2014 Water Quality Report

2014 Water Quality Report

Letter to Our Customers

Dear Customer:

We are very proud to present to you this year’s Water Quality Report. Our customers remainour number one priority therefore our principal goal is to provide a safe and reliable supply of drinking water to you. The First District Water Department has again met orsurpassed the very stringent water quality standards set by federal and state regulatory agencies.

This report covers water testing performed through 2014. Each year the water department laboratory performs and processes hundreds of water quality tests for compliance purposes on the source water, the treated water as it leaves the filtration plant and the water as it travelsthrough the distribution system and into your homes andbusinesses.

We invite your inquiries in writing or participation at a monthly Board of Commissioners meeting in our main office, 12 New Canaan Avenue, Norwalk 06851. You may phone 203-847-7387 for the times and dates of meetings.You should also feel free to contact us or the department’s General Manager, Dominick M. Di Gangi, P.E., or visit ourwebsite FirstDistrictWater.org for additional information.

Sincerely,

Frank N. Zullo, Esq. Chairman
Commissioners, First Taxing District

2014 Water Sampling

During the past year the FDWD staff has taken hundreds of water samples in order to determine the presence of any biological, inorganic, volatile organic or synthetic organic contaminants. These samples were taken at the reservoirs, the treatment plant, and the well field and also at representative sample sites around the distribution system. The table below shows only those regulated substances that were detected in the treated water. All of the substances found meet all state and federal standards. Regulation requires that some substances are monitored less than once per year. The year sampled is noted in the table.
Footnotes
1 - Highest amount detected; ranges are monthly averages.

2 - There is no federal MCL for sodium but Connecticut has established a notification level of 28 mg/L. If you have been placed on a sodium-restricted diet please inform your physician of the sodium content in our water. For people on a regular diet this level of sodium is very low.

3 - Turbidity is a measure of the clarity of the water. It is monitored because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of the filtration system. 95% of the samples need to be less than 0.3. 100% of the The District’s samples were less than 0.3.

4 - The District’s water met the required removal rate 100% of the time.

5 - Tap water samples were collected for lead and copper analyses from 34 homes throughout the service area. The lead and copper results at the 90th percentile did not exceed the AL. A lead sample from one home had a result that exceeded the AL.

6 - Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR) 2 monitoring was completed in 2013. There is a list of 10 selected contaminants which do not yet have a drinking water standard set by the EPA. The purpose of the monitoring is to help the EPA decide whether the contaminants should have a standard. We detected five of these contaminants in either our surface or groundwater supplies.
Acronyms and Definitions
AL (Action Level) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

CNL - State of CT Customer Notification level

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.

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.

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.

MRDLG (Maximum Residual Disinfectant 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.

NA - Not applicable

NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) - Measurement of the clarity, or turbidity, of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.ppb (parts per billion) - One part substance per billion parts water (or micrograms per liter).

ppm (parts per million) - One part substance per million parts water (or milligrams per liter).

TT (Treatment Technique) - A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Compound Sources
Barium - Natural deposits due to erosion

Chlorine - Water additive used to control microbes

Copper - Deposits from household plumbing systems

Fluoride - Additive for strong teeth; natural deposits due to erosion

Lead - Deposits from household plumbing systems

Nitrate - Fertilizer runoff; leaching from septic tanks and sewage; natural deposits due to erosion

Sodium - Water treatment systems; road salt runoff; natural deposits in environment

Turbidity - Sediment particles; naturally occurring iron and manganese; soil runoff

Request

More Information

 For more information or questions about this report, please contact our Laboratory Coordinator, Dana Dessereaux at ddessereaux@firstdistrictwater.org or 203-229-7273.

About Our Water

How Our Water Is Treated and Purified
The reservoir water is filtered at our treatment plant in New Canaan. The filtered water is then disinfected with chlorine to protect against any bacteria still present. We carefully monitor the amount of chlorine, adding the lowest quantity necessary to ensure the safety of your water without compromising the taste.

Finally, chemicals are added to adjust the acidity and protect the water pipes, and fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay. At the well field, the groundwater is filtered naturally by sand and gravel. The water is then treated in a similar manner as the surface water with the addition of aeration which removes contaminants and raises the pH.
water-droplet

Water Quality & Sustainability

Water Sources and How We Protect Them

Protecting the water supply at its source is the first step in achieving the water department’s goal of providing safe drinking water to its customers.


The District’s reservoirs, located in Lewisboro, NY and New Canaan, CT, hold approximately one billion gallons of water. The source of the water is the watershed land covering 10 square miles in New Canaan, Ridgefield and Wilton, CT and Lewisboro, NY. Rainfall and snowmelt from this land are channeled into soils, groundwater, creeks and streams and then into our reservoirs. Disturbance or pollution on watershed land can directly affect the drinking water reservoirs.


Measures to protect the watershed land and reservoirs include daily patrolling of the area. Open communications with both the local police and fire departments in our watershed towns is essential. We also work closely with local government focusing attention on new land development in our watershed. When necessary we actively oppose unsuitable development.


Each year our water treatment operators visit the properties on the watershed as part of our sanitary survey requirement.Procedures to protect our groundwater sources in the Kellogg-Deering well field continue through the Aquifer Protection Area Regulations.


The Norwalk Zoning Commission has used its authority to register and regulate businesses that pose a potential risk to our drinking water. The commission continues to provide updates to the registrations and work closely with the water department with regard to protection of our well field.

Conserve Water and Save Money

Water is a precious commodity that we can preserve with some simple steps...


Indoors

- Repair faucet and toilet leaks

- Take shorter showers and shut off water while shaving or brushing teeth

- Replace old fixtures with new water saving devices

- Keep water for drinking in the refrigerator

- Run dishwasher and washing machine only when full


Outdoors

- Water the lawn and garden in the early morning to avoid evaporation

- Check that sprinklers don’t leak and that they water the lawn and not the pavement

- Use mulch around plants and shrubs to reduce evaporation

Learn more about lead and drinking water

Source Water Assessment

A source water assessment performed by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health indicated that the surface water source has a moderate susceptibility and the groundwater source a high susceptibility to potential sources of contamination. This does not imply poor water quality but does indicate the need for protection.


The completed assessment report can be found on the Department of Public Health Website:


http://www.dir.ct.gov/dph/Water/SWAP/Community/CT1030011.pdf


Additional source water assessment information can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency Website:


http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/sourcewater/protection/index.cfm

Learn more at EPA

Health Information

From the EPA

This statement is prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency for your information.

Sources of lead in drinking water include corrosion of household plumbing system and erosion of natural deposits.
Read more
Lead

Lead in Drinking Water

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.
Read more
Substances in Water

Substances That Might Be in Drinking Water

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.
Read more
Share by: