Vol. No. 11
 May 1, 2009
Northgate Water System

Water Quality Report for the year 2008
PWS ID# 6200035

Meadville Housing Corporation is pleased to present to you this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water and services we deliver to you every day.  Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.  We are committed to ensuring the quality of your drinking water and we want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.  We are fortunate to have two excellent sources of drinking water located within the Northgate complex known as Well #1 and Well #2.  These 12" wells are each approximately 550 feet deep. Water is pumped into a pressurized 5,000 gallon storage tank where it is treated prior to distribution.
The Northgate Water System routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws.  Your Northgate water system has two skilled and licensed operators who monitor your drinking water at the source, throughout the treatment process and as it flows from the distribution system.  The table in this report shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2008.




In 1995, the Northgate water system was granted a waiver for monitoring Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOC's) for pesticides and herbicides from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  This waiver was granted because there is little risk of exposure from these contaminants.

In this report, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with.  To help you better understand these terms, we've provided the following definitions:

Definitions:


Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years or a single penny in $10,000,000.

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

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCL's are set as close to the MCLG's as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

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

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 Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLG’s do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contamination.





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We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminants have been detected.  We're proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements.  The EPA has determined that your water IS in compliance at these levels.  We tested for many other organic and inorganic contaminants, but there were none detected.

TEST RESULTS

Contaminant
(Unit of Measurement)
Compliance Achieved
Y/N
Level Detected
Range		 MCL (Highest level allowed)
MCLG (Ideal goal)
Likely Source of Contamination

Inorganic Contaminants
Barium (ppm) Y
 .22 ppm
2003
 (a)
 2
 2
 Discharge of drilling wastes; erosion of natural deposits
Fluoride (ppm) Y
 .2 ppm
2003
 (a)
 2*
 2
 Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth
Copper (ppm) Y .12 ppm
2007
0 (b) AL = 1.3 1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing
Lead (ppb)
 Y 5.5 ppb
2007
 0 (b) AL = 15 0 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits

Disinfection Byproducts (DBP's), Byproduct Precursors, and Disinfectant Residuals
Chlorine (ppm)
 Y
 3.3
 .5 - 3.3
 MRDL = 4
 MRDLG = 4
 Water additive used to control microbes

Microbiological Contaminants
Total Coliform
 Y 1
 (a)
February 		0
 0
Naturally present in the environment
The detection of coliform in the February test sample appears to be the result of lab error, improper sampling technique or a contaminated bottle..  All four check samples taken were negative for total coliform.

The data presented in these tables is from the most recent monitoring done in compliance with regulations.  When monitoring was done in a year prior to 2008, the year is indicated in the "Level Detected" column.

(a) Only one sample required.
(b) This number indicates the number of samples exceeding the Lead and/or Copper action level.
 *   EPA’s MCL for fluoride is 4 ppm.  However, our state has set a lower MCL to better protect human health.


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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels for health effects.  To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

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 microbiological contaminants are available from the 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.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

•    Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which 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 byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems.
•    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 which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Please call our office if you have any questions.

For more information on this Report or water quality, please contact the Northgate Manager at
724-4815
or by e-mail at:     info@meadvillepa.com

Este informe contiene informacion muy importante sobre su agua potable.  Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.