ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

BELLMAWR WATER DEPARTMENT YEAR 2004

PWSID # 0404001

The Bellmawr Water Department is pleased to present you with the year 2004 Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the water we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide a high quality and dependable supply of drinking water.

We are pleased to report to you that the water we provide meets all applicable Federal, State and Local Standards.

All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least some amount of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water possesses a health risk. More information about contaminants and the potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-462-4791. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are set at very stringent levels. To understand the danger of the health effects described for many regulated contaminants, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effects

Special Considerations Regarding Children, Pregnant Women, Nursing Mothers, and Others

Children may receive a slightly higher amount of a contaminant present in the water than do adults, on a body weight basis, because they may drink a greater amount of water per pound of body weight than do adults. For this reason, reproductive or developmental effects are used for calculating a drinking water standard if these effects occur at lower levels than other health effects of concern. If there is insufficient toxicity information for a chemical (for example, lack of data on reproductive or developmental effects), an extra uncertainty factor may be incorporated into the calculation of the drinking water standard, thus making the standard more stringent, to account for additional uncertainties regarding these effects. In the cases of lead and nitrate, effects on infants and children are the health endpoints upon which the standards are based.

Definitions

Action Level – The concentration of a contaminant which if exceeded, triggers treatment and other requirements, which a water system must follow.

MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal) -The MCLG is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG allow for a margin of safety.

MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) -The maximum allowed is the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Parts per million (ppm)/Milligrams per liter (mg/l) -one part per million corresponds to one minute in one year or one penny in $10,000

Parts per billion (ppb)/Milligrams per liter (mg/l) -one part per billion corresponds to one minute in two years or one penny in 10,000,000

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) -unit to measure the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

TT (Treatment Technique) –A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of contaminant in drinking water

Picocuries Per Liter-(pCi/L)- picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Secondary Maximum Contaminate Level- (SMCL)- Maximum level of a contaminant which is determined for aesthetic purposes. Secondary contaminants in excess of the SMCL may effect the odor, taste or appearance of your drinking water.

Recommended Upper Limit-(RUL)- Recommended maximum concentration of secondary contaminants. RUL’s are recommendations, not mandates

Less Than <

More Than >

You can also view this report on the Borough of Bellmawr’s web site at www.erols.com/bellmawrwaterdept

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Persons with compromised-immune systems, such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people that have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, as well as elderly and some infants can be particularly at risk from some infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Crytosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

POE Leaf and Bell Treatment Plant #01

Contaminant	Violation	Level Detected	MCL (Action Level)	MCLG	Source
Copper 7/18/02	No	0.48ppm	1.3ppm sites exceeded 0	<1.3ppm	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives
Lead 7/18/02	No	0.0149mg/l	15	0	Corrosion of household plumbing systems
Barium 7/12/00	No	0.034ug/l	2.0ug/l	<2.0ug/l	Decay of cement asbestos water mains and erosion of natural Barium deposits.
Secondary Contaminates
Turbidity	No	3.59ppm	50.0ppm	TT	Turbidity has no health effects. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness. It may hinder the effectiveness of disinfectants.
Fluoride	No	0.360ppm	4ppm	< 4ppm	Natural
Sodium 7/13/00	No	16.7ppm	50ppm	< 50ppm	For Healthy individuals, the sodium intake from water is not important, because a much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet
Radioactive Contaminants 4/12/02	No	0.22 pci/L	15 pci/L	0	Naturally-occurring Oil & gas production and mining activities

