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2005 Table of Detected Contaminants
| 2005 Table of Detected Contaminates: Inorganics | |||||||||||||||||
| Contaminant | Any MCL of TT violation? | Sample Date (or highest detected) | Max Level Detected | Unit | MCLG | MCL | Range | Likely Source of Contamination | |||||||||
| Entry Point | BARIUM | No | 4/5/05 | 0.021 | ppm | 2 | 2 | N/A | Erosion of natural deposit. Discharge from: drilling waste & metal refineries | ||||||||
| CHROMIUM | No | 8.3 | ppb | 100 | 100 | Discharge from steel and pu;p mills; Erosion of natural deposits | |||||||||||
| FLUORIDE | No | 9/26/05 | 1.28 | ppm | N/A | 2.2 | 0 - 1.28 | Erosion of natural deposit; water additive that promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories | |||||||||
| NICKEL | No | 4/5/05 | 1.5 | ppb | 100 | 100 | N/A | Naturally-occurring mineral | |||||||||
| NITRATE-N | No | 0.36 | ppm | 10.0 | 10.0 | Run-off from fertilizers; leaching from septic tanks & sewage; erosion of natural deposits | |||||||||||
| SODIUM | No | 10 | N/A | ** | Naturally-occurring; Road salt; Water softeners; Animal waste | ||||||||||||
| SULFATE | No | 22 | N/A | 250 | Naturally-occurring mineral | ||||||||||||
| Radioactive Contaminants | Any MCL of TT violation? | Sample Date (or highest detected) | Max Level Detected | Unit | MCLG | MCL | Range | Likely Source of Contamination | |||||||||
| Co60 | No | 9/29/03 | 3.1 | p\Ci/L | 0 | 50 | 0 - 3.1 | 
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| Cs134 | No | 3/31/03 | 7.5 | 0 - 7.52 | |||||||||||||
| Cs137 | No | 1.4 | 0 - 1.38 | ||||||||||||||
| *Gross β | No | 9/29/03 | 2.3 | 1.3 - 2.3 | |||||||||||||
| Gross α | No | 12/9/03 | 0.400 | 15 | 0 - 0.4 |   
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| Ra226 | No | 0.3 | 5 | 0 - 0.3 | |||||||||||||
| Ra228 | No | 2.5 | 0 - 2.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Contaminant | Any MCL of TT violation? | Sample Date (or highest detected) | Max Level Detected | Unit | MCLG | AL | Range | Likely Source of Contamination | |||||||||
| distribution | COPPER(1) | No: 90%=.055ppm | 7/6/05 | 0.21 | ppm | 1.3 | 1.3 | ND - 0.21 | Corrosion of household plumbing; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives. | ||||||||
| LEAD(1) | No: 90% = 3.9ppb | 8/25/05 | 21 | ppb | 0 | 15 | ND - 21 | Corrosion of household plumbing; erosion of natural deposits. | |||||||||
| 2005 Table of Detected Contaminates: Microbiological | |||||||||||||||||
| Heterotrophic Bacteria | No | 9/14/05 | 49 | count / ml | N/A | N/A | 0 - 49 | 
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| Turbidity(2) | No | 6/29/05 | 0.6 | NTU | TT >5.0 NTU | 0.07 - 0.6 | soil runoff | ||||||||||
| Entry Point | No | 11/13/05 | 0.56 | TT: 95% samples not ≤0.5NTU | 0.04 - 0.56 | ||||||||||||
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| Total Chlorine | No | 12/17/05 | 1.81 | ppm | N/A | N/A | 0.89 - 1.81 | Water additive used to control microbes | |||||||||
| Free Chlorine | No | 12/17/05 | 1.59 | (MRDLG) 4.0 | (MRDL) 4.0 | 0.89 - 1.59 | |||||||||||
| distrib | No | 2/10/05 | 1.25 | 0.2 - 1.25 | |||||||||||||
| TTHM(3) | No: RAA= 30.1ppb | 8/9/05 | 46.9 | ppb | N/A | TT=80ppb | 17.8 - 46.9 | By-product of drinking water chlorination needed to kill harmful microorganisms. TTHM's are formed when source water contains large amounts of organic matter. | |||||||||
| HAA | No: RAA= 18.1ppb | 8/9/05 | 23.9 | TT=60ppb | 12.1 - 23.9 | By-product of drinking water disinfection needed to kill harmful microorganisms | |||||||||||
| Entry Point | TOC | No | 7/18/05 | 2.5 | ppm | TT = TOC & SUVA >2.0 | 
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Precursors to by-products of drinking water chlorination | |||||||||
| SUVA | No | 2/15/05 | 1.04 | L/mg-m | 0.2 - 1.04 | ||||||||||||
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2005 Table of Detected Contaminates: Other Properties of Tap Water |
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| Total Solids | No | 1/31/05 | 193.5 | ppm | N/A | N/A | 154.5 - 193.5 | 
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| Total Dissolved Solids | No | 232 | 148 - 232 | ||||||||||||||
| Alkalinity | No | 3/8/05 | 99.8 | 86 - 99.8 | |||||||||||||
| Calcium Hardness | No | 2/15/05 | 94 | 85.5 - 94 | |||||||||||||
| pH | No | 8/21/05 | 8.1 | SU | 7.3 - 8.1 | Naturally occurring | |||||||||||
Footnotes for Table of Detected Contaminants:
*The State considers 50 pCi/l to be the level of concern for beta particles. Our highest reading was only 2.3 pCi/l on 9/29/03
** 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.
(1) Out of 55 homes tested, in 2005 only one was above the AL of 15 ppb for Lead (21 ppb). The TT employed by the Buffalo Water Authority, intended to reduce lead contamination of drinking water is the addition of a poly/ortho-phosphate blend as a part of water treatment. This chemical serves to coat water lines, to prevent lead from leaching into the drinking water. Infants & children who drink water containing lead in excess of the AL could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning disabilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure. Infants & young children are more vulnerable to lead in drinking water then the general population. Lead levels in your home might be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested, and you should flush your tap for 30 seconds – 2 minutes before using your tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
(2) Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. Our highest single measurement for 2005 occurred on 6/29/05 (0.60 NTU). State regulations require that turbidity must always be below 5.0 NTU. The regulations require that 95% of the turbidity samples collected have measurements below 0.5 NTU. Although November was the month that had the fewest distribution measurements meeting the TT for turbidity (1 sample over 0.5), the levels recorded were in the acceptable range allowed and did not constitute a violation.
(3) Representative testing for TTHM included 8 samples collected through 2005 (sites tested quarterly). Our highest detected reading occurred in Aug. It was 47 ppb, well below the MCL of 80 ppb. Some people who drink water containing TTHM in excess of the MCL over many years experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
The EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline is: (800-426-4791).
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.