Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2002

Harrison Water District # 1
1 Heineman Place   Harrison N.Y. 10528

Public Water Supply ID#  509-3430        

Introduction

To comply with State and Federal regulations, Harrison Water District # 1 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, we conducted tests for over 80 contaminants.  We detected 13 of those contaminants, and found 1 of those contaminants at a level higher than the State allows. This will be resolved with a change of the water source.  This report provides an overview of last year’s water quality; violations are discussed in more detail later in this report.  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 Robert Viscome, Superintendent at 670-3046.  I want you to be informed about your drinking water, and am available to discuss any drinking water issue in person.

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.

The water source for the District is the Rye Lake branch of the Kensico reservoir located near the intersection of Lake Street and Route 120.  The reservoir serves as the surface source supply for Harrison Water District # 1.  During 2002, our system did not experience any restriction of our water source.  The water is disinfected with Chlorine and Zinc – Orthophosphate is added for corrosion control prior to distribution.  The water is continuously monitored for chlorine residual and turbidity to ensure that an  effective Chlorine residual is maintained.

Facts and Figures

Our water system serves a population of 7,658 through 1,749 service connections. The total water produced in 2002 was 405 million gallons.  The daily average of water treated and pumped into the distribution system is 1 million gallons per day in the winter and 1.5 million gallons in the summer.  Our highest single day was 2.2 million gallons.  The amount of water delivered to customers was 309 million gallons, 96 million gallons or 24% was not billed due to water breaks, hydrant flushing and municipal use. In 2002, water customers were charged $2.40 per 1,000 gallons of water. Usage exceeding consumption limits was $4.20 per 1,000 gallons

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 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.

• Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks.  Simply turn off all taps and water using appliances, and then check the meter after 15 minutes, If it moved, you have a leak.

The District has put a rate structure in place in an attempt to fairly distribute the cost of water to the consumer.  The rate consists of a standard rate, which is based on industry standards for a particular water service, and a conservation rate for consumption exceeding the standard rate.  This conservation rate is projected to finance the excess consumption charges levied on the District by New York City (the source) when allowable withdrawal  from their system is exceeded. In order to promote water conservation the Town Board has passed a resolution, which limits automatic lawn irrigation systems to the following in DROUGHT EMERGENCIES: 

EVEN NUMBERED HOUSES MAY ONLY OPERATE AUTOMATIC LAWN IRRIGATION ON EVEN NUMBERED DAYS.  ODD NUMBERED HOUSES MAY ONLY OPERATE AUTOMATIC LAWN IRRRIGATION ON ODD NUMBERED DAYS.

 System Improvements

As mentioned earlier  in this report the District will change its source water in order to comply with Surface Water Treatment Rule.  The District anticipates  an  annual  water withdrawal of 10.49% of  the production capacity from the Westchester Joint Water Works. Therefore a capital contribution will be made to them for improvements made to achieve compliance.  The cost of their improvements to date is $13,000,000.00 of which the District is responsible for $1,365,000.00, in addition to the $1,600,000.00 the District is spending for the interconnection line totals to an annual expenditure of $348,000.00 towards paying off the bond.

Improvements will include elimination of dead ends, cement lining of larger water mains, and the replacement of smaller mains.  

 Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking water this year. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community and our way of life.  Please call the district  office if you have questions.

 Is our water system meeting other rules that govern operations?

Harrison Water District # 1 is in violation of the Surface Water Treatment Rule.  In order to comply with current regulations regarding water quality the District has entered into an agreement with the Westchester Joint Water Works to purchase finished water from them which is in compliance with current water quality requirements set forth by the E.P.A. Therefore, we are required to include the following statement in this report: “Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms.  These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.” 

Harrison Water District # 1 is in violation of State lead and copper control requirements for exceeding the action level for lead.  The purchase of finished water as mentioned above will also resolve this violation.  Please note that the action level was exceeded in homes built prior to 1986 when the use of lead solder on household plumbing was discontinued. Therefore, we must include the following statement in this report: “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 disabilities.  Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.”

Do I Need to Take Special Precautions?

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). 

 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, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, and synthetic organic compounds. The table presented on the reverse side depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water. A summary of all test results for the year are available for your review at the business office.  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, might 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 Westchester County Health Department at 813-5000

What does this information mean?

The table shows that our system had MCL violations for total coliform, and exceeded the action level for lead. Both violations are described in detail below

LEAD

Our test results indicate that in 1997, we exceeded the Action Level for lead of 15 ug/L in more than 10% of the homes tested.  We are currently using Zinc Orthophosphate for corrosion control purposes.  It is anticipated that the purchase of water from the Westchester Joint Water Works will provide water that is less corrosive and will bring the District into compliance.  Additional testing will be done after the new source is on-line to insure compliance with this regulation.

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.

Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791). The Westchester County Health Department has a childhood lead poisoning prevention program that can be contacted at (813- 5240).

 Biofilm variance- The District was granted a variance on January 11,2000.  Biofilms are organic surface deposits that may form on the interior walls of small diameter, slow flowing and dead ended water mains.  They are not normally harmful to people in good health but are an indicator of water quality.  When a system sample is determined by the lab to be a biofilm organism additional testing is not required.  The District has increased chlorine dosage and dead end water main flushing in order to eliminate this growth in the distribution system.

TOTAL COLIFORM

The District was notified of Total Coliform in one sample taken on Jul.y 3,  as part of the eight routine monthly samples. While there was no violation of the Total Coliform rule mention is made here in order to keep the consumer informed. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful bacteria may be present which was not the case in this instance.

TURBIDITY

Turbidity has no health effects; however, it can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth, turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms may include bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

Notes:

1-Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water.  We monitor it because it is a good indicator of water quality.  High turbidity can hinder the

effectiveness of disinfectants.  In 1999, our highest turbidity measurement occurred on November 29, 1999 (1.6 NTU).  State

Regulations require that turbidity must not exceed 1.0 NTU, therefore we were in violation of a State regulated treatment technique.  Additional

 information on this violation is discussed in the next section of this report.

2- Water containing more than 20 mg/L of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on very restricted sodium diets.  Water containing more

 than 270 mg/L of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on moderately restricted sodium diets.

3 -  The level presented represents the 90^th percentile of the 40 sites tested for Lead and Copper. 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 90^th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water

system. In this case, 40 samples were collected at your water system and the 90^th percentile value was the fourth highest value. The Action Level for

 copper was exceeded at 1 of the sites, the Action Level for Lead was exceeded at 10 of the 40 test sites

 4 - The level presented represents the range of the 40 samples

5- If iron and maganese are present, the total concentration of both should not exceed 500 ug/l

Definitions:

Non-Detects(ND) – laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present

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

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water

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.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): A measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

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)

Variance and exemptions: State permission not to meet an MCL or treatment technique under certain conditions

pCi/L: Pico curies per liter