Village of Moravia                                                                                                                             315-497-1820

22 Central Street                                                                                                                       PWSID #05-01720

PO Box 711                                                                                                                                        April 2011

Moravia, NY  13118

 

Water   Quality Report     2010

 

Your water meets all drinking water standards!

To comply with State regulations, the Village of Moravia will be annually issuing a report describing the quality of your drinking water.  The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources.  Last year, your tap water met all State drinking water health standards.  We are proud to report that our system has never violated a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard.  This report provides an overview of last year’s water quality.  Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to State standards.

Is our water system meeting other rules that govern operations?

During 2010, our system was in compliance with applicable state drinking water operating, monitoring, and

reporting requirements.

Where does our water come from?

     In general, 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, can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activities.  Contaminants that may be present in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; and radioactive contaminants.  In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  The State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

     The Village of Moravia has approximately 568 accounts, serving a population of approximately 2950 individuals with water from three (3) wells located at the south-west end of the Village.  At this point of origin the water is chlorinated automatically by chlorination equipment.

Is our water safe for everyone?

Although our drinking water met or exceeded state and federal regulations, some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 from their health care provider about drinking water.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and other microbiological pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800)-426-4791.

Are there contaminants in our drinking water?

            The Village of Moravia routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State Laws.  We test your drinking water for inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, volatile organic compounds, lead, and copper.  In addition, we test the water for coliform bacteria monthly and chlorine daily.  The table presented on page 2 depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water.  The state allows us to test for some contaminants less than once per year because concentrations of these contaminants, do not change frequently.  Some of our data, though representative, are more than one year old.  It should be noted that all drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably 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 EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline, (800) 426-4791 or the Cayuga County Environmental Health Dept., 253-1405.

            The NYS DOH has completed a source water assessment for this system, based on available information.  Possible and actual threats to this drinking water source were evaluated.  The state source water assessment includes a susceptibility rating based on the risk posed by each potential source of contamination and how easily contaminants can move through the subsurface to the wells.  The susceptibility rating is an estimate of the potential for contamination of the source water, it does not mean that the water delivered to consumers is, or will become contaminated.  See section “Are there contaminants in our drinking water?” for a list of the contaminants that have been detected.  The source water assessments provide resource managers with additional information for protecting source waters into the future.

            As mentioned before, our water is derived from 3 drilled wells.  The source water assessment has rated these wells as having a medium susceptibility to microbials, nitrates, industrial solvents, metals, petroleum products, and other industrial contaminants.  These ratings are due primarily to the close proximity of a permitted discharge facility (industrial/commercial facilities that discharge wastewater into the environment and are regulated by the state and/or federal government); and low intensity residential development in relation to the wells.  While the wells draw water from a confined aquifer (an aquifer bounded above and below by geology that restricts the passage of groundwater), the aquifer recharge area (the section of land that receives precipitation and allows it to infiltrate into the aquifer) is considered vulnerable to potential sources of contamination.  Please note that, while the source water assessments rates our well as being susceptible to microbials, our water is disinfected to ensure that the finished water delivered into your home meets the New York State drinking water standards for microbial contamination.

            County and state health departments will use this information to direct future source water protection activities.  These may include water quality monitoring, resource management, planning, and education programs.  A copy of the assessment is available for review by calling the Cayuga County Health Department at 253-1405.

What does this information mean?

As you can see by the table below, our system had no violations.  We have learned through our testing that some contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants were detected below the level allowed by the State.

 

LISTED BELOW ARE TEST RESULTS FOR THE VILLAGE OF MORAVIA FOR 2010.

 

Analyze       Violation  Analyzed  Units   MCL     MCLG  Results   Source of Contamination

 

Sample ID North Well #1

 

Nitrate

No

06/10/10

mg/l

10

10

1.62

Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits.

Sample ID South Well # 2

Nitrate

No

06/10/10

mg/l

10

10

0.550

Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits.

Tested Within System

Copper¹

No

06/19/09(3 yr. test)

mg/l

AL=1.3

1.3

0.035-0.19

AL=0.12

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosions of natural deposits; leaching of wood preservatives

Lead²

No

06/19/09(3 yr. test)

ug/l

AL=15

0

1.1-3.0

AL=2.8

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits

Trihalomethanes

No

08/09/10(3 yr. test)

ug/l

80

NA

0.68

By-product of drinking water chlorination needed to kill harmful organisms.  TTHMs are formed when source water contains large amounts of organic matter.

Barium

No

04/29/09(3 yr. test)

mg/l

2

2

0.041

Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits.

 

  1. The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 10 sites tested.  A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it.  The 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water system.  In this case, ten samples were collected at your water system and the 90th percentile value was the ninth highest value (0.12 mg/l).  The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.
  2. The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 10 sites tested.  The action level for lead was not exceeded at any of the 10 sites tested.

 

HOW DO I READ THESE TABLES?

Action Level (AL)-The concentration of contaminant  which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)-The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible.

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

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l)-Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/l)-Corresponds to one part of liquid in one billion parts of liquid.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL)-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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Goal (MRDG)-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 contamination.

 

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing.  The Village of Moravia 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 (1-800-426-4791) or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

 

Still have questions after reading this report?

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking water, please contact the Village of Moravia at 497-1820.  We want you to be informed about your drinking water.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Village Board meetings.  The meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Office at 22 Central Street.