2008

Water Quality Report

for

Indian Valley CSD

Crescent Mills

Some of the best water in the country is enjoyed right here in Northern California! With this in mind, we strive to provide you with a safe and dependable drinking water supply. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and to protect our water resources.

We test our drinking water quality for many constituents as required by State and Federal Regulations.  This “Consumer Confidence Report” fulfills the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. As always, we are happy to be able to provide your family with clean, fresh water again this year.

Our drinking water is supplied by one groundwater well (Well 01 - inactive) and one spring (Spring 01) which serve approximately 80 connections in the community.

 The Spring was evaluated by the state in July 2002, to determine if there were possible contaminating activities that might compromise the quality of the water. Due to the previous detection of some toxic metals, the source was considered vulnerable to historic mining operations in the area. The source could also be vulnerable to nearby managed forests. A copy of the complete report is available from our office, or the report summary may be viewed online:  

http://swap.ice.ucdavis.edu/TSinfo/TSintro.asp.

  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 that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

TERMS USED IN THIS REPORT

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs (or MCLGs) as is economically and technologically feasible.  Secondary MCLs are set to protect the odor, taste, and appearance of drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) or Public Health Goal (PHG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs are set by the USEPA. PHGs are set by the California EPA.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL):  The level of a disinfectant added for water treatment that may not be exceeded at the consumer’s tap.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a disinfectant added for water treatment below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MRDLGs are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Primary Drinking Water Standards (PDWS): MCLs and MRDLs for contaminants that affect health along with their monitoring, reporting and water treatment requirements.

Secondary Drinking Water Standards (SDWS):  MCLs for contaminants that affect taste, odor or appearance of the drinking water.  Contaminants with SDWSs do not affect the health at the MCL.

Treatment Technique (TT):  A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

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

Variances and Exemptions:  Department permission to exceed an MCL or not comply with a treatment technique under certain conditions.

ND: not detectable at testing limit 

ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L)

ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter (ug/L)

ppt: parts per trillion or nanograms per liter (ng/L)

pCi/L: picocuries per liter (a measure of radiation)

Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua potable.  Tradúzcalo ó hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

If you have questions or concerns about your drinking water you may attend our next public meeting: 2^nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Civic Center Conference Room. Or please contact: Jesse Lawson, Chief Water Operator, (phone: 530-394-8412). Thank you!

These tables show all of the drinking water contaminants that were detected during the most recent sampling for the constituent. The Department of Health Services allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, are more than one year old. Any violation of an MCL, MRDL, or TT is asterisked and explained below.

* Results reflect samples from September – December 2008 only. Not all results are available due to a change in the contracted sampler/laboratory in September.

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. Indian Valley CSD 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.

* Manganese was detected at levels that exceed the MCLs. These “Secondary” MCLs are set to alert you to possible aesthetic effects such as color (note high color level), taste and odor and the staining of plumbing fixtures and clothing while washing. Levels above this limit do not necessarily pose a health threat. Turbidity itself has no negative health effects either. However, high levels of turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and associated headaches.