Annual Water Quality

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Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2019

Village of Wyoming – ID # NY6000620

90 Main St. Wyoming N.Y.  14591

 

INTRODUCTION

To comply with State regulations, The Village of Wyoming will be annually issuing a report describing the quality of your drinking water.  The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources.  This report provides an overview of last year’s water quality.  Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to State standards.  We are proud to report that our system did not violate a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard.

 

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking water, please contact Ben Welch, Village Superintendent at 495-6363. We want you to be informed about your drinking water.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled village board meetings. The meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 90 Main St. 7pm.

 

WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?

In general, 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 activities.  Contaminants that may be present in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; and radioactive contaminants.  In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  The State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

 

Our water system serves about 475 people through 145 service connections.  Our water source is groundwater which is drawn from our 25 feet deep drilled well and is located on Main Street at the Village pump house.  The water is treated with sodium hypochlorite at the pump house and is pumped to our 150,000 gallon above ground storage tank prior to distribution.  The NYS DOH has completed a source water assessment for this system, based on available information.  Possible and actual threats to this drinking water source were evaluated. The state source water assessment includes a susceptibility rating based on the risk posed by each potential source of contamination and how easily contaminants can move through the subsurface to the wells.  The susceptibility rating is an estimate of the potential for contamination of the source water, it does not mean that the water delivered to consumers is, or will become contaminated.

The source water assessment has rated this well as having a medium susceptibility to microbials and nitrates.  These ratings are due primarily to the close proximity of permitted discharge facilities (industrial/commercial facilities that discharge wastewater into the environment and are regulated by the state and/or federal government) and pasture to the well in the assessment area.

The county and state health departments will use this information to direct future source water protection activities.  These may include water quality monitoring, resource management, planning and education programs.  A copy of the assessment can be obtained by contacting us, as noted below.

 

ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN OUR DRINKING WATER?

As the State regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total coliform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological and synthetic organic compounds.  The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water.  The State allows us to test 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.

 

It should be noted that all drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably 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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or the Wyoming County Health Department at (585)786-8894.

 

Table of Detected Contaminants

               

Contaminant Violation

Yes/No

Date of

Sample

Level

Detected

MCL MCLG Health

Effects

Likely Source of Contaminant
Chlorine Residual No 1/1/19-12/31/19 0.1mg/L-1.1mg/L Average = 0.49mg/L 4.0mg/L N/A For some people high levels can cause eye, nose and stomach irritations. Water additive used to control microbes.
Sodium No 8/25/17 37.4mg/L No Limits N/A People on severely restricted Sodium diets should not drink water containing 20,000ug/L of Sodium Road salt and naturally occurring
Nitrate No 12/6/19 1.26mg/L 10mg/L 10mg/L At high levels shortness of breath and blue baby syndrome can occur. Naturally occurring
Barium No 11/21/17 .059mg/L 2mg/L 2mg/L If consumed in excess of the MCL over many years could experience an increase in blood pressure Drilling waste. Discharge and metal refineries. Erosion of natural deposits
Lead* No 9/28/2017 3.06ug/L 15ug/L 0 Kidney and nervous system damage Plumbing and industrial waste
Copper** No 9/28/17 291ug/L 1300ug/L 1300ug/L Gastrointestinal irritation Home plumbing, erosion
TTHM  Total Trihalomethanes No 8/24/17 6.13ug/L 80ug/L N/A Some who drink water containing TTHMS in excess of the MCL over many years may have problems with their liver, kidneys or central nervous systems and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Bi-products of chlorine disinfection

 

 

The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 10 sites tested.  A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it.  The range for the lead was ND – 5.6ug/L.  The 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the lead values detected at your water system.  In this case, ten samples were collected at your water system and the 90th percentile value was 5.3ug/L.

The level presented represents the 90th percentile value of the ten samples collected.  The 90% level for copper was 188ug/L.  The range was 0.067ug/L to 235ug/L.  The action level was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

Definitions:

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.

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.

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 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 contamination.

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

Non-Detects (ND): Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Milligrams per liter (mg/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid (parts per million – ppm).

Micrograms per liter (ug/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one billion parts of liquid (parts per billion – ppb).

 

 

 

 

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing.  The Village of Wyoming, 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 (1-800-426-4791) or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

 

 

Do I Need to Take Special Precautions?

Some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 from their health care provider about their drinking water.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other microbial pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791)

 

WHY SAVE WATER AND HOW TO AVOID WASTING IT?

Although our system has an adequate amount of water to meet present and future demands, there are a number of reasons why it is important to conserve water:

¨       Saving water saves energy and some of the costs associated with both of these necessities of life;

¨       Saving water reduces the cost of energy required to pump water and the need to construct costly new wells, pumping systems and water towers; and

¨       Saving water lessens the strain on the water system during a dry spell or drought, helping to avoid severe water use restrictions so that essential fire-fighting needs are met.

 

You can play a role in conserving water by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using, and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can.  It is not hard to conserve water.  Conservation tips include:

¨       Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded.  So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.

¨       Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

¨       Check every faucet in your home for leaks.  Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day.  Fix it and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.

¨       Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank, watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl.  It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks.  Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons a year.

Village Of Wyoming New Water Project

The Village of Wyoming’s Water Project is in the final stages of completion.  A secondary well has been drilled to provide a backup supply and new water mains have been installed to help us bring you an adequate supply of quality water.

CLOSING

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking 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. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.  We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community.  Please call our office at (585)495-6363 if you have questions.