W e are pleased to present to you this year's Annual Quality Water Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water and services we deliver to you every day .Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water .We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and I am pleased to report that all tests in 1998 show our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements .

 T he treatment facilities located at each well consist of lime or caustic soda addition to raise the pH level above 7.0, addition of corrosion control inhibitor. and addition of chlorine to provide disinfection throughout the system. At the present time two (2) of the newest wells have air stripping to protect against possible volatile organic compounds and Radon contamination in the future. This also has the added benefit of removing carbon dioxide from the ground water prior to treatment and delivery. A third well is scheduled for rehabilitation in the near future and will he equipped with air stripping.

I n the table that follows, you will find many terms land abbreviations, you may not find familiar. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the following definitions.
 

• Non-Detects (ND) laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

• Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minutes in two years or a single penny in $l0.000.

• Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $l0, 000,000

• Picocuries per liter (pCI/I) - Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water

• Action level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a system must follow.

• Maximum Contamination Level - The 'Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels are set as close to the Maximum Contaminant Level's Goal as feasible using the best available treatment technology

• Maximum Contamination Level Goal - The 'Goal"

• (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health Maximum Contaminant Level's Goal allow for a margin of safety

The Township of Winslow routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. Last year we conducted over 1,000 for over 50 drinking water constituents. We only detected nine and they were allowed under the maximum contamination level. The Sate Drinking Water Act regulations allow monitoring waivers to reduce or eliminate the monitoring requirements for asbestos, volatile organic chemicals and synthetic organic chemicals. The table that follows shows the results at our monitoring for the Period of January 1 to December 31, 1998, or most recent results As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All drinking water including bottled drinking water, may be reasonable expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk

 A s you can see by the table, there are no water source violations. Only lead in the customer taps was above
the action level. This lead is only in certain household plumbing and the water delivered to all customers is lead-free A corrosion control program has been ongoing and expanded to counteract the effects of lead-soldered pipes in some households Even in these few locations, detection is only after the water has not been used at all in the house for at least six to twelve hours The standard lead advisory, is as follows:

L ead - 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 will be higher than other homes in the community because 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 tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the safe drinking water hotline (800-426-4791).

View Table

 T o date, the New Jersey Bureau of Safe Drinking Water has not competed its assessment of oursources of drinking water. Source water assessments will he completed for all sources of public drinking water by May, 2003.

W e are assured that your drinking water currently meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. The detected level shown in this report was the highest level detected during the course of the year. The EPA has determined that your water is safe at these 1evels.

  A ll sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man-made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All 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 the 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.

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 from urban stormwater runoff industrial or domestic waste water 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.

Maximum Contaminant Levels are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the Maximum Contaminant Level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

 S ome people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population  Immune-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 water health care providers. Environmental Protection Agency/Center of Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lesson the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline:

800-426-4791.

If you have any questions concerning this report or

your water quality, please contact the Winslow Township Utilities Department Customer Service at 609-567-0700.

The Township Committee conducts regularly scheduled meetings. Please call for dates and times at (609) 567-0700.

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