AWQR

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2014 Bon Acre Mobile Home Community
55 Bonacre Way, Averill Park, NY 12018 (Public Water Supply ID# 4110694 )

Introduction

To comply with State regulations Bon Acre Water System 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, 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 Mr. Richard DiSciullo, Water Superintendent at (518) 674-8461. We want you to be informed about your drinking water.

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.

The sources of drinking water for the Bon Acre Mobile Home Park are two(2) wells located within the boundaries of the Bon Acre Mobile Home Park in the Village of Averill Park. The water is disinfected prior to distribution. Our water system serves approximately 150 people through 55 service connections.

The NYSDOH has completed a source water assessment for this system, based on available information. Possible and actual threats to this drinking water source were evaluated. The state source water assessment includes a susceptibility rating based on the 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 does 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 the contaminants that have been detected. The source water assessments provide resource managers with additional information for protecting source waters into the future.

As mentioned before, our water is derived from 2 drilled wells. The source water assessment has rated these wells as having a medium-high susceptibility to microbials, nitrates, industrial solvents, and other industrial contaminants. These ratings are due primarily to the close proximity of low intensity residential activities to the wells in the assessment area. In addition, the wells draw an unconfined aquifer of unknown hydraulic conductivity and the overlying soils are not known to provide adequate protection from potential contamination. A copy of the assessment, including a map of the assessment area, can be obtained by contacting us, as noted below.

Any and all questions about this summary should be addressed to NYSDOH 518-402-7712.

In the Bon Acre Water System, raw water is pumped from the wells through an ion exchange filter to remove iron and hardness. The water is then disinfected with chlorine as it passes through a thirty minute contact time tank and then on to finished water storage. The finished water is then pressurized and distributed to the park through three interconnected mains.

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 human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
1. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come

from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock

operations, and wildlife.
2. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be

naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

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

4. Organic Chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

5. 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. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public.

Are there contaminants in our drinking water?

As the State regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include 28 inorganic compounds, nitrite, nitrate, 50 volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, 46 synthetic organic compounds and lead and copper. Contaminants also include: total coliform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological and synthetic organic compounds. In addition, we test the water for coliform bacteria once a month and chlorine once a day.

The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in you 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 Rensselaer County Health Department (270-2655)

As the State regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total chloroform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethane, and synthetic organic compounds.

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.

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 on billion parts of liquid (parts per billion – ppb).

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.

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. Immunocompromised 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?

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 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 up 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.

Closing

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking 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. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community. Please call the Bon Acre office at 674-8461 if you have questions.