ANNUAL DRINKING QUALITY REPORT
City of Seaford, Delaware
ID# DE000246
June 14, 2000
We're pleased to present to you the "2000 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report". This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Our water supply comes from five wells, located within the city limits, and draws ground water from the Columbia Aquifer. After the water comes out of the wells, we add hypochlorite as disinfectant to protect you against microbial contaminants and we also add soda ash to adjust the pH to a neutral level.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will soon complete the evaluation of the state's water supplies through a program designed to assess the susceptibility of public water sources to contamination. As soon as the source water protection plan is available, we can supply them to you or you may call DNREC at 302/739-4793.
I'm pleased to report that our drinking water in 1999 met all Federal and State health standards and we had no violations.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Joe S. Santos, Public Works Superintendent, at (302) 629-8307 or (302) 629-9173. Also, the Mayor and Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Should you have any concern with the City of Seaford's drinking water quality and want to be placed on the Mayor and Council's agenda to discuss these, please contact Dolores J. Slatcher, City Manager, (302) 629-9173, no later than Thursday prior to the regularly scheduled meeting.
The City of Seaford Water Department and the Office of Drinking Water, Delaware Division of Public Health, routinely monitors for over 80 contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The table below shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 1999. The table only lists those contaminants that were detected. If you wish to see the complete list of the over 80 contaminants that we monitor, please call city hall at (302) 629-9173 and we shall mail it to you or you may pick up the list at city hall at your convenience.
In the following 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:
- Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.
- Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years 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.
- Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
- Maximum Contaminant Level - The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is 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 -The "Goal" (MCLG) is 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.
TEST RESULTS
|
Contaminant
|
|
Level Detected
|
Unit Measurement
|
MCLG
|
MCL
|
Likely Source of Contamination
|
|
Microbiological Contaminants
|
|
1. Total Coliform Bacteria
|
N
|
1 in July & 1 in Aug.
|
Sample
|
0
|
presence of coliform in 5% of monthly samples
|
Naturally present in the environment
|
|
Radioactive Contaminants
|
|
5. Alpha Emitters
|
N
|
1.38
|
pCi/1
|
0
|
15
|
Erosion of natural deposits
|
|
Inorganic Contaminants
|
|
14. Copper
|
N
|
0.004 to 0.084
|
ppm
|
1.3
|
AL=1.3
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
|
|
17. Lead
|
N
|
ND to 0.005
|
ppb
|
0
|
AL=15
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits
|
19. Nitrate
(as Nitrogen)
|
N
|
5.6
|
ppm
|
10
|
10
|
Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks; sewage; erosion of natural deposits
|
|
Synthetic Organic Contaminants Including Pesticides and Herbicides
|
|
26. Alachlor
|
N
|
0.410 to 0.730
|
ppb
|
0
|
2
|
Runoff from herbicide used on row crops
|
|
Volatile Organic Contaminants
|
|
55. Benzene
|
N
|
0.2
|
ppb
|
0
|
5
|
Discharge from factories; leaching from gas storage tanks and landfills
|
|
73. TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes)
|
N
|
1.250 to 1.850
|
ppb
|
0
|
100
|
By-product of drinking water chlorination
|
UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS
EPA and State regulations require us to monitor these contaminants while EPA reconsiders its MCL. It helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants. We are reporting below the unregulated contaminants found in our water:
- Iron (Fe) <0.05 ppm
- Sodium (Na) 80 ppm
- Alkalinity (Alk) 130 ppm
- Chloride (Cl) 10 ppm
- Hardness 60 ppm
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 209 ppm
Microbiological Contaminants:
(1) Total Coliform. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present.
Radioactive Contaminants:
(5) Alpha emitters. Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Inorganic Contaminants:
(14) Copper. Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with Wilson's Disease should consult their personal doctor.
(17) Lead. 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.
(19) Nitrate. Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.
Synthetic organic contaminants including pesticides and herbicides:
(26) Alachlor. Some people who drink water containing alachlor in excess of the MCL over many years could have problems with their eyes, liver, kidneys, or spleen, or experience anemia, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Volatile Organic Contaminants:
(55) Benzene. Some people who drink water containing benzene in excess of the MCL over many years could experience anemia or a decrease in blood platelets, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
(73) TTHMs [Total Trihalomethanes]. Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We're proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements.
We have learned through our monitoring and testing that we had two positive total coliform results in our system, one in July,1999 and one in August, 1999. However, repeat tests were all negative and no fecal coliforms were found and therefore no reportable violations. In discussion with Public Health officials, we can only conclude that the positive total coliform results may be attributed to the sampling procedure and not to the water supply. This is just one example of the vigilant monitoring we do to ensure the quality and safety of the water we supply to you.
We also learned through our monitoring and testing that one contaminant detected was Nitrate at 5.6 ppm. Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome.
Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask advice from your health care provider. As a precaution, we shall notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply.
All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man-made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All 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 the 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 Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
MCL's are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, 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.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants 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 about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality 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. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments. Thank you for your understanding.
If you have any questions, please call our office at 629-8307 or 629-9173. After office hours, please call the Seaford Police Department at 629-6644. You may also call the Office of Drinking Water, Delaware Division of Public Health in Dover at (302) 739-5410.
We, at the City of Seaford Water Department, work 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.
