Water Quality

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR DRINKING WATER

May, 2009

As required by State and Federal Regulations, the Newport Water Division will be mailing a notice to all customers of the Newport Water System that a drinking water standard was recently violated.

The Newport Water Division is a Public Water System and routinely tests at various sites within the distribution system for Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs). EPA sets standards for controlling the levels of disinfectants and DBPs in drinking water, including total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for TTHMs is 80 parts per billion (ppb) for an annual running average.

Compliance for TTHM is based on a running arithmetic average, computed quarterly, of quarterly averages of the eight samples that Newport Water analyzes. The average results of tests taken during the last four quarters show that our system exceeded the standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for TTHMs. Newport Water Division's annual running average level of TTHMs for the second quarter of 2009 (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009) is 81.76ppb. As you may recall the Newport Water Division also exceeded the standard for the fourth quarter of 2008 ( January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008) with an annual running average of 89.30 ppb and the first quarter of 2009 (April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009) with an annual running average of 86.58 ppb.

The Newport Water Division is required to take samples for TTHM analysis within the first two weeks of each quarter. When we receive the laboratory analysis results, staff calculates the four quarter running average in order to determine compliance. The TTHM samples for the second quarter of 2009 were taken on April 7, 2009 and the level is 46.5 ppb. The results for the first quarter of 2009 for samples taken on January 13, 2009 were 48.8 ppb. However, even with the favorable results for the first and second quarters of 2009 , the calculation of the four quarter average for each quarter results in the TTHMs MCL of 80 ppb being exceeded

This is not an emergency and our customers do not need to boil water or take other action. The EPA has established public notification rules and tiers under which specific violations are assigned .The TTHM violation is a Tier 2 violation of the drinking water regulations. Tier 2 violations are considered less urgent than Tier 1 violations because there is little immediate risk to consumers. Tier 2 violations require a public notification delivered to customers within 30 days after a violation is discovered.

Many water systems treat water with a chemical disinfectant, such as chlorine, in order to inactivate pathogens that cause disease. While disinfectants are effective in controlling many harmful microorganisms, they react with organic and inorganic matter in the water to form DBPs, some of which pose health risks at certain levels. Some people who drink water-containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

The public health benefits of chlorine disinfection practices are significant and well recognized. Consequently, one of the most complex questions facing water supply professionals is how to reduce risks from disinfectants and DBPs while providing increased protection against microbial contaminants.

The Newport Water Division has taken the following steps to lower TTHMs in your drinking water which we believe will assist in bringing the system back into compliance with the TTHM levels to be reported for the third quarter of 2009:

1. Continue to adjust and optimize chlorine levels to provide adequate disinfection while reducing the potential to form TTHMs. There is a fine balance which must be maintained in drinking water to provide appropriate disinfection while not chlorinating too heavily, which tends to form TTHMs.
2. Installed a mixing system in the Reservoir Rd Storage tank. The mixing system reduces the average age of the water in the distribution system. Older age of the water can produce higher TTHM levels.
3. The installation of a mixing system and the painting for the Goulart Lane Storage Tank will be completed for the start of the summer season.
4. Upgraded the Lawton Valley Sedimentation Basin #1. The sedimentation basins are the first part of the plant treatment which removes organics from the raw water supply. High organic levels can lead to high TTHM levels.
5. Installed an aeration system in the Lawton Valley Reservoir. The aeration system has the potential to reduce algae blooms in the raw water reservoirs. Algae blooms tend to lead to higher organic levels in the treated water.
6. The Newport Water Division has retained an engineering firm to assist with implementing a change in the treatment process to reduce the formation of DBPs. In order to not compromise compliance with other drinking water regulations, this treatment change has taken time to implement. The Newport Water Division is working closely with the RIDOH to implement the treatment change. Required testing of the treatment began in November, 2007 to monitor any and all effects of the treatment change on other drinking water standards, most importantly the standard for Lead.

The Newport Water Division has also committed to constructing a new water treatment plant to replace the existing Lawton Valley Plant, and to upgrade the existing Station 1 Plant by December 31, 2014. The Water Division has retained a City Advisor to provide professional services for the procurement, design, and construction of the major capital improvements for the Water Treatment Plants.

In accordance with the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the RI Department of Health has been consulted regarding the notification being mailed to Newport Water consumers. Attached are copies of the public notifications for the Fourth Quarter 2008 violation, the First Quarter 2009, and the Second Quarter 2009 violation that have been issued to our water customers.

The following are the reported levels for TTHMs for 2007 to date:

*- MCL Violation

Source Water Assessment Report

The Source Water Assessment Report for Newport Waters water supply is now available. The assessment was conducted by the URI Cooperative Extension, Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials Program in cooperation with the RI Department of Health, with funding from the USEPA.

As required under the Safe Drinking Water Act, all public water supplies in Rhode Island were evaluated. The focus of the assessments is on identifying threats from land use so that it can be used to plan source protection efforts by the City. The results of the assessments show that Newport Waters Aquidneck Island and Mainland supplies are at Moderate Risk to contamination. Protection efforts are important to assure continued water quality.

Summary fact sheets of the assessments are available on the URI website. The direct link is www.uri.edu/ce/wq/RESOURCES/dwater/Assessments/index.htm#summary. The full report is available for review at Newport Water's office at 70 Halsey Street.

Manganese

Customers of the Newport Water Division may at times receive water with a yellow to brown color. This is occasionally due to the level of the naturally occurring mineral manganese in the water. This occurs mainly in the summer and fall. At times the water in the reservoirs of our system has elevated levels of manganese which do not respond to treatment at the water treatment facilities.

The EPA has not established requirements for Manganese as a primary drinking water regulation. The EPA has established secondary drinking water regulations for contaminants such as manganese which are recommended goals. The secondary drinking water regulations are related to contaminants that primarily affect the aesthetic qualities (taste, color, and odor) of drinking water.

The Water Division must balance the treatment processes to meet both the enforceable levels of the primary drinking water regulations with the goals of the secondary drinking water regulations.

When we experience elevated levels of manganese leaving the treatment facilities, the operating staff adjusts treatment processes as much as possible and changes the reservoir water source. In order to remove the treated water with the elevated levels the staff flushes the distribution system.

The Water Division regrets the inconvenience of the colored water and works diligently to avoid these situations by maintaining all drinking water standards and goals. The following EPA website is provided for additional information.

www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html