Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
The
January 1, 2006 through
December 31, 2006
We are pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Report. This report is designed to inform you about water quality and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a 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. Our water source is from ground water with two wells that draw from the Aquia Aquifer and the Federalsburg Aquifer. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Mr. Dave Sakers at 410-634-2112. We want our school personnel, parents and students to be informed about their water utility.
We routinely monitor for contaminants in your drinking water according to State and Federal laws. The test results that are shown are for the year 2006 unless otherwise noted. 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.
Below you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we have provided the following definitions:
Non-Detects (ND) - Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.
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.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in 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 - The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - The "Goal" (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.
WELLS 3 & 5 TESTS
RESULTS - THE BENEDICTINE SCHOOL
2006 __
Contaminant MCL MCLG Violation Level Unit Likely Source
Y/N Detected of Contamination
Microbiological:
Total Coliorm Bacteria Presence of 0 N <1 100/ml Naturally present
coliform bacteria in the environment
in 2 monthly
samples
Fecal coliform and A routine sample 0 N <1 100/ml Human and animal
E. coli and repeat sample fecal waste
are total coliform
positive, and one
is also fecal coliform
or E. coli positive
Inorganic:
Lead
(2004)
plumbing systems; erosion
of natural deposits.
Copper
(2005)
plumbing systems; erosion
of natural deposits; leaching
from wood preservatives.
Arsenic (2005) 0.010 0.01 N .004 Well 3 mg/l Erosion of natural deposits
< .002 Well 5 mg/l
Fluoride (2006) Jan. 4.0 4.0 N 3.9 avg. mg/l Erosion of natural deposits;
March 3.5 mg/l water additive which promotes
April 3.8 mg/l strong teeth; discharge from
July 3.06 mg/l fertilizer and aluminum
Aug. 2.8 mg/l factories
Sep. 3.1 mg/l
Oct. 3.88 mg/l
Nov. 3.46 mg/l
Dec. 2.5 mg/l
2006 Avg. 3.33 mg/l
Nitrate (2006) Jan. 10 n/a N 1.54 avg. mg/l Erosion of natural deposits
Mar. 3.1 mg/l
Apr. 2.5 mg/l
July 4.2 mg/l
Aug. 4.3 mg/l
Sep. 3.9 mg/l
Oct. 3.0 mg/l
Nov. 3.1 mg/l
Dec. 5.1 mg/l
2006 Avg. 3.42 mg/l
Unregulated:
Sodium (2005) none n/a N 10.9 mg/l Erosion of natural deposits
As you can see our system had no violations. We are proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all State and Federal requirements. Even so the water may not be healthful for all our customers. Note:: Some testing is not required annually.
All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals and radioactive substances. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by contacting 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.
Total Coliform: The Total Coliform Rule requires water systems to meet a stricter limit for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are usually harmless, but their presence in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria. When coliform bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply. If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio.
Lead: Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, but it can add to a person's total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water then 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/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 at 1-800-426-4791.
The School system is dedicated to providing top quality water to every tap. We ask that all of our personnel, parents and students help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children's future.
This report was prepared by:
Donald L. Young
Water and Wastewater
Operation, LLC
410-820-9692