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City of Beacon Water Department
City Services Category
2000 Water Quality Report
First Quarter
This is an annual report on the quality of water delivered by City of Beacon
Water Supply (Public Water Supply I.D. #-1302760). It meets the federal
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirement for " Consumer Confidence
Reports "and the New York State Department of Health requirement for
"Annual Water Quality Report". It contains important information on
the source of our water, it’s constituents, and the health risks associated
with any contaminants. Safe drinking water is vital to our community. Please be
conservation minded in your use of water. Please read this report* carefully
and, if you have any questions on this report or on our drinking water, call the
City of Beacon Water Supply at- (845) 831- 3185. Contact – David
Russell
City of Beacon Water Supply’s drinking water meets or surpasses all federal
and state drinking water standards.
*This report is available on the City of Beacon’s web site at
www.cityofbeacon.org
Water Production
The City of Beacon Water Supply produced 884,396,000 gallons of water in 2000
for a daily average of 2,423,000 gallons.
The use of the yearly production was accounted for as follows:
Residential and Commercial- 371,222,676 gallons.
Dept. of Corrections- 272,212,000 gallons.
Town of Fishkill- 45,108,800 gallons
Unaccounted for water- 195,852,524 gallons
Unaccounted for water is water lost due to system leaks, water main breaks,
use in municipal buildings and operations, system flushing, meter error and
theft of service.
The supply serves approximately 19,000 people and has 4264-metered
connections. The largest user was the Dept. of Corrections, which used an
average of 745,786 gallons per day and paid $464,853 for water in 2000. City
residents were charged for water as follows - $20.16 for the first 600 cu/ft,
then $2.67/100 cu/ft up to 10,000 cu/ft, then $2.25/100 cu/ft up to 100,000
cu/ft, then $1.45/100 cu/ft up to 1,000,000 cu/ft (cu/ft = cubic feet. 100 cu/ft
= 748 gallons) Non-residents were charged at twice the resident rate.
Water Source and Treatment
The City of Beacon water supply consists of three surface sources- Cargill,
Mt. Beacon and Melzingah reservoirs, and three ground water sources- City of
Beacon Wells 1 and 2 and Village of Fishkill Well 8.
These sources are blended in various combinations depending on source
condition and demand for water. The blended water is then treated at the water
filtration facility at 470 Liberty St. The current capacity of the filtration
plant is 4 million gallons per day.
Chemicals are added to the blended water to facilitate filtration. The water
is then filtered and chemicals are added for disinfection and corrosion control.
The water is then pumped to the distribution system entry point tank.
The following is a list of chemicals used in 2000:
Chemical Purpose Quantity
Soda Ash Ph and alkalinity adjustment 8404 lbs.
Alum Primary Coagulant- for filtration 120,379 lbs.
Polymer Coagulant aid- for filtration 417 lbs.
Zinc Orthophosphate Corrosion Control 9703 lbs.
Chlorine Disinfection 16,153 lbs.
Water Quality
In house laboratory tests were conducted on a daily basis to insure high
quality finished water. Tests were done at the water treatment plant for
turbidity, Ph, alkalinity, aluminum, orthophosphate, and chlorine residual. The
results of all these tests were within the guidelines set by the New York State
Health Department.
In addition, 256 samples were collected from the distribution system and
tested for turbidity, chlorine residual, total coliform bacteria and E-coli
bacteria. All test results were negative for the presence of E-coli and
were within the guidelines for turbidity and chlorine residual. Four results
were positive for the presence of total coliform bacteria but two of these
results, both from the same site, were invalidated by the Dutchess County Health
Dept. when it was determined that an improper sampling method was used and when
a repeat sample produced a negative result. Samples were also collected to test
for nitrate, inorganic contaminants, lead and copper, volatile organic
contaminants, synthetic organic contaminants and disinfection byproducts. (cont.
on pg. 2)
Of over 95 contaminants tested for, only the nine contaminants listed in the
table below were detected. They are all below the maximum contaminant level
required . The contaminants listed in the table below
were detected in samples taken in the year 2000 and other years. The state
allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because
the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly
from year to year. Therefore some of the data, though representative of the
water quality, is more than one year old.
