Is my drinking water safe?

Yes, our water meets all of EPA’s health standards. We have conducted numerous tests for over 80 contaminants that may be in drinking water. As you’ll see in the chart on the back, we only detected 11 of these contaminants. We found most of these contaminants at safe levels.

What is the source of my water?

Your water, which is surface water, comes from the Green River and ground water, which comes from an aquifer. Our goal is to protect our water from contaminants and we are working with the State to determine the vulnerability of our water source to potential contamination. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has prepared a Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Report for the untreated water sources serving this water system. The SWAP Report assesses the susceptibility of untreated water sources to potential contamination. To ensure safe drinking water, all public water systems treat and routinely test their water. Water sources have been rated as reasonably susceptible, moderately susceptible or slightly susceptible based on geologic factors and human activities in the vicinity of the water source. The Waynesboro Water System sources rated as reasonably susceptible to potential contamination.

An explanation of Tennessee’s Source Water Assessment Program, the Source Water Assessment summaries, susceptibility scorings and the overall TDEC report to EPA can be viewed online at www.state.tn.us/environment/dws/dwassess.shtml or you may contact the Water System to obtain copies of specific assessments.

Why are there contaminants in my water?

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 the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Este informe contiene información muy importante. Tradúscalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

For more information about your drinking water, please call Annie Chiodo at 722-5593.

How can I get involved?

Our Water Board meets on the second and fourth Mondays at 7:00 p.m. at the Waynesboro City Hall which is located at the corner of Highway 64 East and Court Square. Please feel free to participate in these meetings.

Is our water system meeting other rules that govern our operations?

The State and EPA require us to test and report on our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety. We have met all of these requirements. Results of unregulated contaminant analysis are available upon request. We want you to know that we pay attention to all the rules.

Other Information

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:

· 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 by-products 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 and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Waynesboro Water System's water treatment processes are designed to reduce any such substances to levels well below any health concern. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Do I Need To Take Special Precautions?

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 under-gone 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 not only their drinking water, but food preparation, personal hygiene, and precautions in handling infants and pets from their health care providers. EPA/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).

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. Waynesboro Water System is esponsible 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

Water System Security

Following the events of September 2001, we realize that our customers are concerned about the security of their drinking water. We urge the public to report any suspicious activities at any utility facilities, including treatment plants, pumping stations, tanks, fire hydrants, etc. to 722-5593

· MCLG - Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or 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.

· MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level, or 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. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, 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.

· MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level or MRDL: The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for the 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.

· AL - Action Level, or the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

· Below Detection Level (BDL) - laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at a level that can be detected.

· Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – explained as a relation to time and money as 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 - explained as a relation to time and money as one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

· Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

· TT - Treatment Technique, or a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Contaminant	Violation Yes/No	Level Detected	Range of Detections	Date of Sample	Unit Measurement	MCLG	MCL	Likely Source of Contamination
Total Coliform Bacteria^{4, 5}	Yes	2		11/08		0	<2 positive samples	Naturally present in the environment
Turbidity¹	No	0.262	0.01-0.262	2008	NTU	n/a	TT	Soil runoff
Copper²	No	0.097	0.0028-0.51	2006	ppm	1.3	AL=1.3	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
Lead²	No	1.2	BDL-6.3	2006	ppb	0	AL=15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits
Nitrate (as Nitrogen)	No	0.7		2008	ppm	10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Gross Alpha	No	3.5		2006	PCi/1	0	15	Erosion of natural deposits
Sodium	No	7.8		2008	ppm	N/A	N/A	Erosion of natural deposits; used in water treatment
TTHM [Total trihalomethanes]	No	45.15 Avg.	20.9-79.3	2008	ppb	n/a	80	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	No	29.4 Avg.	8.08-55.1	2008	ppb	N/A	60	By-product of drinking water disinfection.
Total Organic Carbon³	No		BDL-0.64	2008	ppm	TT	TT	Naturally present in the environment.
Chlorine	No	1.63 Avg.	0.5-4.8	2008	ppm	MRDLG4	MRDL 4	Water additive used to control microbes.

¹ We met the Treatment Technique Requirement for turbidity with 99.9% of our monthly samples below the turbidity limit of .3 NTU. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.

²During the most recent round of Lead and Copper testing, 0 out of 20 households sampled contained concentrations exceeding the action level.

⁴ Important Information About Your Drinking Water

Monitoring requirements not met for

Waynesboro Water Department

We violated a drinking water standard. Even though this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.

We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During November 01, 2008 through November 30, 2008, we did not complete all monitoring requirements for Total Coliform Bacteria or disinfection measurements and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of our drinking water during that time. The Waynesboro Water Department is required to collect 3 repeat samples within 24 hours of learning the results of positive bacteriological samples. A positive sample result was received on November 26, 2008, only two of the required three repeat samples were collected.

There is nothing you need to do at this time. We were supposed to collect 3 repeat samples to test for Total Coliform Bacteria on November 26, 2008, but we only collected 2. Also, we are supposed to measure and report the level of chlorine in the water at the same time we collect bacteriological samples.

Steps We Are Taking

Additional repeat samples were collected on November 27, 2008. We resumed regular sampling in December 2008. The samples show that we are meeting drinking water standards.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Annie Chiodo of the Waynesboro Water Department at 931-722-5593 or PO Box 471 Waynesboro, TN 38485.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

⁵During the month of November 2008, we collected two samples that tested positive for total coliform bacteria. Total Coliform. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems. We have since returned to compliance.