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2013 Annual Water Quality Report - New Castle Water Works

New Castle Water Works

2013 Annual Water Quality Report

 

New Castle Water Works is committed to providing residents with a safe and reliable supply of high-quality drinking water.  The laboratories we use to test our water are certified by the State of Indiana and have the most advanced equipment and procedures at their disposal.  New Castle Water Works water meets State and Federal standards for both appearance and safety.  This annual "Consumer Confidence Report," required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), tells you where your water comes from, what our tests shows about it, and other things you should know about drinking water.

 

We are proud to report that the water provided by the New Castle Water Works meets or exceeds established water-quality standards.

 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces the Safe Drinking Water Act.  The EPA mandates compliance through State Agencies.

 

The New Castle Water Works falls under the directions of the IDEM (Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management).  IDEM  mandates rules and procedures for testing of water, approval of new water mains, approval of site for new wells or well fields.  They also assist with direction for general operation of public water systems.

 

New Castle Water Works is a member of the IURC (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission).  The IURC regulates rate concerns for Utilities. 

 

New Castle City Council through the Board of Public Works sets local rules and policies for the New Castle Water Works. A copy of the New Castle Utilities Regulations and Standards Procedures Manual is available for review in our office 227 N. Main St.

 

The Board of Public Works who govern the Water Works has created a panel to review concerns between the utility and the customer.  The Citizens Advisory Board  meets once a month.  An application may be picked up at the Utility Office at 227 North Main Street.

   

In addition, New Castle Water Works has a well-head protection committee.   This committee has prepared a management plan, contingency plan, inventory of potential sources of contamination and delineation  information to complete Phase I of this state requirement.  This information has been submitted to IDEM and the office of  Water Quality has approved Phase I of this program.   The goal of this committee is to protect the ground water supply for future generations. 

 

Overview

New Castle Water Works provides service to 8972 active residential connections that serve approximately 20,000 people.  We also provide water service to 987 commercial connections and 40 industrial connections for a total of  9999 active connections.  We have and enforce a very rigid Backflow Program to assure that the chance of our water system becoming contaminated from a cross connection from one of our non-residential customers is kept to a minimum.

 

Our staff maintains water mains and services throughout New Castle, as well as sub-divisions on the outer edge of the city.  During 2012, we responded to 4,981 service calls to provide services such as turning water on or off, checking for leaks, checking and testing meters, etc.  Our plumbing crew repaired 28 water main breaks, repaired or replaced 26 existing service lines.  We also added 6 new service connections to our water distribution system in 2012.

 

In addition, we also provide water service to 733 fire hydrants throughout New Castle, Henry Township and Prairie Township and Franklin Township for fire protection.

 

Water Source

New Castle Water Works is supplied by ground water pumped from 13 wells, located in the Big Blue River Flood Plain, in and north of New Castle.

We draw water from an aquifer at depths of  90 to 120 feet and constantly monitor this aquifer and it continues to provide an adequate source of high-quality water.

 

Our first treatment process is aeration (to bring water in contact with air).  We then move the water through eight pressure filters capable of treating 1,000,000 gallons  each  per day.  These are designed for iron and mineral removal, as ground water is typically very hard.  Our average daily production is 2,800,000 gallons per day.

 

The disinfection process consists of adding chlorine gas that kills disease-causing organisms found naturally in ground water.

 

Fluoride is also added to reduce the incidence of dental cavities in the children of our customers.

 

An Explanation of the Water-Quality Data Table

This report is based upon tests conducted in the year 2012 by New Castle Water Works.  Terms used in the Water-Quality table and in other parts of this report are defined here.

Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCL's are set as close to the MCLG's as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: The level of a contaminant is drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. 

Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment, or other requirement that a water system must follow.

 

Key to Table

AL=Action Level         MCL=Maximum Contaminant Level

MCLG=Maxium Contaminant Level Goal

ppm=parts per million, or milligrams per liter  (mg/L)

ppb=parts per billion, or micrograms per liter(ug/L)

pCi/l=picocuries per liter

 

Contaminant

Date

Tested

Unit

Mcl

Mclg

Detected

Level

Range

Major source

Violation

SOC'S

06/26/12

09/25/12

 

ug/L

2.0

2.0

0.02

0.0-0.32

Manufactured chemicals:  herbicides, pesticides. 

