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2008 Table of Detected Contaminates

ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN OUR DRINKING WATER?

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

The following table depicts which compounds were detected in your 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, are more than one year old. It should be noted that drinking water, including bottled water, might 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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791)

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. 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 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).

** Water containing more than 20 mg/l of sodium should not be used for drinking by anyone 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.

*The State considers 50 pCi/l to be the level of concern for beta particles. Our highest reading was 2.3 pCi/l on 9/29/03

(1)Out of 58 homes tested, in 2008 none was above the AL of 15 ppb for Lead. 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 distribution measurement for 2008 occurred on 9/9/08 (4.4 NTU). State regulations require that distribution turbidity must always be below 5.0 NTU. The regulations also require that 95% of the effluent turbidity samples collected have measurements below 0.5 NTU. Although December was the month that had the highest effluent measurements, 95% of all measurements that month met TT for turbidity (0.5 ntu), and were in the acceptable range allowed and did not constitute a violation.

(3) Representative testing for TTHM included samples collected through 2008. Our highest detected reading occurred in August. (74.6 ppb), which was 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.