Fort Walton Beach — 2023 Consumer Water Quality Report — reading text

Important Health Information Contaminants That May Be Present In Source Water FORT WALTON BEACH WE ARE PLEASED TO REPORT THAT OUR Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in Include: drinking water than the general population. Immuno- DRINKING WATER MEETS ALL FEDERAL AND compromised persons such as persons with cancer (A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, STATE REQUIREMENTS undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. 2023 Annual Purpose of report The purpose of this report is to provide you with system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should (B) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which information about the quality of water and services we seek advice about drinking water from their health care can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, deliver to you every day. We ask that all our customers providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other production, mining, or farming. our community, our way of life and our children’s future. microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe (C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety The Water Treatment staff works around the clock to meet Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and our goal to provide you with a high quality safe and residential uses. dependable supply of drinking water. A Special Note About Lead in Drinking Water (D) Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial During the past year we have taken thousands of water problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas samples to ensure the quality of your drinking water. The Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. table attached shows only those contaminants that were components associated with service lines and home plumbing. (E) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally detected in the water. The State has reduced monitoring The City of Fort Walton Beach is responsible for providing high occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining requirements for certain contaminants to less often than quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials activities. once per year because the concentration of these used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA PWS ID# 1460144 contaminants is not expected to vary significantly from exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain year to year. In those cases, the most recent sample data before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The are included along with the year in which the sample was about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits Recipient taken. tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from protection for public health. FDEP 2020 Plant Operation Excellence Award The City of Fort Walton Beach monitors for contaminants the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead in your drinking water according to Federal and State expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. laws, rules, and regulations. Except where indicated The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that Source Water Assessment otherwise, this report is based on the results of our the water poses a health risk. More information about In 2023 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by monitoring for the period of January 1, 2023 to December performed a Source Water Assessment on our system. The calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking 31, 2023. Data obtained before January 1, 2023, and assessment was conducted to provide information about any Water Hotline at (800-426-4791). presented in this report are from the most recent testing potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of our wells. done in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations. There are 17 potential sources of contamination identified for this system with low to moderate susceptibility levels. The If you have any questions about this report or water quality assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water Assessment and Protection Program website at SWAPP in the City of Fort Walton Beach, please contact the Water (state.fl.us). Operations Supervisor at 850-833-9613. Where Does Our Drinking Water Come Community Participation From And How Is It Purified? You are welcome to attended Fort Walton Beach regularly The City of Fort Walton Beach’s water system processed scheduled Council meetings held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Contact the City Clerk at 850-833-9511 approximately 959 million gallons of water in 2023. Our to confirm day, time and location of meeting. water comes from eight deep wells drawing ground water from the Floridan Aquifer, which provides a very high Substances that might be in drinking water quality water source. With the excellent water quality of The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) the Floridan Aquifer, the only treatments required to meet include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and Federal and State standards are aeration and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the