Quality Reports

West Hempstead Water District
2012 Drinking Water Quality Report
Public Water Supply Identification No.: 2902857

Download 2012 Drinking Water Quality Report

The West Hempstead Water District is pleased to present to you this year’s Water Quality Report. The report is required to be delivered to all residents of our District in compliance with Federal and State regulations. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water every day. We also want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. The Board of Water Commissioners and the District employees are committed to ensuring that you and your family receive the highest quality water.

DISTRICT FACTS
The West Hempstead Water District encompasses an area of approximately two (2) square miles. The communities within this area are West Hempstead, Cathedral Gardens, Franklin Square and Garden City South.

The District supplies water through approximately 120 miles of water mains ranging in size from 6” to 20”. The District has the capability of pumping 8 to 9.5 million gallons of water per day from 6 supply wells. Its storage capacity of 2,900,000 gallons consists of 2 elevated storage tanks and 1 ground storage tank. Together the elevated tanks can store 1,400,000 gallons and the ground storage tank can store 1,500,000 gallons.

The population served by the West Hempstead Water District during 2012 was 32,000. The total amount of water withdrawn from the aquifer in 2012 was 1.295 billion gallons, of which approximately 88 percent was billed directly to consumers.
The 5% of the water not billed to our customers was used for fire fighting and training, system flushing and loss because of an occasional water main break.

Approximately 60 percent of the water that enters the distribution system is processed through the iron removal/air stripping facility located at the Birch Street headquarters of the Water District. The facility treats all the water that is pumped from the Magothy Aquifer through Wells 9 & 10. The removal of the iron (iron is a naturally occurring element) is accomplished by passing the water through these multi-media pressure filters located at the plant. The water is then discharged into the air stripping towers for the removal of any VOCs (volatile organic compounds). In this process, the filtered water cascades over the stripping tower media (the media is similar to a wiffel ball) where it comes in contact with air being forced up into the towers from large blower fans located at the based of the tower. The treated water is discharged into a clearwell (holding tank) where it is then pumped to the elevated storage tank for delivery to the distribution system and ultimately to you the resident of the district. This filtration system has the capacity to process over 5 million gallons of water per day.

The Commissioners of the West Hempstead Water District are responsible for its overall operation and finances. The day-to-day operation and the mandated license is the responsibility of the District Superintendent. The population and pumping capacity of the West Hempstead Water District requires the Superintendent to have a Grade 1A and B Public Water System Operator’s Certification. This certification or license is issued to the individual by the Department of Health of the State of New York. Requirements for this certification include successful completion of academic studies in all aspects of the water industry and a minimum of 10 years experience in the water works field.

dditionally, all individuals at the West Hempstead Water District who operate any aspects of the plant have a Grade D and Grade 2-B New York State Certified Water System Operator Certification. The requirements to obtain this certification are similar to that of the Superintendent, but not as detailed.

SOURCE OF WATER
The source of water for the District is groundwater pumped from 6 wells located at our Birch Street and our 7th Street plant sites that are drilled into the Magothy Aquifer beneath Long Island, as shown on the above diagram. Generally, the water quality of the aquifer is good to excellent, although there are localized areas of contamination.

In order to ensure that our tap water is safe to drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

COST OF WATER
The District utilizes the following step billing schedule with the average consumer being billed at $1.60 per 1000 gallons.

QUARTERLY WATER RATES

CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all Federal and State requirements with the exception of iron. Iron content in the water is not a health concern, but is only an aesthetic issue. The District provides iron treatment at its iron removal facility or by the addition of a food grade sequestering agent. Now that the District’s iron removal treatment facility is in operation, virtually all of the water that is delivered to the residents of the District is iron-free. The District may have to utilize a well in which the iron content of the water is higher than normal. This water is blended with the iron-free filtered water so the iron content is almost unnoticeable. As stated earlier, this condition only occurs when demand is extremely high. If you have any questions about this report or your water utility, please contact Water District Supt. Robert York at (516) 483-1180 or the Nassau County Department of Health at (516) 227-9692. The Water District’s regularly scheduled District meetings are normally held each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the District office. We want our valued customers to be informed about our water system and the improvements that are being made to enhance the quality of the water. The normal business hours of the Water District office are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Should you need to contact the District at any time, the District’s 24-Hour Emergency Number is (516) 483-1180 (Menu No. 5).

The West Hempstead Water District routinely monitors for different parameters and contaminants in your drinking water as required by Federal and State laws. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It’s important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. For more information on contamination and potential health risks, please contact the USEPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

The USEPA established a Lead and Copper Rule that required all public water suppliers to sample and test for lead and copper at the tap. The first testing was required in 1992. All results were excellent indicating that the District’s corrosion control treatment program was effective in preventing the leaching of lead and copper from your home’s plumbing in to your drinking water. The same testing was last conducted in 2011 with the same excellent results. The District will conduct its next round of sampling and testing in 2014.

WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES
The underground water system of Long Island has more than enough water for present water demands. However, saving water will ensure that our future generations will always have a safe and abundant water supply.

