Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2001

Genoa King-Ferry Water District

Genoa N.Y. 13071

PWS # 0501731

Introduction

To comply with State regulations, the Genoa-King Ferry Water District, 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. Last year, your tap water met all State drinking water health standards. We are proud to report that our system has never violated a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality statement. 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.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking water, please contact David Reeves at (497-0681) or Cayuga County Health Department at (253-1405) . 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 the second Wednesday of each month at 8:00pm in the new Town Hall.

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 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 (approx. 900 people through 260 service conections). We have a source water protection plan available from our office that provides more information such as potential sources of contamination. The water system consists of 4 drilled wells located on town property located at the Maple St. Ext. site at a depth of 38' each. From the wells the water goes to a 75,000 gallon reservior were it is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite as it is transferred into the system with 2 storage tanks that hold 370,000 gallons.

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, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, 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 (Cayuga County) Health Department at (253-1405).

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:

TEST RESULTS

Contaminant Date Violation Level Unit MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination

Y/N Detected Measurement

Inorganic Contaminants

10. Barium 4/00 N 5.4 ug/l 20 20 Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits

14. Copper 4/00 N ND-.37 mg/l 1.3 AL=1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives

16. Fluoride 4/00 N 0.1 ug/l 40 40 Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories

17. Lead 4/00 N ND-.05 ug/l 0 AL=15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

19. Nitrate (as Nitrogen)4/00 N 0.51 mg/l 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits

21. Sulfate 4/97 N 46.1 mg/l n/a n/a Naturally occuring

Volatile Organic Contaminants

73. TTHM 3/00 N 6.5 ug/l 0 80 By-product of drinking water

[Total trihalomethanes] chlorination

Notes:

2 - 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 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water system. In this case, ( ten ) samples were collected at your water system and the 90th percentile value was the (ND-.37 ppm) value ( 1.1 mg/l). The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

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4 - This level represents the annual quarterly average calculated from data collected.

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.

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.

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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).

What does this information mean?

We constantly monitor for various contaminants in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements.

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.

In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.

We at the Genoa-King Ferry Water District 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.

“Is our water system meeting other rules that govern operations?

During 2000, our system was in compliance with applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.

Do I Need to Take Special Precautions?

Although our drinking water met or exceeded state and federal regulations, 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 up an 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.

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. Please call our office if you have questions.We at the Genoa-King Ferry Water District 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.