No

Nitrate

06/26/12

ppm

10

10

0.05

0.4-0.4

Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits.

No

Copper

2011

ppm

AL=1.3

AL=1.

0.134

0-0.18

Corrosion of household fixtures

No

Lead

2011

Ppm

AL=0.015

AL=.015

0.0016

0-0.015

Corrosion of household fixtures

No

The 90th percentile for lead was 0.0016

The 90th percentile for copper was 0.134

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contaminant

Date

Tested

Unit

MCL

MCLG

Detected

Level

Range

Major

Source

Violation

Flouride

 

10/27/11

ppm

4.0

4.0

0.839

1.0-2.0

Erosion of natural deposits; water additive that promotes  strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.

No

Sodium

10/26/11

ppm

N/A

N/A

21.94

16-23

 

No

Gross Alpha

11/13/01

 

 

 

0.9

0.0-5.0 pCi/l

Erosion of natural deposits

No

Gross  Beta

11/13/01

 

 

 

4.0 + 4.0

     

0.0-50 pCi/l

Decay of natural and man-made deposits

No

TTHM'S    (1 qtr.)

(TOTAL

TRIHALOMETHANE)

01/09/12

ppb

80

0

9.0

 

By-product of drinking water

No

TTHM'S    (2 qtr)

04/10/12

ppb

80

0

4.1

 

BY-PRODUCTS OF DRINKING WATER

No

TTHM'S    (3 qtr.)

09/24/12

ppb

80

0

18.6

 

BY-PRODUCTS OF DRINKING WATER

No

TTHM'S    (4 qtr.)

12/12/12

ppb

80

0

16.4

 

BY-PRODUCTS OF DRINKING WATER

No

HAA5         (1  qtr)

01/09/12

ug/L

60

N/A

3.7

 

Disinfection  By-Products

No

HAA5         (2  qtr)

04/10/12

ug/L

60

N/A

9.8

 

Disinfection  By-Products

No

HAA5         (3  qtr)

09/24/12

ug/L

60

N/A

24.0

 

Disinfection  By-Products

No

HAA5         (4  qtr)

12/12/12

ug/L

60

N/A

6.6

 

Disinfection  By-Products

No

 

INORAGANIC CONTAMINANTS  (IOC)

 

BARIUM

10/26/11

ppm

2.0

2.0

0.3

0-2

Decay of asbestos cement water mains; erosion of natural deposits

No

BERYLLIUM

10/26/11

ppb

4.0

4.0

0.0001

0-0.004

Discharge from metal refineries and coal-burning factories; discharge from electrical, aerospace, and defense industries 

No

CHROMIUM

10/26/11

ppm

0.1

0.1

0.0037

0-0.1

Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits

No

                               

Water-Quality Table Footnotes

Although we test for a wide range of contaminants, the preceding list is the only contaminants that were detected.  In each case the detected level of the contaminants was less than the MCL.

 

Unregulated Contaminants

New Castle Water Works runs tests on the water as set forth in our Standard Monitoring Framework schedule.  IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) mandates this schedule based on the vulnerability of the system, as to the contaminants most likely to appear in our water supply.  We do testing beyond the requirements of this schedule. 

 

Lead

"If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  New Castle Water Department is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the 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 water for drinking or cooking.  If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.  Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead

  

Required Additional Health Information

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes limits on the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water. 

 

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be 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 Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hot line  (800-426-4791)

 

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 radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.  Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

A)      Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

B)       Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

C)       Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, storm water runoff and residential uses.

D)      Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm-water runoff and septic systems.

E)       Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.  In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations  which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

 

FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

 

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than is the general population.  Immuno-comprimised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune systems 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 of Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hot line  (800-426-4791)

 

National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Compliance

 

We'll be happy to answer any questions about New Castle Water Works and our water quality.  Call at (765) 521-6841.