In 2012, the West Hempstead Water District continued to implement a water conservation program in order to minimize any unnecessary water use. The pumpage for 2012 was approximately 6 percent more than in 2011. This can be attributed to the hotter and drier summer weather in the summer of 2012.

Residents of the District can also implement their own water conservation measures such as retrofitting plumbing fixtures with flow restrictors, modifying automatic lawn sprinklers to include rain sensors, repairing leaks in the home, installing water conservation fixtures/appliances and maintaining a daily awareness of water conservation in their personal habits. In addition, our consumers should be aware that the Nassau County Lawn Sprinkling Regulations are still in effect as outlined above. Besides protecting our precious underground water supply, water conservation will produce a cost savings to the consumer in terms of both water and energy bills (hot water).

WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT
Presented on Page 4 are the analytical testing results for 2012 for those constituents required to be tested by the State Sanitary Code and detected in our water. These tests were conducted on samples taken from various locations throughout the community. Where more than one analysis per year was conducted for a specific constituent, the range of results, from highest to lowest, during the reporting period is listed.

In accordance with State regulations, the West Hempstead Water District routinely monitors your drinking water for numerous parameters. We test your drinking water for coliform bacteria, turbidity, inorganic contaminants, lead and copper, nitrate, volatile organic contaminants, total trihalomethanes and synthetic organic contaminants. Over 135 separate parameters are tested for in each of our wells numerous times per year. The table presented on page 4 depicts which parameters or contaminants were detected in your drinking water. It should be noted that many of these parameters are naturally found in all Long Island drinking water and do not pose any adverse health affects.

In addition to the testing mentioned above, the District maintains a laboratory facility at its Birch Street location where the laboratory technician tests for bacteria at over 60 locations, within the District, on a monthly basis. These test results are maintained by the District for inspection and review by the Health Department.

The West Hempstead Water District provides treatment to all wells to improve the quality of the water prior to distribution to the consumer. The pH of the water is adjusted upward to reduce corrosive action between the water and water mains and in-house plumbing by the addition of sodium hydroxide. The District also adds small amounts of sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) as a disinfection agent and to prevent the growth of bacteria in the water distribution system.

SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT
The NYSDOH, with assistance from the local health department, has completed a source water assessment for this system, based on available information. Possible and actual threats to this drinking water source were evaluated. The source water assessment includes a susceptibility rating based on the risk posed by each potential source of contamination and how rapidly contaminants can move through the subsurface to the wells. The susceptibility of a water supply well to contamination is dependent upon both the presence of potential sources of contamination within the well’s contributing area and the likelihood that the contaminant can travel through the environment to reach the well. The susceptibility rating is an estimate of the potential for contamination of the source water, it does not mean that the water delivered to consumers is, or will become contaminated. See the section entitled “Water Quality and Treatment” for a list of the contaminants that have been detected. The source water assessments provide resource managers with additional information for protecting source waters into the future.

Drinking water is derived from 6 wells. The source water assessment has rated all of the wells as having a very high susceptibility to nitrates, and all but one (1) well as having very high susceptibility to industrial solvents. The elevated susceptibility to nitrates is due primarily to commercial, institutional and residential land use and related practices, such as fertilizing lawns in the assessment area. The elevated susceptibility to industrial solvents is due primarily to point sources of contamination related to commercial/industrial facilities and related practices in the assessment area.

A copy of the assessment, including a map of the assessment area, can be obtained by contacting the District office.

DEFINITIONS:

• 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.
• 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.
• Action Level (AL) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
• Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid (parts per million - ppm).
• Micrograms per liter (ug/l) - Corresponds to one part of liquid in one billion parts of liquid (parts per billion - ppb).
• Non-Detects (ND) - Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.
• pCi/L - pico Curies per Liter is a measure of radioactivity in water.

1. During 2011, we collected and analyzed 30 samples for lead and copper. The 90% percentile level is presented in the table. The action levels for both lead and copper were not exceeded at any site tested. The next round of sampling for lead and copper will occur in 2014.
2. No MCL has been established for sodium. However, 20 mg/l is a recommended guideline for people on high restricted sodium diets and 270 mg/l for those on moderate sodium diets.
3. Iron is only a secondary water standard. Iron has no health effects. Therefore, exceeding the MCL represents a level at which adverse aesthetics effects start to occur. The District treats the water with an iron sequestering agent to minimize the aesthetic impact of the iron. Several wells also receive iron removal treatment.
4. Perchlorate is an unregulated contaminant. However, the State Health Department has established an action level of 18 ug/l.

Copies of a Supplemental Data Package, which includes the water quality data for each of our supply wells utilized during 2012, are available at the West Hempstead Water District office located at 575 Birch Street, West Hempstead, New York and the West Hempstead Public Library. For more information, please contact Supt. Robert York at (516) 483-1180.

We, at the West Hempstead Water District, work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap throughout the community. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water resources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future. Please call our office if you have any questions.

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