We are pleased to
present this year's Annual Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) as
required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This report is designed to provide details about where your water comes
from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory
agencies. This report is a snapshot of last year's water quality. We are
committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our
best allies.
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 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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on
appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other
microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline
(800-426-4791).
Drinking water,
including bottled 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 about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). 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:
microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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 stormwater 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
stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and
septic systems; and 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 that
limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water
systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for
contaminants in bottled water which must provide the
same protection for public health.
Did you know that the average U.S. household uses approximately 400 gallons of water per day or 100 gallons per person per day? Luckily, there are many low-cost and no-cost ways to conserve water. Small changes can make a big difference - try one today and soon it will become second nature.
Protection of drinking water is everyone's responsibility. You can help protect your community's drinking water source in several ways:
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. City of St. Johns is
responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the
variety of materials used in 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 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/lead.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.
Contaminants |
MCLG |
MCL, |
Detect
In |
Range |
Sample |
Violation |
Typical
Source | |
Low |
High | |||||||
Disinfectants
& Disinfection By-Products | ||||||||
(There
is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for
control of microbial contaminants) | ||||||||
TTHMs
[Total Trihalomethanes]
(ppb) |
NA |
80 |
2.5 |
2.3 |
2.5 |
2017 |
No |
By-product
of drinking water disinfection |
Microbiological
Contaminants | ||||||||
Total
Coliform (RTCR) (% positive samples/month) |
NA |
TT |
NA |
NA |
NA |
2017 |
No |
Naturally
present in the environment |
Radioactive
Contaminants | ||||||||
Radium
(combined 226/228) (pCi/L) |
0 |
5 |
2.9 |
2.5 |
3.7 |
2017 |
No |
Erosion
of natural deposits |
Violations
and Exceedances |
The following contaminants were monitored for, but not detected, in your water.
Contaminants |
MCLG |
MCL, |
Your |
Violation |
Typical
Source |
Haloacetic
Acids (HAA5) (ppb) |
NA |
60 |
ND |
No |
By-product
of drinking water chlorination |
Nitrate
[measured as Nitrogen] (ppm) |
10 |
10 |
ND |
No |
Runoff
from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of
natural deposits |
Unit
Descriptions | |
Term |
Definition |
ppm |
ppm:
parts per million, or milligrams per liter
(mg/L) |
ppb |
ppb:
parts per billion, or micrograms per liter
(µg/L) |
pCi/L |
pCi/L:
picocuries per liter (a measure of
radioactivity) |
%
positive samples/month |
%
positive samples/month: Percent of samples taken monthly that were
positive |
NA |
NA:
not applicable |
ND |
ND:
Not detected |
NR |
NR:
Monitoring not required, but
recommended. |
Important
Drinking Water Definitions | |
Term |
Definition |
MCLG |
MCLG:
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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 |
MCL:
Maximum Contaminant Level: 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. |
TT |
TT:
Treatment Technique: A required process intended to reduce the level of a
contaminant in drinking water. |
AL |
AL:
Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded,
triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must
follow. |
Variances
and Exemptions |
Variances
and Exemptions: State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment
technique under certain conditions. |
MRDLG |
MRDLG:
Maximum residual disinfection level goal. The level of a drinking water
disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.
MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control
microbial contaminants. |
MRDL |
MRDL:
Maximum residual disinfectant level. The highest level of a disinfectant
allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of
a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial
contaminants. |
MNR |
MNR:
Monitored Not Regulated |
MPL |
MPL:
State Assigned Maximum Permissible
Level |
For
more information please
contact: |
Contact Name: Dana Waite
Address: PO Box 455
St. Johns, Az 85936
Phone:
928.337.4517