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Consumer Confidence Report - CCR
January 2001 to December 2001
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
requires all drinking water suppliers in the country to provide a water
quality report to their customers. This annual report concerns the quality
of water provided by Memorial Villages Water Authority to the residents
of Hedwig , Hunters Creek and Piney Point Villages. Questions concerning
this report should be directed to our General Manager, Mr. Michael Montgomery,
by calling 713-465-8318.
Our drinking water meets or exceeds all federal (EPA)
drinking water requirements
This report is a summary of the quality of the water we provide our customers.
The analysis was made by using the data from the most recent U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) required tests and is presented in this publication.
We hope this information helps you become more knowledgeable about what's
in your drinking water. When drinking water meets federal standards there
may not be any health-based benefits to purchasing bottled water or point
of use devices. All drinking water may contain contaminants. 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 at 1-800-426-4791. The following
pages list all of the federally regulated or monitored constituents, which
have been found in your drinking water. The U.S. E.P.A. requires water systems
to test up to 97 constituents.
Secondary Constituents: Many constituents (such
as calcium, sodium or iron) which are often found in drinking water,
can cause taste, color, and odor problems. The taste and odor constituents
are called secondary constituents and are regulated by the State of Texas,
not EPA. These constituents are not causes for health concerns. Therefore,
secondary constituents are not required to be reported in this document
but they may greatly affect the appearance and taste of your water. For
information on these constituents, call the Water Authority at 713-465-8318.
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Where does your drinking water come
from?
The source of your tap water comes from more than just one location. In 2001,
the Water Authority provided over 82% of its treated drinking water from
its five (5) water wells. These wells are all located within the Villages
and produce water from the Evangeline Aquifer. This type of water source
is commonly referred to as groundwater. The other source of our drinking
water comes from the City of Houston. In August of 1998, the Water Authority
began purchasing blended water, a combination of surface water and groundwater,
from the City. Surface water comes from rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs,
and springs. The TNRCC will be reviewing all Texas' drinking water sources.
The source water assessment process will be completed within 3 years. It
is important to protect your drinking water by protecting your water source.
Although the water purchased from the City represented less than 17.5% of
the total water delivered by the Water Authority in 2001, this amount will
increase every year. The Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District requires
the Water Authority to convert to surface water.
Sources Of Drinking Water
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 contaminants resulting
from the presence of animal or 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 storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater
discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
- Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from agriculture, urban
storm water runoff, and residential uses.
- Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be
the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
- Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic
chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum
production, and can, also come from gas stations, urban storm water
runoff, and septic systems.
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Special Notice for the ELDERLY,
INFANTS, CANCER PATIENTS, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune problems: 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 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 about drinking water from their healthcare
providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines
on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium
and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking
Water Hotline by calling 1-800-426-4791.
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What you need to know to better
understand what is in your water:
Terminology:
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest permissible level
of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL's are set
as close to the MCLG's as feasible using the best available technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level
of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or
expected risk to health. MCLG's allow for a margin of safety.
Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended
to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant,
which if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a
water system must follow.
pCi/l = Pico curies per liter (a measure of radioactivity);
NTU = Nephelometric turbidity units;
ppm = parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/l);
ppb = parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l):
ppt = parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter;
ppq = parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter;
MFL = million fibers per liter (a measure of asbestos);
ND = Not Detected
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TABLE I - Memorial Villages Water Authority's
Groundwater-System I.D. No. 1010146
Download full
document and see page 2 to view this table.
TABLE II - City of Houston blended water
supplied to the Water Authority - Houston's entry point 004, Afton
Village
Download full
document and see page 3 to view this table
Coliform Bacteria-What are they?
Total coliform bacteria are used as indicators of microbial contamination
of drinking water because testing for them is easy. While not disease-causing
organisms themselves, thay are often found in association with other
microbes that are capable of causing disease. Coliform bacteria are more
hardy than many disease-causing organisms; therefore, their absence from
water is a good indication that the water is microbiologically safe for
human consumption. Fecal coliform bacteria and, in particular, E-coli,
are members of the coliform bacteria group originating in the intestinal
tract of warm-blooded animals and are passes into the environment through
feces. The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in drinking water may
indicate recent contamination of the drinking water with fecal material.
Nitrate: Nitrate
in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants
of less than 6 months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water
can cause blue baby syndrome. If you are caring for an infant, ask
for advice from your health care provider.
Arsenic: EPA is reviewing
the drinking water standard for arsenic because of special concerns that
it may not be stringent enough. Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral
known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations.
LEAD in drinking water: Infants
and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking
water than the general population. It is possible that the lead levels
at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a
result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned
about elevated lead levels in your home's water, you may wish to have
your water tested and flush your kitchen tap for 30 seconds before using
the tap water.
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For more information, log on to EPA's web site on drinking
water at www.epa.gov/safewater/
The Water Authority conducts more tests on its drinking
water than is required by either the TNRCC or the EPA and obtains regular
water quality reports from the City on the water they provide to us.
In 2001, the City of Houston's drinking water met or exceeded all State
and Federal requirements. Over the past 3 years, we have spent more than
3.5 million dollars on our water supply system. These expenditures have
included the installation of surface water transmission lines, replacement
and upgrading of old water lines, the addition of new fire hydrants and,
upgrading components for improved reliability. The Board and employees
of the Water Authority take very seriously the trust you have placed
in us to insure that your water is safe.
The Water Authority is committed
to protecting your drinking water.
Public participation opportunities for
Memorial Villages Water Authority
BOARD MEETINGS: 1ST Tuesday of the month
LOCATION: 8955 Gaylord Drive, Houston, 77024
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
FOR INFORMATION CALL: 713-465-8318
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2002 © Copyright
Memorial Villages Water Authority.
All rights reserved. Phone: 713-465-8318 E-mail: info@mvwa.org
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