2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Port LaBelle Utility System

Este informe contiene informacion muy importante sobre el agua de beber. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien. Si tiene preguntas llame a Luis Rivera (863) 675-5376.

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 wells located at the Water Plant site. Our wells draw from the Sandstone Aquifer. We add hydrated lime to the water to reduce calcium and magnesium hardness, and to reduce the possible formation of disinfection by-products. We filter the water to control certain water-born microbes. After filtering, we add disinfectant for the control of other microbes. 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 Roger Greer at (863) 675-5376. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.

Port LaBelle Utility System 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 1^st to December 31^st 2010. 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 contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants 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:

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

Initial Distribution System Evaluation (IDSE): An important part of the Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule (DBPR). The IDSE is a one-time study conducted by water systems to identify distribution system locations with high concentrations of Trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Water systems will use results from the IDSE, in conjunction with their Stage 1 DBPR compliance monitoring data, to select compliance monitoring locations for the Stage 2 DBPR.

Maximum Residual disinfectant level or 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 or 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 contaminants.

“ND” : means not detected and indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.

Parts per million(ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l): One part by weight of analyze to 1 million parts by weight of the water sample.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/l): One part by weight of analyze to 1 billion parts by weight of the water sample.

TEST RESULTS TABLE
Inorganic Contaminants
Contaminant and Unit of Measure	Dates of Sampling (mo./yr.)	MCL Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Range of Results	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
16. Fluoride (ppm)	6/11/08	N	0.15	N/A	4	4.0	Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Water additive which promotes strong teeth when at optimum levels between 0.7 and 1.3 ppm
20. Nitrate (as Nitrogen) (ppm)	12/01/10	N	0.04	N/A	10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
23. Sodium (ppm)	6/11/08	N	34.9	N/A	N/A	160	Salt water intrusion, leaching from soil

Stage 1 Disinfectant/Disinfection By-Product (D/DBP) Parameters
Contaminant and Unit of Measure	Dates of sampling (mo./yr.)	MCL Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Range of Results	MCLG Or MRDLG	MCL or MRDL	Likely Source of Contamination
78. Chlorine (ppm)	01/01/10-12/31/10	N	0.4-2.0	0.4-2.0	MRDLG =4	MCL=4.0	Water additive used to control microbes
79. Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (ppb)	9/04/08	N	1.6	N/A	N/A	MCL=60	By-Product of drinking water disinfection
80. Total Trihalomethanes TTHM (ppb)	9/04/08	N	32.4	N/A	N/A	MCL=80	By-Product of drinking water disinfection

Lead and Copper (Tap Water)
Contaminant and Unit of Measure	Dates of sampling (mo./yr.)	Action Level Violation Y/N	90^th Percentile Result	No. of Sampling sites Exceeding the Action Level	MCLG	Action Level	Likely Source of Contamination
84. Copper (tap water)(ppm)	5/28/08-6/12/08	N	0.075	0	1.3	1.3	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
85. Lead (tap Water)(ppb)	5/28/08-6/12/08	N	1.5	1	0	15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

In 2004 the Department of Environmental Protection performed a Source Water Assessment on our system. The assessment was conducted to provide information about any potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of our wells. There are two potential sources of contamination identified for this system with a high susceptibility levels. The assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water Assessment and Protection Program website at www.dep.state.fl.us/swapp

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.

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Port LaBelle Utility 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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

(A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations,

and wildlife.

(B) 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 production, mining, or farming.

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

(D) 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.

(E) 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. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 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.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immune-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).

We at Port LaBelle Utility System would like for you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to insuring the quality of your water. If you have any questions or concerns about the information provided, please feel free to call Utility Director, Roger Greer at (863) 675-5376.