Town of Silver City's
2005 Annual Water Quality Report
| Office: 1211 N. Hudson Street Mail: P.O. Box 1188 Silver City, NM 88062 |
Phone: (575) 534-6365 Fax: (575) 534-6391 E-mail: rme@zianet.com, nramirez@zianet.com |
WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT. This report will be supplied to all consumers yearly so that everyone is well informed of the contaminants we test for in the previous year. We have tried to keep all of this information in an easy to read format to help all of our customers understand the wide array of information contained in this report. We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you over the past year. Our goal is and always has been, to provide to you a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.
Sources of Silver City’s Water:
Our water system is supplied solely by ground water that is pumped out of wells located
in two separate areas. The Frank’s Well Field is comprised of four wells that all
draw from the Gila-San Francisco Water Basin. The second well field is the Woodward Well
Field that is comprised of six wells that all draw from the Mimbres Water Basin. Two
additional wells that are not considered part of the Woodward Well Field also supply
the Town with water. They are the Gabby Hayes Well and the Anderson Well which both draw
from the Mimbres Water Basin.
We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets federal and state requirements. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or manmade. 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.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-comprised 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 microbiological contaminants are also available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you may not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:
- Action Level
- (AL) the concentration of a contaminant, which if exceeded, triggers system treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
- Maximum Contaminant Level
- The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is 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
- The "Goal" (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MGLGs allow for a margin of safety.
- ND
- Non-Detects. Laboratory analysis indicating that the constituent is not present.
- Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l)
- One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
- 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 $10,000,000.
- Picocuries per liter (pCi/L)
- A measurement of radioactivity in water.
- Treatment Techniques
- (TTT) A treatment technique
is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
- TTHM
- This term means Total Trihalomethanes. These contaminants are byproducts
of chlorination (for disinfection) of your drinking water.
TEST RESULTS
| Contaminant/Unit Measurement | Violation Y/N | Level Detected | Range of Detection | MCLG | MCL | Likely source of Contamination |
Haloacetic Acids |
No | 1.9 (2004) |
ND - 2.1 | 60 | 60 | Byproduct of chlorination for disinfection of water formed when chorine reacts to organics in water |
TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes) ppm |
No | 0.004 (2004) |
ND - 0.018 | 80 | 80 |
Byproduct of chlorination for disinfection of water formed when chorine reacts to organics in water |
Arsenic ppb |
No | 1.15 (2002) |
1.0 -1.3 | 0 | 10* | Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards, glass and electronics production waste. |
Until then, the MCL is 0.05 mg/l and there is no MCLG.
Barium ppb (2002) |
No | 3.05 (2002) |
2.5 -3.6 | 2000 | 2000 | Discharge of drilling waste, metal refineries, erosion of natural deposits. |
Chromium ppb |
No | 4.25 | 2.85 -5.7 | 100 | 100 | Discharge from steel and pulp mills, erosion of natural deposits. |
Copper ppm |
No | 1.15 |
0.0036 - 1.2 | 1.3 | AL=1.3 | Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives. |
Fluoride ppm |
No | 0.98 |
0.46 - 1.50 | 4 | 4 | Erosion of natural deposits, discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. |
Lead ppb |
No | 0.98 |
ND -3.9 | 0 | AL=15 | Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits |
Nickle ppb |
No | 1.74 |
1.51 - 1.96 | 100 | 100 |
Erosion of natural deposits or discharge from mining or refinery. |
Nitrate ppm |
No | 1.72 |
ND - 1.72 | 10 | 10 | Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, sewage, erosion of natural deposits. |
Selenium ppb |
No | 2.55 |
1.9 - 3.2 | 50 | 50 | Discharge from petroleum refineries, erosion of natural deposits, discharge from mines. |
Thallium ppb |
No | 0.42 |
0.17 - 0.67 | 0.5 | 2 | Leaching from ore-processing sites, discharge from electronics, glass, and drug factories. |
Total Coliforms |
No | ND | 0 | 0 | Positive in 5% of mnothly samples tested | Coliforms are naturally present in the environment; not a health threat in itself; it is used to indicate whether other potential harmful bacteria may be present. |
Beta/photon emitters (pci/L) |
No | 2.30 |
2.10 - 2.30 | 0 | 50 | Decay of natural and man-made deposits. |
| Alpha emitters (pCi/L) | No | 6.60 |
5.60 - 6.60 | 0 | 15 | Erosion of natural deposits |
Combined Radium (pCi/L) |
No | 0.25 (2004) |
ND - 0.25 | 0 | 5 | Erosion of natural deposits |
As you can see by the table above, our system had no violations. We strive to assure that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.
The Source Water Assessment (SWA) Report is intended primarily to provide water utility companies, and water customers with information about the susceptibility of their water supplies to contamination. The report was provided to the Town of Silver City Water Supply System for initial review and is now available at the State of New Mexico Environment Department Drinking Water Bureau, 525 Camino de Los Marquez, Suite 4, Santa Fe, NM 87575.
Copies may also be requested by emailing the Drinking Water Bureau at swapp@nmenv.state.nm.us or by calling (575) 827-7536 (toll free 1-877-654-8720). Please include your name, address, telephone number and email address, and the name of the Water System. NMED-DWB may charge a nominal fee for paper copies.
In conclusion, the Silver City Water System is well maintained and operated, and sources of drinking water are generally protected from potential sources of contamination based on well construction, hydrogeologic settings, and system operations and management. The susceptibility rank of the entire water system is high.
Although throughout the United States it is common to find potential sources of contamination located atop wellheads, continued regulatory oversight, wellhead protection plans, and other planning efforts continue to be primary methods of protecting and ensuring high quality drinking water.
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact the Town of Silver City Utilities Department at 534-6365. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.
Para recibir una explicacion de este reporte en espanol, por favor de ponerse en contacto con nuestra officina hal 534-6365.