Annual Drinking Water Quality Report Town of Shenandoah

 INTRODUCTION
 This Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for calendar year 2012 is designed to provide you with valuable information about your drinking water quality. We are committed to providing you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water, and we want you to understand the efforts we make to protect your water supply. The quality of your drinking water meets all state and federal requirements administered by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
If you have questions about tliis report,, want additional information about any aspect of your drinking water, or want to know how to participate in decisions that may affect the quality of your drinking water, please contact: Mr. Larry Dovel, Town Manager, at 540-652-8164  You can obtain additional information by attending Town Council meetings held at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month in the Town Council Chambers.
GENERAL INFORMATION  As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances (referred to as contaminants) in source water may come from septic systems, discharges from domestic or industrial wastewater treatment facilities, agricultural and farming activities, urban storm water runoff, residential uses, and many other types of activities. Water from surface sources is treated to make it drinkable while groundwater may or may not have any treatment.
AJ1 drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may 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 can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immune-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 (800-426-4791).
SOURCES AND TREATMENT OF YOUR DRINKING WATER Your drinking water is a combination of groundwater and surface influenced groundwater obtained from three drilled wells. Water is distributed throughout the community by gravity using two storage tanks and varying sized distribution piping. Treatment is provided for Well No. 5 (Twelfth Street). Well No. 5 treatment consists of cartridge filtration and chlorination. Treatment is accomplished by using series operated cartridge filtration units to remove turbidity and bacteria, and a solution chlorinator to disinfect the water prior to distribution. No treatment is provided for Well Nos. 2 (Tenth Street) and 3 (Trenton Street). 

SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENTS  A source water assessment has been completed by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). The assessment determined that the wells serving our community may be susceptible to contamination because they are located in an area that promotes migration of contaminants from certain land use activities of concern. More specific information may be obtained by contacting the water system representative referenced within this report.
QUALITY OF YOUR DRINKING WATER  Your drinking water is routinely monitored according to Federal and State Regulations for a variety of contaminants. The table on the next page shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1, 2012 to December 31,2012. Most of the results hi the table are from Resting done in 2012. However, the state allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though accurate, is more than one year old.
DEFINITIONS  In the table and elsewhere in this report you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. The following definitions are provided to help you better understand these terms:
Non-defects (ND) - lab analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (ing/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Microgramsper liter - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pd/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - uephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.
Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Treatment Technique (TT) - a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. Maximum Contaminant Level, orMCL - 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 Contaminant Level Goal, oi'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.
Variances and exemptions - state or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions
Entry Point (EP) - place where water from the source or sources after the application of any treatment is delivered to the distribution system
WATER QUALITY RESULTS  We constantly monitor for various contaminants in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements. The tables list only those contaminants that had some level of detection. Many other contaminants have been analyzed but were not present or were below the detection limits of the lab equipment. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL's) are set at very stringent levels by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In developing the standards EPA assumes that the average adult drinks 2 liters of water each day throughout a 70-year life span. EPA generally sets MCL's at levels that will result in no adverse health effects for some contaminants or a one-in-ten-thousand to one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect for other contaminants.
Microbiological
Contaminant MCLG MCL Level Found Unit Measurement Violation Date of Sample Typical Source of Contamination
Total Coliform Bacteria 0 Presence of Coliform bacteria in > 1 sample per month 0 Presence or Absence NO Monthly Naturally present in the environment
Turbidity
Contaminant MCLG MCL Highest Single Level Found Unit Measurement Lowest Monthly % <0.3 NTU Violation Date of Sample' Typical Source of Contamination
Turbidity (1,2) (Well No 5 EP Only) NA TT 0.044 NTU 100 NO 02/2012 Soil Runoff
(1) Turbidity is measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of our water
quality and the effectiveness of our filtration process.
(2) Turbidity Treatment Technique (TT) MCL:  1 NTU max; < 0.3 NTU in at least 95% of all samples tested.
Inorganic Contaminants
Contaminant MCLG MCL Level Found Unit Measurement Violation Date of Sample Typical Source of Contamination
Barium 2 2  mg/1   Discharge of drilling wastes;
Well No 2 EP   0.04  NO 07/2012 Discharge from metal
Well No 3 EP   0.039  NO 07/2012 refineries; Erosion of natural
Well No 5 EP   0.037  NO 07/2010 deposits
Nitrates 10 10 — mg/1 — — Runoff from fertilizer use;
Well No 2 EP   0.09  NO 07/2012 leaching from septic tanks,
Well No 3 EP   0.29  NO 07/2012 sewage; Erosion of natural
Well No 5 EP   0.89  NO 07/2012 deposits
Copper 1.3 AL= 1.3 .. mg/1 — — Corrosion of household
Well No 2 EP   0.011  NO 07/2012 plumbing systems; Erosion of
Well No 3 EP   ND  NO 07/2012 natural deposits
Well No 5 EP   ND  NO 07/2010
Disinfection Residual Contaminants
Contaminant MRDLG MRDL Level Found Unit Measurement Violation Date of Sample Typical Source of Contamination
Chlorine 4 4 0.20 (avg.) Range 0.1 2 -0.32 mg/1 NO Daily Water additive used to control microbes
Radiological Contaminants
Contaminant MCLO MCL Level Found Unit Measurement Violation Date of Sample Typical Source of Contamination
Alpha Emitters
Well No 2 EP Well No 3 EP 0 15 ND NT) pCi/1 NO NO 07/10 07/10 Erosion of natural deposits
Well No 5 EP   1.1  NO 07/10
Beta Emitters
Well No 2 EP Well No 3 EP 0 50 2.5 3.0 pCi/1 NO NO 07/10 07/10 Decay of natural or man-made deposits
Well No 5 EP   2.7  NO 07/10
Combined Radium
Well No 2 EP Well No 3 EP 0 5 ND 0.7 pCi/1 NO NO 07/10 07/10 Erosion of natural deposits
Well No 5 EP   1.1  NO 07/10
Lead and Copper (Most Recent Monitoring Period - July 2011)
Contaminant MCLG MCL Level Found Unit Measurement AL Exceeded Samples >AL Typical Source of Contamination
Lead Copper 0
1.3 AL= 15 AL=1.3 3.44 0.108 ppb rng/1 NO NO 0 0 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits
      
Lead Contaminants
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. The Town of Shenandoah is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in the 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 the lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/iead.
VIOLATION INFORMATION
We are in full compliance with all water quality, monitoring and reporting requirements and no violations occurred during the calendar year 2012. We have prepared this Drinking Water Quality Report with the assistance and approval of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Please call if you have questions.
 

Signature Larry E. Dovel                                        Date : April 8, 2013