Annual Drinking Water
Quality Report for 2012
Town of Emmitsburg
PWSID 0100010
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 sources are five wells and Rainbow Lake. We
are currently using 168,000 gallons per day from our surface
water supply. The well usage varies with demand, which
averaged around 251,000 gallons per day. The surface water
is mixed with wells #3, #4, and #5, and processed through
the filtration plant. We also have wells #1 and #2, which go
into the filtration plant and are disinfected and PH
adjusted just prior to entering the storage tanks. We also
are connected to Mount St. Mary’s using approximately 11,000
gallons per day. This line is primarily for a back up for
fire protection.
We have a source water protection plan available from our
office that provides more information such as potential
sources of contamination. This report shows our water
quality and what it means.
The Town of Emmitsburg 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 1st to December 31st, 2012. 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:
· 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.
· Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric
turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water.
Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the
average person.
· Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which,
if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which
a water system must follow.
Maximum Contamination level(MCL)- A contaminants level set
by the STATE or EPA Maximum contamination level goal(MCLG)-
The level set by the STATE or EPA for future limits.
Microbiological Contaminants:
(1) Total Coliform. Coliforms are bacteria that are
naturally present in the environment and are used as an
indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be
present. Coliforms were found in more samples than /allowed
and this was a warning of potential problems.
(2) Fecal coliform/E.Coli. Fecal coliforms and E. coli are
bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be
contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these
wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea,
cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose
a special health risk for infants, young children, and
people with severely compromised immune systems.
Inorganic Contaminants:
(7) Antimony. Some people who drink water-containing
antimony well in excess of the MCL over many years could
experience increases in blood cholesterol and decreases in
blood sugar.
(8) Arsenic. Some people who drink water-containing arsenic
in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin
damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may
have an increased risk of getting cancer.
(14) Copper. Copper is an essential nutrient, but some
people who drink water containing copper in excess of the
action level over a relatively short amount of time could
experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink
water-containing copper in excess of the action level over
many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with
Wilson's Disease should consult their personal doctor.
The copper levels are in compliance. During our last set of
lead samples we had all samples collected under the action
limit.
(17) Lead. Infants and children who drink water-containing
lead in excess of the action level could experience delays
in their physical or mental development. Children could show
slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities.
Adults who drink this water over many years could develop
kidney problems or high blood pressure. 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. The Town of Emmitsburg
is responsible for providing high quality drinking water,
but cannot control a 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
the water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned
about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your
water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing
methods, and EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1-800-426-4791 or at steps you can take to minimize exposure
is available from the http://www.epa.gov/safewater/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.
(19) Nitrate. Infants below the age of six months who drink
water-containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become
seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include
shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.
(73) TTHMs [Total Trihalomethanes]. Some people who drink
water-containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over
many years may experience problems with their liver,
kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an
increased risk of getting cancer. The Town has completed
(2009) our Initial System Evaluation for THHM”s and
Haleocetic Acids (HAA5). These tests are required by the
E.P.A and M.D.E. as part of the ongoing Safe Drinking Water
Act. The Town will start testing Quarterly in October for
Stage 2 Disinfectant by-products monitoring.
MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the
possible health effects described for many regulated
contaminants, 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.
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/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).
If you have any questions about this report or concerning
your water utility, please contact Daniel R. Fissel at
301-447-3141, or email at dfissel@emmitsburgmd.gov We want
our valued customers to be informed about their water
utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our
regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the first
Monday of every month at the Town Hall beginning at 7:30 PM.
We at the TOWN OF EMMITSBURG work around the clock 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.
WE ALSO ASK OUR CUSTOMERS TO REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS
ACTIVITIES TO THE TOWN HALL@301-600-6300. DURING THESE TIMES
OF HIEGHTENED SECURITY, IF IT DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT PLEASE
CALL IT IN! If no one is available please call 911.
Please make water conservation a daily practice. If you see
water coming out where you do not think it should be or an
unusually wet area please inform the office, it may be a
leak.
final: 5/31/13
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