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2007 Drinking Water Report
Last year, the City of Groton monitored your drinking water for more than 80
possible contaminants. This brochure is a snapshot of the quality of the water
that we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes
from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and state standards. We are committed to providing you with information
because informed customers are our best allies.
Water Source: We serve more than 1,356 customers an average of 128,200 gallons
of water per day. Our water is surface water that we purchase from another water
system. The state has performed an assessment of our source water and they have
determined that the relative susceptibility rating for the Groton public water
supply system is medium. For more information about your water and information
on opportunities to participate in public meetings, call (605)397-8422 and ask
for Anita Lowary.
Additional Information: 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 can pick up substances resulting
from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include: 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 stormwater 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
agriculture, urban stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and septic systems. Radioactive
contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas
production and mining activities.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations
which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water
systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water
which must provide the same protection for public health.
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 (800-426-4791).
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 health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on
appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other
microbial contaminants can be obtained by calling the Environment Protection
Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems,
especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is
primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home
plumbing. The City of Groton public water supply system is responsible for
providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of
materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for
several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your
tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If
you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water
tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you
can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline
or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Detected Contaminants: The attached table lists all the drinking water
contaminants that we detected during the 2007 calendar year. The presence of
these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water
poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is
from testing done January 1 – December 31, 2007. The state requires us to
monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the
concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from
year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is
more than one year old. The City of Groton public water system purchases water
from WEB Water Development Association. Information on detected contaminants
must be included in this table. The WEB Water Development Association is
required to send this information to your system by April 1st.
2007 Table of Detected Contaminants For Groton (EPA ID 0147)
Terms and abbreviations used in this table: 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. 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 using the best available
treatment technology. Action Level(AL): the concentration of a contaminant
which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water
system must follow. Treatment Technique(TT): A required process intended to
reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. For turbidity, 95% of
samples must be less than 0.3 NTU
Units: MFL: million fibers per liter, pCi/l: picocuries per liter(a measure of
radioactivity), ppt: parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter, mrem/year:
millirems per year(a measure of radiation absorbed by the body), ppm: parts per
million, or milligrams per liter(mg/l), ppq: parts per quadrillion, or picograms
per liter, NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units, ppb: parts per billion, or
micrograms per liter(ug/l), pspm: positive samples per month
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