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Town of Longmeadow2006
Water Quality Report (Updated May 2007)
The Town of Longmeadow Water Department is pleased to submit the following informational report to the water consumers of the Town of Longmeadow. As you may be aware, the Town of Longmeadow purchases 100 percent of its water from the City of Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. Through the diligent efforts of this department, the residents of Longmeadow enjoy a source of water that is pure, clean and tastes good. The information that follows generally describes the Longmeadow Water System and the extensive testing that is completed to ensure good quality water. Also included is a supplemental report from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission describing the water source and quality testing completed by Springfield.
Prepared by:Longmeadow Water Department DEP I.D. No. 115900031 Pondside Road Longmeadow, MA. 01106 Phone: 413-567-3400/ Fax: 413-567-9018
Director of Public Works: Michael G. Wrabel Assistant Superintendent of Operations: Richard W. Haraty Water Dept. Assistant Superintendent: Peter W. Thurber Engineering Assistant: Christopher W. Reed
WHERE DOES MY WATER COME FROM? The Town of Longmeadow purchases 100% of its water from the City of Springfield Water Department. Drinking water produced by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission originates from a surface supply, the Cobble Mountain Reservoir, located in Western Massachusetts. The Bordon Brook Reservoir, a smaller surface water supply that feeds into Cobble Mountain Reservoir, contributes to the system’s combined water supply capacity of 25 billion gallons. The reservoir and the land surrounding the reservoirs are collectively called the watershed. Watershed protection is the Commission=s first defense in maintaining a pure water source. Approximately 13,000 acres of reservoir and land is owned by the Commission within the Cobble Mountain watershed area. Inside the watershed boundaries, there is no commercial industry, the population density is low and only limited farming and grazing is practiced. To further protect the water supply, boating, swimming, hunting and fishing is forbidden in and around the reservoir areas and watershed lands. The reservoir water flows to the West Parish Filters Treatment Plant, located in Westfield, Massachusetts, where it is filtered through slow and rapid sand filtration, treated to inhibit corrosion of home plumbing, adjusted for pH, and disinfected before it flows to the 60 million gallon underground storage tanks at Provin Mountain Reservoir located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Clean drinking water is supplied at an annual average of 35 million gallons per day to Springfield and the surrounding communities, Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Ludlow, through the 617 mile piping network of large sized transmission mains and smaller sized distribution mains. The Longmeadow Water system begins at a water pumping station located on Forest Glen Road in Longmeadow. This pumping station is supplied by two 16-inch transmission water mains running from a 30-inch water main on Longhill Street in Springfield through Forest Park to our Pumping Station on Forest Glen Road. From this pumping station, the Town of Longmeadow is serviced by approximately 96 miles of water distribution mains ranging in size from 4-inch to 16-inch pipes. These water mains deliver water to the towns 5,671 metered water accounts and supply 16,044 residents. The Town of Longmeadow purchases between 750 million gallons and 950 million gallons of water per year from the Springfield Water Department at the present rate of $682.00 per million gallons. The Water Department also has an active program of flushing all water mains in the Town. At this time, records are kept noting low pressure areas and hydrants in need of repairs or replacement. All deficiencies are corrected as soon as possible once flushing is completed. The department also maintains a one million gallon water storage tank located on Academy Drive, which is used to improve pressure to the easterly area of the Town.
As the Town’s supplier of water, the Springfield Water Department is responsible for the majority of water testing and analyses. The attached Springfield report describes the testing. The Town of Longmeadow Water Department, as a consecutive water system, is responsible for Coliform, Fecal Coliform/E. Coli, Heterotrophic Plate Count and Trihalomethane testing. Coliform and Heterotrophic Plate Count testing is done twice per month for a total of 16 samples. Longmeadow collects four TTHM and HAA5 samples per quarter. The running annual average during 2006 was 64 ug/L for TTHM, and 33 ug/L for HAA5. Both are well within the MCL limits of 80.0 ug/L TTHM and 60.0 ug/L HAA5 as set forth in the Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 2), based on an annual average of measurements from each monitoring location. All water testing is completed by a Massachusetts certified laboratory with results reported to the Department of Environmental Protection and the Town of Longmeadow Water Department, which keeps records of all data. For your information, 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. However, 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. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791). 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 from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in the 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 runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining and farming. Pesticides and Herbicides may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff and septic systems. Organic and Herbicides may come from synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum products, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic tanks. Radioactive contaminants can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. 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 a 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 (chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide) 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 (chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide) below which there is no known of expected risk to health. MRDLG's do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants. Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow. 90th Percentile – Out of every 10 homes sampled, 9 were at or below this level. ppm = parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/l) ppb = parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/l) Massachusetts Office of Research and Standards Guideline (ORSG) – This is the concentration of a chemical in drinking water, at or below which, adverse health effects are unlikely to occur after chronic (lifetime) exposure. If exceeded, it serves as an indicator of the potential need for further action. A LIST OF MICROBIOLIGICAL, ORGANIC, INORGANIC, & OTHER DRINKING WATER CONTAMINANTS AND HEALTH EFFECT LANGUAGE IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LONGMEADOW WATER DEPARTMENT- CALL 567-3400.
Springfield Water and Sewer Commission and
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. **Rapid Sand Filtration:. **Slow Sand Filtration: ***Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards.
Lead and Copper LevelsInfants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure. Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested. Flush your cold water tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water to reduce lead content. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Fluoridation
The Longmeadow Water Department has been adding Sodium Fluoride to its water supply at the Forest Glen Pumping Station since January 1989. At that time, we joined over 100 other communities state wide, including the City of Boston, to administer this program. The addition of Sodium Fluoride to the water system has proven to be highly effective in preventing tooth decay. To assure proper levels of this chemical are maintained, the water department employs two state certified personnel to oversee the Fluoride Program 365 days a year, which includes daily testing to insure proper levels are maintained. The Longmeadow Water Department is also proud to report that in the seventeen full years of fluoride operation, the department has received numerous awards from the Massachusetts Department of Health for operation of this program.
Cross Connection Program What is a cross connection? A cross connection occurs whenever a potable drinking water line is directly or indirectly connected to a nonpotable piece of equipment or piping. Examples of nonpotable equipment in a water facility may include fire sprinkler systems, irrigation systems, air conditioning or cooling systems, and many more. The end possible result of an unprotected cross connection is back siphonage, which can occur whenever a loss of water pressure in a residence or business occurs due to a break in the service main, repairs being made on a line, or possible fire fighting nearby which reduces your pressure. Its effect is to suck or siphon the water from a building and this is where back siphonage protection is essential. In 1995, the Town of Longmeadow Water Department completed a survey of all potential cross connection locations within the Town. A total of 129 sites were surveyed and of those 129 sites 108 required either replumbing or some type of back flow device. All reduced pressure backflow preventers (RPBP) devices are tested semiannually and all double check valve assemblies (DCVA) are tested annually by the Towns Certified Backflow Prevention Device Tester with results sent to Department of Environmental Protection and the Longmeadow Water Department. Conservation Info and TipsFrom American Water Works Association
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Created by Christopher W. Reed. Send mail to
Engineering@Longmeadow.org with questions or comments about this web site.
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