POE Warren Ave Treatment Plant #02

Contaminant	Violation	Level Detected	MCL (Action Level)	MCLG	Source
Radioactive Contaminants tested on 3/3/99	No	0.85pCi/l	15pCi/l	0	Naturally-occurring Oil & gas production and mining activities
Copper 7/28/02	No	0.48 ppm	1.3ppm sites exceeded 0	<1.3ppm	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives
Lead 7/28/02	No	0.005 mg/l	15	0	Corrosion of household plumbing systems
Barium 7/12/00	No	0.063ppm	2.0ug/l	<2.0ug/l	Decay of cement asbestos water mains and erosion of natural deposits
Secondary Contaminates
Turbidity	No	2.43 ppm	50.0ppm	TT	Turbidity has no health effects. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness. It may hinder the effectiveness of disinfectants.
Sodium 7/13/00	No	22.6ppm	50ppm	<50ppm	For Healthy individuals, the sodium intake from water is not important, because
Voc Testing 4/5/01
1,2-Diechloroe-theane 3/23/01	No	0.280ppb	5ppb	< 5ppb	Discharge from industrial chemical factories

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers,

Lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of 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 Sewerage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock and wildlife. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic.

Wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.

Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storms water runoff and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic Chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial process 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.

In order to ensure that the tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations, which limits the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public Water systems.

Food and Drug Administration regulations established limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

The Safe Drinking Water Act regulations allow monitoring waivers to reduce or eliminate the monitoring requirements for asbestos, volatile organic chemicals, and synthetic organic chemicals.

Our system received monitoring waivers for asbestos, and synthetic organic testing.

Health Effects

Copper – Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could experience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water-containing copper in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage. People with Wilson Disease should consult their personal doctor.

Barium – Some people who drink water containing barium in excess of the

MCL over many years could have an increase in their blood pressure.

Turbidity- Has no health effect. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness of water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of water quality. High turbidity can hinder the effectiveness of disinfectants.

Fluoride- Some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones. Children may get mottled teeth.

Sodium- For healthy individuals, the sodium intake from water is not important, because a much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet. However, sodium levels above the secondary recommended upper limit might be of concern to individuals on a sodium restricted diet.

1,2-Dichloroethane- Some people who drink water containing 1,2-Dichloroethane in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increase risk of getting cancer.

Facts About Bellmawr Water

Our water resource is drawn from the Potomac- Raritan- Magothy aquifer, using our four wells. We have two water treatment plants, Treatment Plant # 01 is located at the corner of Leaf Avenue and Bell Road and uses wells # 4 and # 5, which are drilled 560 feet deep. Treatment Plant # 02 is located on Warren Avenue and uses wells # 3 and # 6, which are drilled to a depth of 359 feet. Both of the treatment facilities use filters containing Manganese Greensand as the filter medium.

In order to conserve water, the odd-even outdoor water usage schedule is utilized to conserve water between May 1st through September 15th. We have to use this system in order to stay under our 353 million gallons of water the state allows us to take out of the aquifer each year. If we would surpass the 353million-gallon quota, we would have to buy water from New Jersey American Water, which would nearly triple your water bill.

In order to remove viruses and bacteria from the water, the Bellmawr Water Department chlorinates its water.

Fluoride is naturally present in the water, so we do not add any additional fluoride.

Please call our office for up to date fluoride results in your area at 856-931-7269.

We at Bellmawr Water flush fire hydrants twice a year to remove sediment and to make sure the hydrants are in proper working condition. To reduce the chance of experiencing discoloration of water being used in the morning hours, we flush hydrants between the hours of 11:00PM and 3:00AM.

To comply with Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, the Borough of Bellmawr will issue a report annually on monitoring performed on its drinking water

The purpose of this report is to advance consumer understanding of drinking water and heighten awareness of the need to protect our precious water resource.

To date, the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water has not completed an assessment for our source of drinking water.

For a complete list of substances we test for you can call our office at 931-7269 between the hours of 9:00AM to 3:00 PM any business day.

We at the Bellmawr Water Department work around the clock to provide you with top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water resource, which is the heart of our community, our way of life, and our children’s future.

If you have any questions or ideas concerning this report or your water utility, please contact us the Bellmawr Water Department, Mark Huff Superintendent at 1-856-931-7269 between the hours of 8:30AM and 3:00PM any business day or you can visit our monthly council meetings. Times and dates for council meetings are posted in the borough's calendar.

Oil & gas production and mining activities

0.063ppm