We are pleased to present this year's Annual Water Quality Report (Consumer
Confidence Report) as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This
report is designed to provide details about where your water comes from, what
it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. This
report is a snapshot of last year's water quality. We are committed to
providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies.
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/Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection
by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe
Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791). 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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on
appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other
microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline
(800-426-4791).
Ground Water
At the office
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 water poses a health risk. More information about
contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(800-426-4791). 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 water poses a health risk.
More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be
obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking
Water Hotline (800-426-4791). 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:
microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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 stormwater runoff, industrial, or
domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming;
pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as
agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses; organic Chemical
Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come
from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and 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 that limit the amount of certain contaminants
in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must
provide the same protection for public health.
Help to conserve water.
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. Topisaw Creek Water Assn., Inc. 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. 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. Topisaw Creek Water Assn.,
Inc. 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.
While your drinking water meets EPA's standard for arsenic, it does contain low
levels of arsenic. EPA's standard balances the current understanding of
arsenic's possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from
drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of
arsenic which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high
concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and
circulatory problems.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.
|
Contaminants |
MCLG |
MCL, |
Detect In |
Range |
Sample |
Violation |
Typical
Source |
|
|
Low |
High |
|||||||
|
Disinfectants & Disinfection By-Products |
||||||||
|
(There is convincing evidence that addition of a
disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants) |
||||||||
|
Chlorine (as Cl2) (ppm) |
4 |
4 |
1.2 |
1 |
1.26 |
2018 |
No |
Water additive used to control microbes |
|
Inorganic Contaminants |
||||||||
|
Arsenic (ppb) |
0 |
10 |
.5 |
.5 |
.5 |
2018 |
No |
Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff
from glass and electronics production wastes |
|
Barium (ppm) |
2 |
2 |
.0383 |
.0269 |
.0384 |
2018 |
No |
Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal
refineries; Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Chromium (ppb) |
100 |
100 |
1.2 |
.5 |
.6 |
2018 |
No |
Discharge from steel and pulp mills; Erosion of natural
deposits |
|
Fluoride (ppm) |
4 |
4 |
.1 |
.1 |
.428 |
2018 |
No |
Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes
strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories |
|
Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen] (ppm) |
10 |
10 |
.08 |
.08 |
.08 |
2018 |
No |
Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks,
sewage; Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Radioactive Contaminants |
||||||||
|
Alpha emitters (pCi/L) |
0 |
15 |
1.5 |
0 |
0 |
2018 |
No |
Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Beta/photon emitters (pCi/L) |
0 |
50 |
.3 |
NA |
3 |
2018 |
No |
Decay of natural and man-made deposits. The EPA considers
50 pCi/L to be the level of concern for Beta particles. |
|
Contaminants |
MCLG |
AL |
Your |
Sample |
# Samples |
Exceeds
AL |
Typical
Source |
|
Inorganic Contaminants |
|||||||
|
Copper - action level at consumer taps (ppm) |
1.3 |
1.3 |
.2 |
2018 |
0 |
No |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of
natural deposits |
|
Inorganic Contaminants |
|||||||
|
Lead - action level at consumer taps (ppb) |
0 |
15 |
1 |
2018 |
0 |
No |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of
natural deposits |
|
Unit Descriptions |
|
|
Term |
Definition |
|
ppm |
ppm: parts
per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L) |
|
ppb |
ppb: parts
per billion, or micrograms per liter (µg/L) |
|
pCi/L |
pCi/L:
picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity) |
|
NA |
NA: not
applicable |
|
ND |
ND: Not
detected |
|
NR |
NR:
Monitoring not required, but recommended. |
|
Important Drinking Water Definitions |
|
|
Term |
Definition |
|
MCLG |
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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. |
|
MCL |
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: 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. |
|
TT |
TT: Treatment Technique: A required process intended to
reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. |
|
AL |
AL: Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant
which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water
system must follow. |
|
Variances
and Exemptions |
Variances and Exemptions: State or EPA permission not to
meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions. |
|
MRDLG |
MRDLG: Maximum residual disinfection level goal. 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. |
|
MRDL |
MRDL: Maximum residual disinfectant level. 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. |
|
MNR |
MNR: Monitored Not Regulated |
|
MPL |
MPL: State Assigned Maximum Permissible Level |
|
For more information please contact: |
Contact Name: Tonya Foret
Address: 2190 Mallallieu Dr Se
Ruth, MS 39662
Phone: (601)835-0712