboratory) yr 2001	No	7.54	7.29 – 7.96	Units	6.5 – 8.5

 

 

 

 

The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations.

 

 

 

Treatment of Surface Water Source LESSALT Water Treatment Plant
Treatment Technique (TT) S: U S Filter Memcor Microfiltration Treatment Plant	Turbidity has no health effects. However, high levels of turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, and diarrhea and associated headaches.
Turbidity Performance Standards SS:      This standard must be met through the       water treatment process	Turbidity of the filtered water must: 1 -  Be less than or equal to 0.1 NTU in 95% of measurements in a month. 2 -  Not exceed 1.0 NTU at any time.
Lowest monthly percentage of samples that met Turbidity Performance Standard No. 1.	100%
Highest single turbidity measurement during the year	0.04 NTU
The number of violations of any surface water treatment requirements	None

S A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

SS Turbidity (measured in NTU) is a measurement of the cloudiness of water and is a good indicator of water quality and filtration performance.  Turbidity results which meet performance standards are considered to be in compliance with filtration requirements.

 

2002 Water Production     5285 Accounts	2002 Average Monthly Water use per Single Family Residence   1,985 Cubic Feet  or  14,845 Gallons
	January Lowest Month   975 Cubic Feet or 7,293 Gallons	June Highest Month   2,979 Cubic Feet or 22,283 Gallons
141,862,968 Total Cubic Feet or 1,061,135,000 Total Gallons or  3,257 Acre-Feet	Average City Accounts   1,800 Cubic Feet                       or 13,464 gallons	Average County Accounts   2,200 cubic Feet or 16,456 gallons
1 Cubic Foot = 7.48 Gallons  S   100 Cubic Feet = 748 Gallons S  1 Acre Foot = 325,828 Gallons

 

SUMMARY

              As you can see by the above tables, our system had no violations. We’re proud that your drinking water meets or is lower than all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing program that some contaminants have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

 

      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. U S Environmental Protection Agency and Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

 

      We at Sunnyslope County Water District work 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.

 

           If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Bryan Yamaoka at (831) 637-4670. We want you, our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Board meetings. They are held in our District Office at 3416 Airline Highway on the second Thursday of every month 5:15 p.m.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about water:

 

IS MY WATER SAFE TO DRINK?

 

                Yes, water supplied by the Sunnyslope County Water District meets or is below the stringent State and Federal regulations. These regulations require close monitoring of all water supplies, and we must report a summary of water quality monitoring to our customers each year.

 

 

 

 

HOW HARD IS OUR WATER?

 

                Water hardness is dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium and occurs naturally in our water supply. There are no distinctly defined levels of what constitutes hard or soft water. Typically, if the amount of dissolved Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) is above 130 ppm or 8 grains per gallon, water is considered hard and can cause scale to build up in pipes, on faucets, and leave white spots on dishware. The District’s water hardness ranges from 120 to 360 ppm or 7 to 21 grains per gallon.

 

WHY DOES MY WATER LOOK CLOUDY? MILKY WATER?

 

                Cloudy or milky water is usually due to air bubbles in the water. Distribution pipes carry water under pressure, meaning air is dissolved in the water. These bubbles initially make a glass of water appear cloudy, but will slowly rise and disappear.

 

WHY DOES MY DRINKING WATER TASTE OR SMELL FUNNY?

 

Taste comes from the dissolved minerals in the water. The two most common reasons for poor tasting or smelling water are:

 

1.        Chlorine odor is usually a result of the chlorine used to disinfect the water supply. If the smell is particularly bothersome, let the water stand in an open container, the chlorine will dissipate. The container can then be covered for later use.

2.        A rotten-egg odor in groundwater is caused by a non-toxic (in small amounts) hydrogen sulfide dissolved in the water and usually found from the hot water faucet. A remedy is to slightly turn up the temperature in your hot water heater. Also, if you let the water flush for a few seconds, the smell will disappear.

 

HOW OFTEN IS CHLORINE CHECKED IN THE WATER SYSTEM?

 

                Chlorine is added to the water pumped from the districts wells and the surface water source from the LESSALT Water Treatment Plant to provide a high degree of disinfection over a long period of time. We measure the chlorine residual at various locations throughout our water distribution system daily and on a continuous basis at the LESSALT Water Treatment Plant utilizing two continuous chlorine residual analyzers.

 

The weekly microbiological tests we perform look for presence of indicator organisms called coliform bacteria. If these indicator organisms are detected, there is a potential that other pathogenic (disease causing) organisms may be present. Our system is protected against microbiological contamination and the water you drink contains a small amount of chlorine to maintain a disinfectant capability. We have never detected E. Coli in our water system.

