for

Water Testing Performed in Calendar Year 2005

IS MY WATER SAFE?   Water quality is the most important part of our job.   Our employees and water treatment specialists conduct and supervise ninety to a hundred tests on water samples each year.  We are proud to be able to say that last year your tap water met all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state drinking water health standards.   Our groundwater supplies are generally clean, so we don’t have to worry as much as many other communities about how to treat our water supplies.   We are continually observant of past, present and future land uses in and around our area and we implement all reasonable measures to vigilantly safeguard our water supplies.

     This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality.   It includes details about where your water comes from, what it contains and how it compares to the standards set by the regulatory agencies.   We are providing this information because informed customers are our best allies.   Please take a few minutes to look at the information; we think you will find a lot of reasons to feel good about the quality of your water, and about using it with confidence.

WHERE DOES MY WATER COME FROM?   CHCID has two wells, well #5 is located on Power Road South of Riggs Rd. and well #6 is located on Riggs Rd. east of Valencia .   The wells are drilled in excess of 1000 feet.   The water table runs from 260 to 300 feet below the surface and we are currently pumping from 560-600 feet.

     The system consists of two source wells, a 350,000 and 100,000 gallon water storage tanks, a hydro-pneumatic pressure tank, booster pump station, distribution system and a chlorination system.   Chlorination is accomplished by using a 2-4% liquid solution and maintaining the level of chlorine at 0.5-1.0 ppm.   The pressure in the system is maintained at a constant 60 psi.   The distribution system is a series of looped lines providing water.   A looped system insures that the maximum volume of water is available in case of fire or emergency.  

IMPROVEMENTS DURING 2005 - OUR CONTINUING COMMITMENT:  We developed valve identification, tagging and mapping program of our system to improve the ability to isolate and work on small pieces of the system.  This minimizes the numbers of customers without water should a line break occur.   To maintain the efficient, productive system, we continue to update lines and install fire hydrants. Installation of these fire hydrants can cut the cost of your homeowners insurance.   Both storage tanks were sandblasted and their interiors re-coated.    A third pump was added to the booster station and a new tablet feed chlorination system installed.   The chlorine solution fed from this system is more evenly distributed, dissipates slower and provides a longer lasting well balanced residual.  

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 a person with cancer under going chemotherapy or undergone organ transplants, HIV/AIDS and other immune system disorders, some elderly and infants may be particularly at risk from infections.   These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.   The U.S. EPA and CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial containments are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

 Substances that might be in Drinking 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 storm water 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 agricultural, urban storm water 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 storm water runoff, and septic systems.
• Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the results of oil and gas production and mining activities.

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protection Agency prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.   The United States Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled 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 in tap water and potential health effects can be obtained by called the EPA’s safe drinking water hotline 800-426-4719.   Information on bottled water can be obtained from the United States Food and Drug Administration.  

New Arsenic Regulation:

    In January 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lowered the Maximum Contaminant (MCL) Level from 50 to 10 parts per billion (ppb) in response to new and compelling research linking high arsenic levels in drinking water to certain forms of cancer.   All water utilities are required to implement this new MCL starting in 2006.

    Removing arsenic from drinking water is a costly procedure, but well worth the expenditure considering the health benefits.   For a complete discussion visit the U.S. EPA’s arsenic web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html

    The source wells CHCID are using are below the new 10 ppb MCL.   While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic.  

Results of Radon Monitoring:

    Radon is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, taste, or smell.   It is found throughout the U.S. in the earth’s crust, in rocks and soil.   Radon can move up through the ground and into a home through cracks and holes in the foundation.   Radon can build up to high levels in all types of homes.   Radon can also get into indoor air when released from tap water during routine household activities such as showering or washing dishes.

    Compared to Radon entering the home through the soil, Radon entering a home through tap water will, in most cases, be a small source of Radon in indoor air.

    Radon is a known human carcinogen.   Breathing air containing Radon can lead to lung cancer.   Drinking water containing Radon may also cause increased risk of stomach cancer.

    If you are concerned about Radon in your home, test the air quality.   Testing is inexpensive and easy.   If the level of Radon in your air is 4 Pico curies per liter of air (pCi/L) or higher, you should take steps to lower the Radon.   There are simple ways to do this that are not too costly.   For additional information, call your state Radon program or call EPA’s Radon Hotline 800-SOS-RADON.

Nitrates:

    Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age.   High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome.   Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity.   If you are caring for an infant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.   Both CHCID wells are under 10 ppm.

    Every year, the U.S. EPA requires that water providers notify customers about the quality of the water we provide to our customers.   We look forward to this opportunity to notify you of our progress in improving the water we supply to you and how our water exceeds health and safety standards.   The table in this report lists only the controlled contaminants detected.

OTHER INFORMATION:

      CHCIDworks to ensure water quality by performing numerous tests throughout the year.  The major tests fall under the following categories:

• Total Coliform Tests :   Sampling provides test levels of bacteria in the water to make sure it is not contaminated.   These tests are performed at specific places throughout the system each month.  
• Chlorination:   Chlorine is added to our water supply as a disinfectant.   We test to make sure that there is both safe amount of chlorine for customers and an adequate amount to remove bacteria that may enter the system.
• Lead and Copper:   Samples at specific households are tested to insure the amounts of these metals in your water are not too high.   These metals can come from the ground water itself or, more likely, can be the result of corrosion of metal pipes.   If levels of these metals are too high, there are several ways to address the problem.   All results were below the EPA standards.
• Inorganic Chemicals:   Inorganic by definition means “not living” or “not containing the element of carbon.”   For water sampling, however, it has become sort of a miscellaneous category.   Included in it are elements, such as Arsenic and Mercury; chemical compounds, such as Nitrate and Nitrite; and various other measurements used to determine drinking water quality, such as Total Dissolved Solids and Hardness.

Most of these constituents are measured in parts per million or parts per billion; an indication of how exact we have to be when talking about water quality.   If you would like more information about CHCID’s water quality, or operations in general, please call us at 480-988-2731.

Water Quality Data Table

The table below lists all the controlled drinking water contaminants that were detected during the calendar year of this report.   The presence of contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk and unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from the testing done in the calendar year of the report.

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.

ppm: Parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l)

ppb: Parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l)

1 mg/l: Parts per million

VIOLATIONS:   None

                P.O. Box 9038

                   Chandler Heights , AZ   85227

              Office 480-988-2731

              Fax 480-988-4015

                  Jerry Beeler Operator

                    Nancy Lopez Office Manager

                             www.chcid.org