Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2019

Village of Hobart

 (Public Water Supply ID #1200267)

 

INTRODUCTION

To comply with State regulations, The Village of Hobart will annually issue 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 did not violate a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard. 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 the Village Clerk at 538-9700. 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 on the third Monday of the month, at 6:30 pm, in the Community Center.

 

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, in some cases, radioactive material, 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 198 households and businesses.  Our water source is groundwater drawn from three drilled wells. The Maple Ave well is adjacent to the treatment plant and the Eklund Wells are located off River Street. Our water treatment plant has been on line since November 2002. The water first passes through radon removal. Three filters remove iron and manganese from the water. Chlorine is added to protect against microbial contaminants. The water is pumped into the system to our customer’s taps and additional water is stored in the water tower for use during high demand and for fire protection.

 

The NYS DOH has completed a source water assessment for this system, based on available information.  Possible and actual threats to the drinking water sources were evaluated.  The state source water assessment includes a susceptibility rating based on risk posed by each potential source of contamination and how easily contaminants can move through the subsurface to the wells.

The susceptibility rating is an estimate of the potential for contamination of the source water, it dose not mean that the water delivered to consumers is, or will become contaminated.  See section “Are there contaminants in our drinking water?” for a list of contaminants that have been detected.

 

As mentioned before, our water is derived from three drilled wells.  The source water assessment has rated the Maple Avenue well as having a very high susceptibility to microbials and a high susceptibility to nitrates.  These ratings are due primarily to the close proximity of low intensity residential activities, pasture, and septic systems within the assessment area.  The two Eklund wells are not considered to be susceptible to contamination.  In addition, the Maple Avenue well draws from an unconfined aquifer of unknown hydraulic conductivity while the Eklund wells draw from a confined aquifer that likely provides adequate protection from potential contamination.  While the source water assessment rates our well(s) as being susceptible to microbials, please note that our water is disinfected to ensure that the finished water delivered into your home meets New York State’s drinking water standards for microbial contamination.  A copy of the assessment, including a map of the assessment area, can be obtained by contacting us, as noted.

 

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 chemicals, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic chemicals, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological 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, is 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 Oneonta District Health Department at 432-3911.

 

 

1 Water containing more than 20 mg/l of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on severely 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

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 second highest value 0.152 mg/l.  The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

3 The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the ten samples collected.  The action level for lead was not exceeded at any of the 10 sites tested.

 

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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): 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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): 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 contamination.

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

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).

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): A measure of the radioactivity in water.

Millirems per year (mrem/yr): A measure of radiation absorbed by the body.

 

WHAT DOES THIS INFORMATION MEAN?

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations.  We have learned through our testing that some contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants were detected below the level allowed by the State.

 

IS OUR WATER SYSTEM MEETING OTHER RULES THAT GOVERN OPERATIONS?

During 2019, 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?

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 and 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.

¨       Call us if you notice any unusual noise on your water service that could indicate a leak in your service line or water main.

 

 

CLOSING

“We at the Village of Hobart are committed to our work of providing top quality water for all our customers,” said Jake Palmatier, Water System Operator. 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. During the summer of 2018, water use exceeded our system’s daily capacity. Ground water levels were extremely low and our customers were using a record amount of water. Our water storage tank reached a critically low level. NY Rural Water found no leaks during a leak survey. We worked closely with our industrial customer to communicate our situation on a daily basis. The Village issued a water conservation notice. The Village even had to purchase bulk water to supplement our supply.  We are in the process of upgrading the water treatment plant and adding an additional water source. A grant has been applied for to fund the project. Fortunately we have been able to adjust our rate structure to make our water more affordable to seniors and those that conserve water use. The cost increases the more water is used.  New water meters help us track water use and can indicate leaks sooner than our quarterly readings of the past. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, and conserve water use.  Please call our office if you have any questions.