Consumer Confidence Report Water Quality Report 2013

Arlington Water Utilities Every Drop is Beautiful 2013 Water Quality Report Save Water. Nothing Can Replace It. The City of Arlington’s conservation program is part of a regional effort to help plan for future water supply needs and meet the requirements of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas Water Development Board. With reservoir levels decreasing and water capacity below normal, the City of Arlington is asking residents and businesses to comply with City ordinances and use water wisely. The City of Arlington appreciates your commitment to conserving water and we encourage you to save water and money by changing your water use habits today. For more water conservation tips, visit www.SaveArlingtonWater.com. Why does my water smell musty sometimes? For more information: Water Quality:...................................817-575-8984 Laboratory Services water sample requests, water quality questions or water quality problems. If you have questions concerning this brochure, ask for the laboratory. Customer Services:.............................817-275-5931 During certain times of the year, it is not uncommon to experience some taste and odor issues with your tap water. A naturally occurring compound called geosmin is produced by bacteria in soil and algae found in surface water. Extreme temperatures can kill off algae in surface water, which releases the geosmin into the water. While the taste and odor can be unpleasant, geosmin is not toxic or harmful. The water remains safe to drink. The human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin. If you poured a teaspoon of geosmin into the equivalent of 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools, you would still be able to smell it. The general threshold for human detection is about 15 nanograms per liter (parts per trillion); however people with sensitive pallets can detect these compounds in drinking water when the concentration is as low as 5 nanograms per liter. This is why some customers notice the changes in taste and odor while others Conser vation Tip do not. Heating the water Up to 30% of water is lost to increases the volatility of evaporation when watering these compounds, which in the afternoons. explains why the smell is more easily detected when you are in the shower or when used for hot beverages. To make the water taste better, try chilling it, adding ice cubes, a slice of lemon, or a few drops of lemon juice. And remember that the change in taste and odor is only temporary. Open new or transfer account, billing inquiries, water conservation, water and sewer rates. Emergency Water, and Sewer Services (24 hours):...................817-459-5900 Service interruptions, water leaks, sewer problems Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD):................................817-237-8585 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ):..................................512-239-1000 To participate in decisions concerning water: Attend the Arlington City Council meetings, held on the 2 nd and 4 th Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber located at City Hall, 101 West Abram Street. Meeting schedule is posted online at www.ArlingtonTX.gov/citycouncil/meeting_schedule.html To view City Council Agenda or to watch a City Council meeting webcast, please visit www.ArlingtonTX.gov/citycouncil/agenda.html Visit our website at: www.ArlingtonTX.gov/water/CCR Este informe incluye información importante sobre su agua potable, si necesita ayuda para entender esta información por favor llame al 817-575-8984. Ban bao cao nay bao gom nhung thong tin can biet ve nuoc uong. Moi chi tiet va thac mac xin lien lac 817-575-8984. Published May 2014 Photography by Anh Ainsworth A s you read through this report, you will notice that drinking water produced by Arlington Water Utilities meets or exceeds all Federal and State drinking water quality regulations. Substances found in Arlington water are well below the maximum allowable levels. The information included in this report reflects the data collected from January 1 through December 31, 2013, unless noted otherwise. How is Arlington water treated? The water in Arlington is treated at two state of the art water treatment plants. Ozone is used as the primary disinfectant. Aluminum sulfate and a cationic polymer are added Reservoirs to help dirt and other particles clump together and settle out during treat- ment. The water is then filtered through granular activated carbon beds to remove Pre-Ozonation smaller particles and substances that are Mixing chamber dissolved in the water. The water is then chloraminated (treated with chlorine and then ammonia) as it enters the clearwell for storage. Chloramine is the secondary disinfectant that keeps the water safe on its way to your faucet. Drinking water, including bottled The water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. The presence of these constituents does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations that Is Arlington water safe to drink? Absolutely. Our employees take great pride in producing and delivering to you, our customer, water that meets all Federal and State regulations. To ensure your water is of the highest quality, Arlington Water Utilities Laboratory closely monitors the drinking Raw water Primary pump station disinfection water at over 100 distribu- (Ozone) Filters tion locations throughout the city. In 2013, the laboratory collected 5,608 Coagulation Sedimentation Secondary disinfection (Chloramine) basin basin samples and performed 12,506 tests monitoring 144 Clearwell storage analytes. Y ou may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly or immuno-compromised persons such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer; those who have undergone organ transplants; those who are undergoing treatment with steroids and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders can be particularly at risk from infections. You should seek advice about drinking water from your health care provider. Additional guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800- 426-4791). General information about lead limit the amount of certain substances in water provided by public water systems. The treatment process removes these substances from the raw water and provides further protection prior to In Arlington we not only use chlorine to disinfect the water but also ammonia. This produces a compound known as chloramines. Chloramines are toxic to fish and must be neutralized before any fish are added to your tank. Many pet supply stores carry solutions that will neutralize chlorine as well as ammonia. Or you can do the following prior to adding any fish to the tank : For every 10 gallons of water, add 1 teaspoon of household liquid bleach Conser vation Tip to your tank water and mix. Let the water sit in the tank overnight. When cleaning out fish tanks, Add three times the amount of give the nutrient-rich water to commercial dechlorinating agent as your plants. indicated on the bottle and mix. Let the water sit for at least 24 hours and check the water with a chlorine test kit also available at pet supply stores. Health information for Special Populations Distribution sending it to the distribution system. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visiting the EPA website at www.epa.gov/safewater. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline Did You Know… Arlington Water Utilities has a rated capacity of 172.5 M.G.D. to meet water demand Where does lead in drinking water come from? If present, lead is introduced into your drinking water from plumbing fixtures and materials, not from the water source. Although lead was banned from use in pipe and solder in 1986, older homes may still have materials containing lead. Where does Arlington drinking water come from? Arlington purchases its water for treatment from the Tarrant Regional Water District. The water is taken from four reservoirs. Cedar Creek, Richland-Chambers and Lake Benbrook supply the John F. Kubala Water Treatment Plant. Lake Arlington supplies the Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant. Cryptosporidium Monitoring Information: In 2013 Tarrant Regional Water District monitored all raw water sources for Cryptosporidium and found none in the source waters servicing Arlington. Cryptosporidium is a microscopic, disease- causing parasite, housed in a hard-shelled egg-shaped oocyst. When ingested, the oocyst splits open, releasing sporozoites. These sporozoites invade the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and can cause an illness called cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis is typically an acute short-term infection but can become severe and non-resolving in children and immuno-compromised individuals. In addition to coagulation and filtration, Arlington uses Ozone (the primary disinfectant) to further protect against Cryptosporidium.