 

IS FLUORIDE ADDED TO OUR DRINKING WATER?

 

                No, fluoride is not added to the District’s water supply. However, fluoride does occur naturally and is present in the water supply between 0.13 mg/l to 0.37 mg/l. By comparison, the fluoride level does not exceed the California Maximum Contaminant Level of 2 mg/l.

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF I USE A SELF-REGENERATING WATER SOFTENER?

 

                Self-regenerating water softeners use salt, the type that uses rock salt or potassium, may deposit up to 600 pounds of brine into the sewer system and into the environment each year. That’s a problem because Sunnyslope County Water District wastewater treatment plant cannot remove these salts during the treatment process and these salts along with our wastewater effluent are recycled back into the groundwater.

 

WHAT TYPE OF WATER SOFTENER CAN WE USE?

 

District Regulations require our wastewater customers to either have an “On-Demand” or “Replaceable Cartridge” type water softener installed by year 2005. Our Regional Water Quality Control Board Discharge Permit requires us to reduce the salt byproducts in our wastewater effluent.

 

IF I ALREADY OWN A SELF-REGENERATING WATER SOFTENER, WHAT CAN I DO TO LESSEN ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT?

 

                Water softeners use the least salt when they are set to regenerate “on demand”, after a certain amount of water has been processed, and not just on a timer. If you do not have an on-demand setting, make sure to turn the unit off when it is not being used, such as when you go on vacation. Also, set the unit at the lowest hardness level that will soften the water. Experiment with the settings to see what is acceptable to you.

 

FOR ADDITIONAL DRINKING WATER INFORMATION.

 

              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.

 

WATER CONSERVATION

 

Services to Help You Save Water and Save Money

 

The Sunnyslope County Water District is an active participant with the Water Resources Association of San Benito County. One of the main programs of the Association is Water Conservation. The following activities are available to our customers for your benefit:

 

S        High Efficiency Washing Machine Rebate of $100.00 for residential customers and up to $350.00 for commercial and multiple family customers. Rebate only for washing machines purchased after 12/6/02.

 

S        Ultra Low Flow Toilet Rebate of $75.00 to $85.00 per toilet to replace toilets older than 1991, for residential and commercial customers.

 

S        Free Home Water Audits, which evaluate your sprinkler systems and help, detect leaks.

 

S        Free water conservation devices and literature.

 

S        Low Cost Toilet Replacement Program. (under development)

 

S        Project W.E.T. (Water Education for Teachers) a teacher water education program.

 

S        May 2003 is Water Awareness Month

 

For additional information and assistance on the above Water Conservation Program and Activities call the Water Conservation Specialist at: (831) 637-4378 or Web site: www.sbcwd.com (click on water conservation).

 

 

 

READING YOUR WATER METER

 

How is my meter read?

 

The Sunnyslope County Water District reads meters on a monthly cycle, which is the basis for your water bills. District personnel read every meter every month.

 

The District is currently in the process of replacing old water meters with “state of the art” radio read meters. These meters transmit your meter reading to a remote reading device. If your meter is the new radio read type, there will be a black disk on top of your meter box lid. Care must be taken when removing the lid not to damage the wire connected to the water meter. Any damage to this device will be the responsibility of the property owner. S

 

How can I check my water usage?

 

It is important that you know how to read your meter to understand how much water you are using or to find out if you have a “hidden leak”.

 

You will probably find your meter in front of your home or business, in the ground, surrounded by a concrete box and covered with a concrete lid.

 

To read your meter, open the metal meter reading lid. To know how much water you use, read all the numbers on the face of the water meter including any stationary numbers. Remove the two right digits then subtract the current reading you just took from the last reading on your most current water bill and that will give you the total water used in 100 cubic feet since the last reading. The bill you receive charges for every 100 cubic foot increment. To convert the usage to gallons multiply by 748.

 

How do I check for a small leak?

 

You can also measure smaller amounts of water used to detect a leak. First, make sure all faucets and water-using appliances in and around your home are off. Even a small drip will be detected by your water meter. Depending on the meter manufacturer, the meter will have a sweep hand or a small dial. If any movement on the meter dials are observed, water is flowing through the meter indicating a leak. Check for moisture or wet spots under sinks, around toilets or in other areas where leaks might occur. If necessary, call a plumber for help.

 

What causes the water pipes in my home to rattle or vibrate?

 

If the water pipes in your home vibrate in the walls. This condition is known as water hammer and generally the cause can be traced to a faulty ball cock in one of the household toilet tanks. If necessary, call a plumber for help.