Epping Water Department

Water Quality Report – 2009

What is the source of my drinking water?

The Town of Epping’s water system draws water from three bedrock wells (BRW), BRW#1(site 503), BRW#2(site 504) and BRW#3(site 505). Water from all three wells is blended to provide the primary source of water.

How can I get involved?

Water questions should be directed to Epping’s water system operator, Norm Dionne @ 679-5171.

Additionally, the Epping Water and Sewer Commission meet at 7:00PM on the third Tuesday of each month at the Epping Town Hall. Water system questions may also be submitted via e-mail to: waterandsewer@townofepping.com.

Why are contaminants in my water?

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of 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 US Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Other information:

Epping’s blended water is occasionally treated with low concentration (0.2 to 0.3 mg/L) free chlorine to control an odor problem caused by hydrogen sulfide.

The NH Department of Environmental Services has prepared a Source Assessment Report for the sources serving this community water system, assessing the sources’ vulnerability to contamination. The results of the assessment, prepared on January 31, 2003 are as follows. BRW#1 received 3 high, 2 medium and 7 low susceptibility ratings. BRW#2 received 1 high, 0 medium and 11 low susceptibility ratings. BRW#3, which came on-line in June 2004, will not have a Source Assessment Report completed, due to its close proximity to BRW#2.

The complete Assessment Report is available for inspection at the Water and Sewer Administrator’s office in the Epping Town Hall during regular business hours. For more information, visit NH DES’ Drinking Water & Groundwater Bureau web site at www.des.nh.gov/dwgb.

Do I need to take special precautions?

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 trans-plants, 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

DETECTED WATER QUALITY RESULTS
Contaminant (Units)	Level Detected	MCL	MCLG	Violation YES/NO	Likely Source of Contamination	Health Effects of Contaminant
Microbiological Contaminants: NO VIOLATIONS No contaminants exceeded the MCL
Radioactive Contaminants: NO VIOLATIONS No contaminants exceeded the MCL
Inorganic Contaminants: NO VIOLATIONS No contaminants exceeded the MCL
Arsenic (ppb)	9 -10 Site 503	10	0	NO	Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production wastes		(5 ppb through 10 ppb) While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems. (above 10 ppm) Some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Barium (ppm)	.016 Site 504 .042 Site 505	2	2	NO	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits		Some people who drink water containing barium in excess of the MCL over many years could experience an increase in their blood pressure.
Fluoride (ppm)	.3 Site 504 .2 Site 505	4	4	NO	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories		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. Fluoride in drinking water at half the MCL or more may cause mottling of children’s teeth, usually in children less than nine years old. Mottling also known as dental fluorosis, may include brown staining and/or pitting of the teeth, and occurs only in developing teeth before they erupt from the gums.
Synthetic Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides: NO VIOLATIONS No contaminants exceeded the MCL
Volatile Organic Contaminants: NO VIOLATIONS No contaminants exceeded the MCL
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) (ppb)	0.5 Site 504	13	13	NO	A gasoline additive		The New Hampshire Bureau of Health Risk Assessment considers MTBE a possible human carcinogen.

Description of Drinking Water Contaminants:

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 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 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 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.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Definitions:

MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or 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.

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. They are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

AL: Action Level, or the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

TT: Treatment Technique, or a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

MRDLG: Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or the level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG’s do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants(for water systems that use chlorine).

MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level or the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that the addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants (for water systems that use chlorine)..

Abbreviations:

ppm: parts per million ppb: parts per billion ppt: parts per trillion ppq: parts per quadrillion pCi/L: pico curies per liter NTU: Nephelometric Turbidy Unit

NA – Not applicable nd: not detectable at testing limits AL: Action Level TT: Treatment Technique

Sample Dates: The results for detected contaminants listed are from the most recent monitoring done in compliance with regulations ending with the year 2008. Results prior to 2008 will include the date the sample was taken. The State of New Hampshire allows water systems to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Thus some of the data present, though representative, may be more than one year old.