|
Table of Detected Contaminants |
|
Contaminant |
Violation Yes/No |
Date of Sample |
Level Detected (Maximum) (Range) |
Unit Measure-ment |
MCLG |
Regulatory Limit (MCL,TT or AL) |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
Microbiological Contaminants |
|
Total Coliform |
No
No |
5/9/00
7/11/00 |
1 positive
1 positive |
n/a |
0 |
MCL- 2 or more positive samples in one month |
Naturally present in the environment |
|
Turbidity (1) |
No |
12/28/00 |
0.1 |
NTU |
n/a |
TT= < 0.5 NTU |
|
Turbidity (1) |
No |
2000 |
100% |
NTU |
n/a |
TT= 95% of samples < 0.5 NTU |
|
Inorganic Contaminants |
|
Barium |
No |
11/29/00 |
0.031 |
mg/l |
2 |
MCL= 2 |
Wastes from –drilling, metal refineries. Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Copper |
No |
10/1/99 |
0.40 (2)
0.05 – 0.49 |
mg/l |
1.3 |
AL= 1.3 |
Corrosion of household plumbing; Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Lead |
No |
7/21/99 |
2 (2)
ND – 9 |
ug/l |
0 |
AL= 15 |
Corrosion of household plumbing; Erosion of natural deposits |
|
Nickel |
No |
11/29/00 |
10 |
ug/l |
0 |
100 |
Runoff from waste batteries, metal refining |
|
Disinfection Byproducts |
|
Total Trihalomethanes |
No |
8/8/00 |
30 (3)
20-50 |
ug/l |
n/a |
MCL= 80 |
By-product of drinking water chlorination |
|
Haloacetic Acids |
No |
8/8/00 |
30 (3)
20-40 |
ug/l |
n/a |
MCL= 60 |
By-product of drinking water chlorination |
|
Radioactive Contaminants |
|
Alpha emitters |
No |
12/02/97 |
1.60 |
pCi/l |
0 |
MCL= 15 |
Erosion of natural deposits |
Notes:
1 – Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. It is
a good indicator of filtration effectiveness. All (100%) of our filtered water
turbidity measurements were below the regulatory limit of 0.5 NTU, with the
highest being 0.1NTU on 12/28/00.
2 – The level listed represents the 90th percentile of 30 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 action level (AL) value for
copper or for lead was not exceeded at any of the sites.
3 – The level listed represents the annual quarterly average calculated
from the data collected.
Definitions:
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.
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. (cont. on pg. 3)
AL = Action Level – The concentration of a contaminant which, if
exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must
follow.
TT = Treatment Technique – A required process intended to reduce
the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Unit – A measure of the clarity of
water. The lower the value the clearer the water.
mg/l = Milligrams per liter – corresponds to one part liquid in
one million parts of liquid (parts per million- ppm)
ug/l = Micrograms per liter – corresponds to one part liquid in
one billion parts of liquid (parts per billion- ppb)
pCi/l = Picocuries per liter – A measure of radioactivity in
water.
ND = Non-Detects – Laboratory analysis indicates that the
constituent is not present.
Educational Information
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 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
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 the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water
Hotline (800-426-4791) or the Dutchess County Health Department at (845)
486-3400 .
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 their drinking water. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen
the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other microbial pathogens
are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
Water Conservation – a few tips-
. It is not hard to conserve water. Automatic dishwashers
use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So
get a run for your money and load it to capacity.
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip
can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it up and you can save almost 6,000
gallons per year.
Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food
coloring in the tank, watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in
the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from one of these
otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons
a year.
Water your lawn after 6:00 p.m. - this prevents water loss
due to evaporation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this report. We hope it was
informative. If you have questions please call us at (845) 831-3185.
Contact – David Russell.
Beacon City Council meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the
month.
City of Beacon Public Water Supply I.D. #- 1302760
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City of Beacon Water Supply, 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon, N.Y. 12508
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