Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

City ofCovington

INTRODUCTION

This Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for calendar year 2008 is designed to provide you with valuableinformation about your drinking water quality. We are committed to providing you with a safe and dependablesupply of drinking water and we want you to understand the efforts we make to protect your water supply. Thequality of your drinking water meets all state and federal requirements administered by the Virginia Departmentof Health (VDH).

If you have questions about this report, want additional information about any aspect of your drinking water, orwant to know how to participate in decisions that may affect the.quality of your drinking water, please contact:

Mr. John Fox at (540) 965-6329

GENERAL INFORMATION

As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals andcan pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances (referred toas contaminants) in source water may come from septic systems, discharges from domestic or industrialwastewater treatment facilities, agricultural and farming activities, urban storm water runoff, residential uses,and many other types of activities. Water from surface sources is treated to make it drinkable whilegroundwater mayor may not have any treatment.

All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least smallamounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses ahealth risk. More information can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe DrinkingWater Hotline (800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. lmmuno­compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergoneorgan transplants, people with mvIAIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can beparticularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health careproviders. EPNCDC gnidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium andother microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

SOURCES AND TREATMENT OF YOUR DRINKING WATER

Your drinking water is surface water obtained from the Jackson River. Complete treatment of the water isprovided at the Jackson River Water Treatment Plant. This treatment plant is rated for 6,048,000 gallons a day andincludes coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination and fluoridation. The intake for the plant is locatedupstream of Westvaco. Water is distributed throughout the system by booster pumping stations, storage tanks anddistribution piping.

SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENTS

A source water assessment for the Jackson River Water Treatment Plant was completed by the VDH May 22,2002. This assessment determined that the water source (Jackson River) may be susceptible to contamination.All surface water sources (rivers, reservoirs) are exposed to a wide array of contaminants of varying

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WAJ'ER QUALITY RESULTS

Microbiolo<Jical- At least ei" ht bacteriolo"ical sam les are collected from the distribution svstem each month.Contaminant Unit of MCLG MCL Level Violation Date of Typical Sourc;e of Contamination

Measurement Found Sample(s)

total presence presence of coliformcoliform or 0 bacteria in >1 sample 1 no monthly naturally present in thebacteria absence per month 9/2/08 environment

Radial~ ---- ------------

Contaminant Unit of MCLG MCL Leve! Violation Date of Typical Source of ContaminationMeasurement Found Samolels)'

gross alpha radiation pCiIl 0 15 0 no 10114/08 erosion of natural deposits

gross beta radiation pCiIl 0 50 16 no 10114/08 erosion of natural deposits

• Analyses frequency is every three years.

t·CIn--~ --- -~~_. ----

Contaminant Unit of MCLG MCL Level Violation Date of Typical Source of ContaminationMeasurement Found Samolels)

'turbiditya) highest single TU NA IT 0.08 no 03/08 soil runoff

measurement

b) lowest monthly percent NA IT 100% no NApercentage meetingOJ NTU limits

nitrate ppm 10 10 0.21 no 7/1/08 runoff from fertilizer use; leachingfrom septic tanks, sewage; erosionof natural deposits

fluoride ppm 4 4 range no daily water additive which promotes0.90 strong teeth; erosion of natural

to deposits; discharge from fertilizer1.3 and aluminum factories

Turbidity - Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water, a good indicator of the effectiveness of Ourfiltration system.

tContSvnthetic 0 . _...- --------------Contaminant Unit of MCLG MCL Level Violation Date of Typical Source of Contamination

Measurement Found Sample(s)'

no synthetic organic 07/14.108contaminants detected 04/08/08

• Analyses frequency is every three years.

Ofl!anic Carb- - - """Contaminant Unit of MCLG MCL Level Violation Date of Typical Source of Contamination

Measurement Found Samplels)

total organic carbon NA - ratio NA IT all no monthly naturally occurring1.00 removal

annual ratiosaverage 1.00 orremoval above

ratio

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conc;entrations and changing hydrologic, hydraulic, and atmospheric conditions that promote migration ofcontaminants from land use activities of concern within the assessment area. More specific information may beobtained by contacting the water system representative listed above. -

QUALITY OF YOUR DRINKING WATER

Your drinking water is routinely monitored according to Federal and State Regulations for a variety ofcontaminants. The tables that follow show the results of our monitoring for the period of January I" throughDecember 31" 2008. Most of the results in the table are from testing done in 2008. However, the state allowsus to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminantsdo not change frequently. Some of our data, though accurate, is more than one year old.

DEFINITIONS

In the table and elsewhere in this report you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiarwith. The following defmitions are provided to help you better understand these terms:

Non-detects (ND) - lab analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in twoyears 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.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/I) - one part per trillion corresponds to one minute in2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pO/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 requirementswhich a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (11) - a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level, or MCL - the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or MCLG - the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which thereis no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Variances and exemptions - state or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certainconditions.

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Analyses required every three months in 2008 for Stage I OBP Rule.-Analyses required every three montbs in 2008 for Stage 2 DBP Rule. Began sampling in July 2008.

vm_UIC V~~.DIC 1...UnUUDlDlIn16ClHIll'dlnllll Unit or Me," MCL Lovel Pound Violotion Olleo! Typic_I SOU," or C""'.",inlt;on

MCUUfOlll<nl Sam Ie.lolallTihalolnc:thllnu- ppb • 80 nnge no by-product of drinking

13 10114/08 water chlorination'0 7/1108lJ <1m/DB

2125/08

total haloacetic acids· ,pb • 6. range no 10/14108 by-product of winking,. 7/1108 waler chlorinationto 4123/0857 2125/08

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Con\.lminanl Unltar MCLG MCl. LAve! At S&rlIple:l TypiCiI Souru orContaminatianMCAlliltmelll I'olllld ..""'.. >At

lead ppb • AL-15 3 no • COff05ion of howeholdplumbing .ystems; erosion

COlmer ODm U' AL-U 0.27 ·"0 • ~f natural deposil&

•Analysis frequency is every three years; twenty samples arc collecled from the distribution system.

We constantly monitor for various contaminants in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements. Thetable lists only those contaminants that had some level of detection. Many other contaminants have beenanalyzed but were not present or were below the detection limits of tho lab equipment.

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Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are set at very stringent levels by the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency. In developing the standards, EPA assumes that the average adult drinks 2 liters of water each daythroughout a 70-year life span. EPA generally sets MCLs at levels that will result ill no adverse health effectsfor some contaminants or a one-in-ten-Ihousand 10 one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effectfor Ofher contaminants.

If present, eleVlitcd levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and youngchildren. Lead in drinking water is prim~rily from materials and components associated with service lines andbome plumbing. The City of Covington is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannotcon[fol tho vllriety of roateriab used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for severalbours, you can minim,ize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 15 to 30 seconds or until itbecomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using water for drinking or cooking. If you arc concernedabout lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testingmethods, and steps you. can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline of athltp:llwww.epa.gov/safewaterllead.

. VIQLATION INFORMATION

Wate.- QuaUly VJolatioos - None

MonitorIng lind R~porting Violallons - None

This Drinking Waler Quality Report was prepared by the City of Covington Water Department,"sisl,"" ,"d appmval oflh, %ginia D'p'rtmonl Ofll'a=,,11 i(you hav' quosli.",.

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