irections for completing

Sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As w= ater 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. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. Inorganic contaminants, such as sa= lts and metal, can be natur= ally occurring or result from stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewat= er discharges, oil and gas production, mining, and farming. Pesticides and herbicides may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, stormwater r= unoff, and residential uses. Organic chemical contaminants include synthetic and volatile organic chemica= ls that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and = can also come from gas stations, storm water runoff, and septic systems.

All drinking water, including bottl= ed water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL’s) are set at very stringent levels by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect. More information about contaminant= s and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. &n= bsp;

If present, elevated levels of lead= can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking wa= ter is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and h= ome plumbing. Pine Tree Village is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control t= he variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting f= or 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 wa= ter, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available f= rom the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lea= d.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 2009 WATER QUALITY TEST RESULTS &nbs= p;
Contaminant	Violation Y/N	Level Detected	Range of Detections	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Inorganic Contam= inants
Cyanide(2006)	N	<10 ppb		200	200	Discharge from metal factories; Discharge = from plastic and fertilizer factories
Fluoride (2006)	N	<0.10 ppm		4	4	Erosion of natural deposits
Nitrate	N	1.71 ppm		10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Copper (2007) 10 sites sampled - 0 sites above action le= vel of 1.3	N	0.020 ppm	0.009-0.020 90^th percentile is 0.010	1.3	AL=3D1.3	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Perchlorate	N	.11 ppb		N/A	2	Rocket propellants, fireworks, munitions, flares, blasting agents
Unregulated and Secondary Contaminants
=	Date Collected	Range Detected	SMCL	ORSG	Possible Sources
Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether	10/1/2009	1.2 ug/l		70	EPA regulations requ= ire us to monitor this contaminant while EPA considers setting a limit on it.
Sodium	4/2/2009	7.81 ppm		20	Naturally occurring salt deposits; stormwa= ter runoff

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Definitions:<= /o:p>

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per mil= lion corresponds to one minute in two years.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per bil= lion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years.

Action Level (AL) - 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 - The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is 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 - The “Goal”(MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water be= low which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety= .

pCi/l - picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity)        =             &nb= sp;

90^th Percentile Value - Out of 10 homes, 9 were at or below this level.

Unregulated Contaminants – Substances without MCLs for which EPA requires monitoring. For some of these substances, the<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Massachusetts Office of Research and Standards (ORS) has developed state guidelines or secondary MCLs.

SMCL – secondary maximum contaminant level. These standards are developed to protect the aesthetic qualities of drinking water and

are not health based.

ORSG – Massachusetts Office of Rese= arch and Standards guideline. This= is the concentration of a chemical in drinking water, at or below

which, adverse health effects are unl= ikely to occur after chronic (lifetime) exposure. If exceeded, it serves as an indic= ator of the potential   <= /o:p>

need for further action

Many drinking water sources in New England are naturally corrosive (i.e. they have a pH of less than 7.0). The water they supply has a tenden= cy to corrode and dissolve the metal piping it flows through. This not only damages the pipes bu= t can also add harmful metals, such as lead and copper, to the water. For this reason, it is sometimes beneficial to add chemicals that can form a protective coating on the insid= e of pipes. These chemicals are of= ten referred to as corrosion inhibitors and normally contain small concentrations of eit= her phosphates or silicates.   Pine Tree Village adds a condensed inorganic phosphate blend called TPC 555H to = its water. Testing throughout the= water system has shown this treatment has been effective in reducing lead and cop= per concentrations.   = All chemicals used for coagulation are approved for water treatment by one of t= he following organizations: National Sanitation Foundation (now known as NSF International), or UL, both accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Chemicals a= lso have to meet performance standards established by the American Water Works Associations.

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 org= an transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These peo= ple 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 t= he Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

W= ATERING YOUR LANDSCAPE

·         Water your lawn only as neede= d, generally no more than once or twice a week. A good test is to walk across the lawn. If the grass springs ba= ck up, it does not need to be watered.

·         Water in the early morning to prevent the growth of fungi and to minimize evaporation. The best time to water your lawn is early morning between 4:00am and 6:00am.&n= bsp; Avoid watering at mid-day to prevent high evaporation and sun-burned grass. Water deeply to encour= age the roots of the grass to grow long and healthy, allowing your lawn to surv= ive drier periods. Most lawns nee= d less than one inch of water to saturate grass roots 4 to 6 inches in length. Place an empty tuna can in the wat= ering area and measure the amount of water to determine when you have watered eno= ugh.

·         Use shut-off nozzles on hoses= and automatic shut-off devices on irrigation systems. Unattended hoses can use 10 gallon= s or more per minute. With irrigat= ion systems, use a rain shut-off device and a moisture sensor to prevent the sy= stem from operating during rain. K= eep your irrigation system well maintained to prevent wasteful watering of your driveway and sidewalk.

Ways to Conserve Water

· Take a 5 minute shower. This uses less water than a bath.

· Turn off the wat= er when you brush your teeth.

· Keep a jug of wa= ter in the refrigerator. You can always have cold water without running the faucet= .

· Water your lawn = in the early morning to avoid evaporation.

· Check your plumb= ing fixtures regularly for cracks, worn washers, and dripping faucets.

· Check outside ho= ses, showers, and sill cocks for leaks

Use water only when you need it. Always turn it off when you are finished.

Did You Know……….

·= ; A single dripping faucet can waste far more wat= er in a single day than one person needs for drinking in an entire week.

·= ; A leaking toilet can waste 200 gallons of water= a day. You can test it by putting 10 drops of food coloring in the tank. Do n= ot flush for 15 minutes. If the colored water shows up in the bowl, the tank is leaking.

·= ; Two thirds of the water used in an average home= is used in the bathroom, mostly for flushing toilets and for showers and baths= .

PROTECT YOUR DRINKING WATER FROM C= ROSS CONNECTIONS

      A cross connection occurs wh= enever a potable drinking water line is directly or indirectly connected to a piec= e of equipment or piping containing non-potable water. An unprotected cross connection in your home could contaminant the plumbing, not only in your ho= me but also within the water lines in street in the event of backpressure or back-siphonage.

   &nb= sp; The outside water tap and garden hose tend to be the most common sou= rce of cross connection at the home. The garden hose becomes a hazard when conn= ected to a chemical sprayer used for weed killing and fertilizer applications. You can protect against this by purchasing a small device known as a vacuum breaker. Vacuum breakers can be purchased at your local hardware store and = are very inexpensive and easy to install. The vacuum breaker should be installe= d on all your outside faucets.

Vacuum Breaker for outside faucets
Other potential cross connections can occur on lawn irrigation systems and fire protection systems. For more information on cro= ss connections, please feel free to contact Mr. David Piper at the Cranberry Village office at 508-866-3345.        =