City of Warsaw
P.O. Box 785
Warsaw, KY 41095

Report 2008
PWSID# KY - 0390444

Last year, we conducted more than 500 tests, for over 100 drinking contaminants. We only detected 7 contaminants. This report 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. 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 water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water remains at the highest level and the price at the lowest level as we meet the needs of our community. For more information about your water, call 859-567-5900 and ask for Eric Moore.

Where does my water come from?
Your ground water source of drinking water is wells that draw from an aquifer, the Ohio River Alluvium in Gallatin County, beneath the city. These wells are from a field of 2 wells located south of the Ohio River in Warsaw. An analysis of the overall susceptibility to contamination of the Warsaw Water Works’ water supply indicated that this susceptibility is moderate. There are a total of 35 potential sources of contamination within the wellhead protection area with the following susceptibility rankings: 7 high, 28 medium, and 0 low. Sources of high potential impact include: above ground storage tanks, underground storage tanks, agricultural land use, and highway 42 and 35. Sources of moderate potential impact include above ground storage tanks, underground storage tanks, wastewater treatment plant, cemeteries, and agricultural land uses. This is a summary of the susceptibility analysis. The complete Susceptibility Analysis Report is available at the Area Development District and at the Division of Water.

The final source water assessment for our system has been completed and is contained in the Gallatin County Water Supply Plan. Copies of the plan are available from our office, the County Judge’s office, the Gallatin County Public Library, and the Gallatin County Water District. The plan indicates that the source water is susceptible to some contaminants caused by agricultural activities in the area.

Drinking water, including bottled 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 Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

The 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 substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

* microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife;
* inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals, that 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 agriculture, 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 may 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 that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. U.S. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that shall provide the same protection for public health.

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 are available from the 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. Warsaw Water Works 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.

Water Quality Violations and Health Effects
We constantly monitor for the various contaminants in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements. Our water system violated two drinking water standards over the past year. Even though this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation. We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During January 1-December 2008, our lab did not submit our sample for Nitrate and Corrosivity to the DOW. We have since contacted the lab who sampled and have forwarded the information. In the meantime we are more closely watching to make sure all samples etc. are sent to the proper offices. Please be assured that the quality of your water was never an issue.

Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen). Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk to infants of less than 6 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 agriculture activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by
posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

You are invited to attend the regular city council meetings held the second Monday of each month at 7:30pm in the City Building at 303 East Main Street.

Some of these terms & abbreviations are used in the table on the next page.

• Action Level (AL)-the concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment of other requirements, which a water system must follow

• Below Detection Levels (BDL) – laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.

• 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.

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

• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

• Parts per million (ppm) one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000
• Part per billion (ppb) one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2008 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, 2008. The state allows 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.

The data presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with administrative regulations in 401 KAR Chapter 8. As authorized and approved by EPA, the State has reduced monitoring requirements for certain contaminants to less often than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data in this table, though representative, may be more than one year old.

			

   REGULATED CONTAMINANT TEST RESULTS									

				  Max.							

Contaminant 				Level			Date of	Violation		Likely Source of 	

[code] (units)		MCL	MCLG	Found	Range		Sample	Yes/No		Contamination	

Radioactive Contaminants									

											

1.  Beta/photon emitters              (mrem/yr)		(4mrem/yr)	0	2.25		0.0-2.25	3/24/2008	No	Decay of natural and man-made deposits		

 measured as pCi/1		50 pCi/1		pCi/1							

						0.0-2.14				

 2. Alpha emitters 		15	0	2.14 pci/1			3/24/2008	No	Erosion of natural deposits		

     [4000] (pCi/1)											

											

Inorganic Contaminants											

											

3. Copper [1022] (ppm) 		AL=	1.3	0.227		0-0-.227	10/3/2007	No	Corrosion of household plumbing systems		

(0 sites exceeded the AL)		1.3		(90th percentile)							

											

4. Fluoride [1025] (ppm)		2	2	1.3		0.0-1.3	Daily 	No	Water additive which promotes strong teeth		

											

5. Lead [1030] (ppb)		AL=	0	7		0.0-7.0	10/3/2007	No	Corrosion of household plumbing systems		

(0 sites exceeded the AL)		15		(90th percentile)							

									Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of  natural deposits. 		

6. Nitrate (as Nitrogen)		10	10	6.7		0.0-6.7	6/25/2008	No			

      [1040] (ppm)											

											

Volatile Organic Contaminants											

											

7.  Chlorine (ppm)		MRDL	MRDLG	0.7	0.2-1.5		Daily	No	Water additive used to control microbes.		

       		4	4	(annual average)