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ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT
:: July 2005 ::
Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District, Spartanburg Water System & the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control routinely monitors for 81 contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws.
The tables below show the results of monitoring for contaminants which have been detected during the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2002 by the Spartanburg Water System. No MCL’s were exceeded! |
| SCDHEC MONITORING |
| Substance |
MCLG |
MCL |
Highest Level |
Date |
MCL Exceeded? |
Typical Source |
Fluoride
R.B. Simms |
4.0 ppm
|
4.0 ppm
|
0.78 ppm |
Feb. 6, 2002
|
NO |
Erosion of natural deposit. Water additive which promotes strong teeth |
Fluoride
Blalock |
|
|
0.79 ppm |
|
|
|
Nitrate
R.B. Simms |
10 ppm
|
10 ppm
|
0.07 ppm |
Feb. 6, 2002
|
NO |
|
Nitrate
Blalock |
|
|
0.30 ppm |
|
|
Runoff from fertilizer |
|
| PARAMETERS OF THE LEAD & COPPER RULE |
| Contaminant Unit |
Action Level (AL) |
90th Percentile Value |
# of Sites Over Action Level |
Year Sampled |
Violation? |
Typical Source of Contamination |
| Copper (ppm) |
13
|
0.1090
|
0 |
2001
|
NO |
Corrosion of household plumbing systems |
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What do all those symbols mean?
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.
Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The “Maximum Allowed” is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL's are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - (MCLG) - The “Goal” 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.
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TREATMENT PROCESS
Conventional water treatment is used at both the R.B. Simms and Blalock treatment plants. “Raw”water from the reservoir is first passed through a screen to remove large objects, and then treated with chlorine. The chlorine aids in removal of iron and manganese, two natural substances in the water which would stain clothing and plumbing fixtures if not removed. The chlorine also acts as a disinfectant, destroying bacteria, viruses, algae, and other organisms, some of which could cause illness. Alum, lime, and polymer are then added. In a process called coagulation, these substances combine with each other and with fine particles in the water to form a substance called “floc” which is heavier than water. Powdered activated carbon is added at this stage as needed to help remove unpleasant tastes or odors. The water then passes through large basins where the floc settles to the bottom and is removed, taking unwanted substances with it. Clear “settled” water is skimmed from the top of the basins and filtered to remove still more unwanted material. Additional chlorine disinfectant and lime are added as needed to meet state requirements. A corrosion inhibitor containing zinc and phosphate is added to preserve distribution piping and prevent lead and copper contamination. Finally, fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay.
Each step of the treatment process represents a barrier which prevents chemical contaminants and disease organisms from passing through the treatment plant into the drinking water. EPA has established standards for the performance of each of these barriers.
The effectiveness of coagulation, sedimentation and filtration in removing particles from the water is determined by measuring the turbidity of the water as it leaves the filters. Turbidity is a measure of the quantity of finely divided particles suspended in the water, and is reported in units called NTU. The EPA standard for 2002 is that the turbidity of filtered water may not exceed 0.3 NTU in more than 5% of all the measurements taken, and must never exceed 1 NTU. This is a significantly more strict standard than in past years. 1 NTU turbidity cannot be seen by the human eye. Turbidity measurement is required every 4 hours. SWS was in full compliance with this requirement at both of its treatment plants in 2002. |
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
On August 6, 1998, Environmental Protection Agency promulgated the Consumer Confidence Report regulation. This rule requires public water systems to publish an annual report for distribution to their customers and other water consumers which gives detailed information about water sources, water treatment, water quality and regulatory compliance. The fourth of these annual reports, covering the calendar year 2002, must be prepared and distributed by July 1, 2003.
SOURCE WATER INFORMATION
Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District purchases water from the Spartanburg Water System (SWS) for distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spartanburg Water System uses surface water from three lakes within Spartanburg County: Lake William C. Bowen, Municipal Reservoir #1, and Lake Taylor H. Blalock (Figure 1).
Lake Bowen is a man-made lake formed by the waters of the South Pacolet River and its tributaries. Water flows from Lake Bowen into Municipal Reservoir #1, another man-made lake. The entire watershed for these lakes lies within the state of South Carolina, in Spartanburg and eastern Greenville Counties. Water from these lakes is treated at the R. B. Simms Water Treatment Plant.
Lake Blalock is also a man-made lake formed by the combining of surplus water from the Bowen/Reservoir #1 system with the North Pacolet River and its tributaries. Part of the Blalock watershed is in South Carolina and part is in North Carolina. Water from Lake Blalock is treated at the Blalock Water Treatment Facility.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 to perform a delineation and assessment of each watershed in South Carolina which is used as a drinking water source. DHEC has begun this process, but has not yet completed the source water assessments.
CHEMICAL MONITORING
Public water systems are required to monitor their drinking water for a large number of chemical contaminants. These include inorganic chemicals, synthetic organic chemicals, volatile organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, and radioactive contaminants. For some of these contaminants, EPA has established and SCDHEC has adopted maximum contaminant levels and maximum contaminant level goals. These contaminants are referred to as regulated contaminants. For other contaminants, EPA and SCDHEC require monitoring as a means of building a base of occurrence data, but there are not at this time any enforceable limits on the concentration of these contaminants. These are referred to as unregulated contaminants.
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 800.426.4791.
 We are required to report only those contaminants which have been detected during the calendar year 2002, or in the most recent sample taken for parameters measured less frequently than once per year. The information must include the contaminant name, the MCLG and MCL, the highest level found (average for substances subject to secondary MCL's) and the range of measurements if multiple samples were taken, the date samples were taken, and the typical source or sources of the contaminants detected. Since no MCL’s were exceeded, no health effects language is required.
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 for a lifetime at the MCL level to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.
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