2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) PWS 0160002

Public Participation Opportunities
Date: 7-12-2011
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Byars Building
Phone Number: (830) 833-4525

SPECIAL NOTICE
Required language for ALL community public water supplies: You may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly or immunocompromised persons such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer; those who have undergone organ transplants; those who are undergoing treatment with steroids; and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders can be particularly at risk from infections. You should seek advice about drinking water from your physician or health care provider. Additional guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800)-426-4791.

Our Drinking Water is Regulated This report is a summary of the quality of the water we provide our customers. The analysis was made by using data from the most recent U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required tests and is presented in the attached pages. We hope this information helps you become more knowledgeable about what’s in your drinking water.

Where do we get our drinking water? The source of drinking water used by THE CITY OF BLANCO is Surface Water. A Source Water Susceptibility Assessment for your drinking water source is currently being updated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This information describes the susceptibility and types of constituents that may come into contact with your drinking water source based on human activities and natural conditions. The information contained in the assessment allows us to focus source water protection strategies. Some of this source water assessment information is available on Texas Drinking Water Watch at http://dww.tceq.state.tx.us/DWW/. For more information on source water assessments and protection efforts at our system, please contact us.

En Espanol
Este informe incluye informacion importante sobre el agua portble. Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este informe en espanol, favor de llamar al tel. (830) 833-4525 par hablar con una persona bilingue en espanol.

Water Sources: The sources of drinking water (both tap 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 activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
-Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
- Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming
-Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
-Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
-Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

All drinking water may contain contaminants.
When drinking water meets federal standards there may not be any health based benefits to purchasing bottled water or point of use devices. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonable 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 Hotline (1-800-426-4791)

Secondary Constituents
Many constituents (such as calcium, sodium, or iron) which are often found in drinking water can cause taste, color, and odor problems. The taste and odor constituents are called secondary constituents and are regulated by the State of Texas, not EPA. These constituents are not causes for health concerns. Therefore, secondaries are not required to be reported in this document but they may greatly affect the appearance and taste of your water.

DEFINITIONS

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected health risk. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
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 using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) The level of a drinking disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contamination.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) The highest level of disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants
NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity units
MFL – million fibers per liter (a measure of asbestos)
pCi/l – picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity)
ppm – parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l)
ppt – parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter
ppq – parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter
ppb – parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (mg/l)
Avg – Regulatory compliance with some MCLs are based on running annual average of monthly samples.
Definitions – The following tables contain scientific terms and measures, some of which may require explanation.

Regulated Contaminants
Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Haloacetic Acids (HAA%)*		2010	46.8	10.4-46.8	No goal for the total	60	ppb	N	By-Product of drinking water chlorination
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)*		2010	126	44.1-126	No goal for the total	80	ppb	N	By-Product of drinking water chlorination
Inorganic Contaminants		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Barium		2010	0.03	0.0317-0.0317	2	2	ppm	N	Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits.
Fluoride		2010	0.48	0.48-0.48	4	4	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen)		2010	0.88	0.88-0.88	10	10	ppm	N	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits.
Synthetic organic contaminants including pesticides and herbicides		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Pentachlorophenol		2010	0.04	0-0.04	0	1	ppb	N	Discharge from wood preserving factories.
Turbidity
		Limit (Treatment Technique)			Level Detected	Violation		Likely Source of Contamination
Highest single measurement			1 NTU		0.29 NTU	N		Soil Runoff.
Lowest monthly % meeting limit			0.3 NTU		100%	N		Soil Runoff.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
Disinfectant Type	Average Level	Min Level	Max Level	MRDL	MRDLG	Unit			Source
Chlorine	0.98	0.2	2.05	4	4	ppm			Disinfectant used to control microbes
Additional Health Information for Lead - "If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. This water supply 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 Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead."
Violations Table
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. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.
Violation Type		Violation Begin		Violation End		Violation Explanation
MCL (TCR), MONTHLY		12/1/2010		12/31/2010		Total coliform bacteria were found in our drinking water during the period indicated in enough samples to violate a standard.
MONITORING(TCR), ROUTINE MINOR		11/1/2010		11/30/2010		We failed to complete all the required tests of our drinking water for the contaminant and period indicated.
Steps to Correct Violations
We improved our training and sampling procedures
2010 Regulated Contaminants Detected
Coliform Bacteria
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal	Total Coliform Maximum Contaminant Level	Highest No. of Positive	Fecal Coliform or E. Coli Maximum Contaminant Level		Total No. of Positive E. Coli or Fecal Coliform Samples		Violation		Likely Source of Contamination
0	1 positive monthly sample	2			0		Y		Naturally present in the environment
Turbidity
		Limit (Treatment Technique)			Level Detected	Violation		Likely Source of Contamination
Highest single measurement			1 NTU		0.30 NTU	N		Soil Runoff.
Lowest monthly % meeting limit			0.3 NTU		100%	N		Soil Runoff.
Water Purchased from Canyon Lake
Regulated Contaminants
Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Haloacetic Acids (HAA%)*		2010	22.7	0 - 22.7	No goal for the total	60	ppb	N	By-Product of drinking water chlorination
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)*		2010	96.8	0 - 96.8	No goal for the total	80	ppb	N	By-Product of drinking water chlorination
Inorganic Contaminants		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Barium		2006 - 2009	0.04	0.02 -0.035	2	2	ppm	N	Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits.
Fluoride		2010	0.22	0.22 - 0.22	4	4	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen)		2010	0.52	0.12 - 0.52	10	10	ppm	N	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits.
Selenium		2006 - 2009	3	0 - 3	50	50	ppb	N	Discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from mines.
Radioactive Contaminants		Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Beta/photon emitters		2011	4	0 - 4.0	0	4	mrem/yr	N	Decay of natural and man-made deposits.
Combined Radium 226/228		2010	1	1.0 - 1.0	0	5	pCi/L	N	Erosion of natural deposits.
Gross alpha excluding radon and uranium		2011	2	0 - 2	0	15	pCi/L	N	Erosion of natural deposits.