Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2022
Village of Cherry Valley
2 Genesee Street, Cherry Valley, NY
Public Water Supply ID# NY3800144
INTRODUCTION
To comply with State regulations, the Village of
Cherry Valley, annually issues a report describing the quality of your drinking
water. The purpose of this report is to
raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect
our drinking water sources. Last year,
your tap water met all State drinking water health standards. We are proud to report that our system did
not violate a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality
standard. This report provides an
overview of last year’s water quality.
Included are details about where your water comes from, what it
contains, and how it compares to State standards.
If you have any questions about this report or
concerning your drinking water, please contact Taylor Miles, DPW
Superintendent, 607-264-3791. We want you to be informed about your drinking
water. If you want to learn more, please
attend any of our regularly scheduled village board meetings on the 3rd
Monday of the month. The meetings are held at the Village Office, 2 Genesee
Street, Cherry Valley, NY at 6:30 PM.
WHERE DOES OUR
WATER COME FROM?
In general, 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
activities. Contaminants that may be
present in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants;
pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants; and radioactive
contaminants. In order to ensure that
tap water is safe to drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations which
limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water
systems. The State Health Department’s
and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water
which must provide the same protection for public health.
Our water system serves approximately 600 people and
251 service connections. Our water
source is two drilled wells which are located behind the “well house” on Alden
Street and Alden Park. The water is chlorinated prior to distribution.
ARE THERE
CONTAMINANTS IN OUR DRINKING WATER?
As the State regulations require, we routinely test
your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include:
total coliform, inorganic compounds, nitrate, lead and
copper, principal organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, PFOA’s,
radiological and synthetic organic compounds. The
table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking
water. The State allows us to test for
some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these
contaminants do not change frequently.
Some of our data, though representative, are more than one year old.
It should be noted that all drinking water,
including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably 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
EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or the New York State Health
Department, Oneonta District Office at 607-432-3911.
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Table of
Detected Contaminants
|
|
Contaminant
|
Violation
|
Date of Sample
|
Level Detected
|
Unit
|
Regulatory
Limit (MCL, TT or AL)
|
MCLG
|
Likely Source
of Contamination
|
|
Yes/No
|
(Avg/Max)
|
Measure-ment
|
|
|
(Range)
|
|
|
Nitrate
|
NO
|
6/16/22
|
0.816
|
mg/L
|
10
|
10
|
runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion
of natural deposits.
|
|
Barium
|
NO
|
6/16/22
|
0.26
|
mg/L
|
2
|
2
|
discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from
metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits.
|
|
Lead
|
NO
|
8/31/22-9/1/22
|
0.0037
|
ug/L
|
AL = 15
|
0
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion
of natural deposits
|
|
Copper
|
NO
|
8/31/22-9/1/22
|
0.22
|
mg/L
|
AL = 1.3
|
1.3
|
Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion
of natural deposits; leaching from
wood preservatives.
|
|
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs – chloroform,
bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform)
|
NO
|
8/22/22
|
19
|
ug/L
|
80
|
n/a
|
By-product of drinking water chlorination needed
to kill harmful organisms. TTHMs are formed when source water contains
organic matter.
|
|
Haloacetic Acids (mono- di- and tri-chloroacetic
acid, and mono- and dibromoacetic acid)
|
NO
|
8/22/22
|
8.2
|
Ug/L
|
60
|
n/a
|
By product of drinking water chlorination needed
to kill harmful organisms
|
|
Chromium
|
NO
|
8/5/19
|
11.3
|
Ug/L
|
100
|
100
|
Discharge from steel and pulp mills; Erosion of
natural deposits.
|
|
Nickel
|
NO
|
8/22/22
|
0.0067
|
Ug/L
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Erosion of natural deposits
|
|
Flouride
|
NO
|
8/5/19
|
0.0401
|
Mg/L
|
202
|
n/a
|
Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from
fertilizer and aluminum factories.
|
|
1,4-Dichlorobenzene
|
NO
|
8/5/19
|
1.89
|
Ug/L
|
5
|
n/a
|
Discharge from industrial chemical factories.
|
|
4-Bromofluorobenzene
|
NO
|
8/5/19
|
2.1
|
Ug/L
|
5
|
n/a
|
Discharge from industrial chemical factories.
|
|
*During 2022 we collected and analyzed 10 samples
for lead and copper. The level
included in the table represents the 90th percentile of the 10
samples collected. A percentile is a
value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is
equal to or below it. The 90th
percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the values detected at our
water system. The action levels for
lead and copper were not exceeded at any of the 10 sites tested.
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Definitions:
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a
contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.
MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal
(MCLG): 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.
Action Level (AL): The concentration of a
contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which
a water system must follow.
Milligrams per liter (mg/l):
Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid (parts per
million - ppm).
Micrograms per liter (ug/l):
Corresponds to one part of liquid in one billion parts of liquid (parts per
billion - ppb).
WHAT DOES THIS
INFORMATION MEAN?
As you can see by the table, our system had no
violations. We have learned through our
testing that some contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants
were detected below the level allowed by the State.
IS OUR WATER
SYSTEM MEETING OTHER RULES THAT GOVERN OPERATIONS?
During 2022, our system was in compliance with
applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.
DO I NEED TO
TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS?
Although our drinking water met or exceeded state
and federal regulations, some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing
microorganisms or pathogens in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons
with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone 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 from their
health care provider about their drinking water. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to
lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other microbial
pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
WHY SAVE WATER
AND HOW TO AVOID WASTING IT?
Although our system has an adequate amount of water
to meet present and future demands, there are a number of reasons why it is
important to conserve water:
¨
Saving water saves energy and some of the costs associated with both of
these necessities of life;
¨
Saving water reduces the cost of energy required to pump water and the
need to construct costly new wells, pumping systems and water towers; and
¨
Saving water lessens the strain on the water system during a dry spell
or drought, helping to avoid severe water use restrictions so that essential
firefighting needs are met.
You can play a role in conserving water by becoming
conscious of the amount of water your household is using, and by looking for
ways to use less whenever you can. It is
not hard to conserve water. Conservation
tips include:
¨
Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how
many dishes are loaded. So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.
¨
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
¨
Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a
day. Fix it and you can save almost
6,000 gallons per year.
¨
Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in
the tank, watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the
bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to
100 gallons a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons
a year.
CLOSING
Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide
your family with quality drinking water this year. In order to maintain a safe
and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will
benefit all of our customers. The costs of these improvements may be reflected
in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address
these improvements. At this time, we are
beginning to replace some of the water meters in the Village. At the end of 2021, about 72 meters were replaced
to allow for more accurate monitoring of water usage and to potentially alert
of leaks in the system earlier. There are
plans to install 104 more meters in 2023.
We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which
are the heart of our community. Please
call our office if you have questions.
