Fort Walton Beach — 2014 Consumer Water Quality Report

Important Health Information Community Participation We are proud to report that the water provided Some people may be more vulnerable to You are welcome to attend Fort Walton Beach regularly to the City of Fort Walton Beach Water System contaminants in drinking water than the general scheduled Council meetings held on the second and meets or exceeds all Federal and State Water- population. Immuno-compromised persons such as fourth Tuesday of every month. Contact the City Clerk at FORT WALTON BEACH persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, 833-9511 to confirm day, time and location of meeting. Quality Standards. persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system Substances that might be in drinking water: The purpose of this report disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled 2015 Annual is to provide you with information about the quality of water and services we deliver to you every day. We water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, should seek advice about drinking water from their springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of ask that all our customers help us protect our water health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally sources, which are the heart of our community, our appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive way of life and our children’s future. The Water Cryptosporidium and other microbiological material, and can pick up substances resulting from the Treatment staff works around the clock to meet our contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking presence of animals or from human activity. goal to provide you with a high quality safe and Water Hotline (800-426-4791). dependable supply of drinking water. Contaminants That May Be Present In Source Water Include: During the past year we have taken thousands of (A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and water samples in order to ensure the quality of your A Special Note About Lead In Drinking bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, drinking water. The table attached shows only those Water septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and contaminants that were detected in the water. The If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious wildlife. WATER TESTING PERFORMED IN 2014 State has reduced monitoring requirements for certain health problems, especially for pregnant women and PWS ID# 1460144 contaminants to less often than once per year (B) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban because the concentration of these contaminants is materials and components associated with service lines stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater not expected to vary significantly from year to year. In and home plumbing. The City of Fort Walton Beach is discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming. those cases, the most recent sample data are responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but included along with the year in which the sample was cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing (C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a taken. components. When your water has been sitting for variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead runoff, and residential uses. The City of Fort Walton Beach monitors for exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 (D) Organic chemical contaminants, including contaminants in your drinking water according to minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by- Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations. you are concerned about lead in your water, you may products of industrial processes and petroleum Except where indicated otherwise, this report is based wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in production, and can also come from gas stations, urban on the results of our monitoring for the period of drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take stormwater runoff, and septic systems. January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Data to minimize exposure is available from the Safe obtained before January 1, 2014, and presented in (E) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally Drinking Water Hotline or at this report are from the most recent testing done in occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations. mining activities. Source Water Assessment In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA If you have any questions about this report or water In 2014 the Florida Department of Environmental prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain quality in the City of Fort Walton Beach, please contaminants in water provided by public water systems. contact Tim Bolduc, Engineering & Utility Services Protection performed a Source Water Assessment on Director at 833-9607 our system. The assessment was conducted to provide The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations information about any potential sources of establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which contamination in the vicinity of our wells. There are must provide the same protection for public health. Where Does Our Drinking Water Come seven potential sources of contamination identified for Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably From And How Is It Purified? this system with low to moderate susceptibility levels. be expected to contain at least small amounts of some The City of Fort Walton Beach’s water system The assessment results are available on the FDEP contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not processed approximately 875 million gallons of water Source Water Assessment and Protection Program necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. in 2014. Our water comes from nine deep wells website at www.dep.state.fl.us/swapp. More information about contaminants and potential health drawing ground water from the Floridan Aquifer, effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental which provides a very high quality water source. Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800- With the excellent water quality of the Floridan 426-4791). Aquifer, the only treatments required to meet Federal and State standards are aeration and chlorination.  2014 WATER TESTING RESULTS INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS In the table you will find many terms Dates of MCL and abbreviations you might not be Contaminant and Unit of Range of Measurement sampling Violation Level Detected Results MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination familiar with. To help you better (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. understand these terms, we’ve provided Fluoride (ppm) Jan 2014 No 1.3 0.5-1.3 4 4.0 Water additive which promotes strong teeth when at the optimum level of 0.7 the following definitions: ppm n/a: not applicable Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of Barium (ppm) Jan 2014 No 0.36 0.005-0.36 2 2 natural deposits ND: means not detected and indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis. Sodium (ppm) Jan 2014 No 120 38-120 n/a 160 Salt water intrusion, leaching from soil Parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS (mg/l): one part by weight of analyte to one million Contaminant and Unit of Dates of MCL Range of parts by weight of the water sample. sampling Violation Level Detected MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination Parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter Measurement Results (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) (µg/l): one part by weight of analyte to one billion Radium 226 +228 or Jan 2014 No 1.1 0.3-1.1 0 5 Erosion of natural deposits parts by weight of the water sample. combined radium (pCi/L) STAGE 2 DISINFECTANTS AND DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS . Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): measure of the MCL or radioactivity in water. Disinfectant or Dates of MRDL Range of MCLG or MCL or Action Level (AL): the concentration of a Contaminant and Unit of sampling Level Detected Likely Source of Contamination Measurement (mo./yr.) Violation Results MRDLG MRDL contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment (Yes/No) or other requirements which a water system must MRDLG MRDL follow. Chlorine (ppm) – Stage 1 Jan-Dec 2014 No 0.69 0.56-0.85 Water additive used to control microbes Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: the =4 = 4.0 highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in Haloacetic Acids (five) Nov 2013 – July drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the No 4.6 ND-6.1 n/a MCL = 60 By-product of drinking water disinfection (HAA5) (ppb) 2014 MCLGs as feasible using the best available TTHM (Total Nov 2013 – July treatment technology. No 21.2 ND -36.2 n/a MCL = 80 By-product of drinking water disinfection trihalomethanes) (ppb) 2014 Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: LEAD AND COPPER (TAP WATER) the level of a contaminant in drinking water below No. which there is no known or expected risk to health. Contaminant and Unit of Dates of Sampling AL Exceeded 90th Percentile AL (Action Exceeding MCLG Likely Source of Contamination Measurement (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) Result Level) MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. the AL Maximum residual disinfectant level or MRDL: Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; Copper (tap water) (ppm) Jun-Sept 2014 No 0.17 0 of 30 1.3 1.3 the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in leaching from wood preservatives drinking water. There is convincing evidence that Lead (tap water) (ppb) Jun-Sept 2014 No 3.3 0 of 30 0 15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS microbial contaminants. Dates of MCL Highest Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or Contaminant and Unit of sampling Violation Monthly MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination MRDLG: the level of a drinking water disinfectant Measurement (mo./yr.) (Yes/No) Number below which there is no known or expected risk to For systems collecting fewer than 40 samples per month: Jan-Dec health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the Total Coliform Bacteria No 1 0 presence of coliform bacteria in 1 sample collected during Naturally present in the environment 2014 use of disinfectants to control microbial a month. UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS contaminants. We monitored for Unregulated Contaminants (UCs) in 2014 as part of a Contaminant and Unit of Dates of sampling Level Range of Likely Source of Contamination study to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determine the Measurement (mo./yr.) Detected Results occurrence in drinking water of UCs and whether or not these contaminant levels need to be regulated. At present, no health standards (for Molybdenum (ppb) Jan & July 2014 1.05 0.63 – 1.4 Unavailable example, maximum contaminant levels) or likely sources have been established for UCs. However, we are required to publish the analytical Strontium (ppb) Jan & July 2014 915 643 - 1340 Unavailable results of our UC monitoring in our annual water quality report. If you would like more information on the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminants Chromium, Total (ppb) Jan & July 2014 0.14 0.067 – 0.25 Unavailable Monitoring Rule, please call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at Chromium -6 (ppb) Jan & July 2014 0.009 ND – 0.037 Unavailable (800) 426-4791. Chlorate (ppb) Jan & July 2014 2.80 ND – 21.1 Unavailable