The tables below list drinking water contaminants that we
detected during the 2001 calendar year. Not listed were more than
125 substances that we tested for but were below the detection limit
for reporting. The presence of these contaminants in the water does
not necessarily indicate that the water presents a health risk.
Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from
testing conducted between January 1 and December 31, 2000.
PRIMARY
STANDARDS |
|
Substances Monitored at the
Treatment Plant |
MCL |
MCLG
or PHG |
Surface
Range |
Water
Average |
Typical Source of Containment |
| Turbidity
(NTU) |
TT1 |
NA |
0.02-0.28 |
0.06 |
Soil Runoff |
| Aluminum
(PPB) |
1,000 |
NA |
0.13-0.212 |
0.07 |
Erosion of natural
deposits; residue from some surface water treatment processes |
| Fluoride
(PPM) |
2 |
1 |
0.38-0.47 |
0.41 |
Erosion of natural
deposits; water additive that promotes strong teeth; discharge
from fertilizer and aluminum factories. |
| Gross
Alpha2 (pCi/l) |
15 |
0 |
1.0-3.0 |
1.7 |
Erosion of natural
deposits |
| Gross
Beta2 (pCi/l) |
50 |
0 |
ND-4.3 |
2.1 |
Decay of natural
and manmade deposits. |
Disinfection
Byproducts
Sampled in the Distribution System |
|
|
|
|
|
| Free
Chlorine Residual (PPM) |
4.0
MRDL |
4.0
MRDL |
0.20-3.4 |
1.3 |
|
| Total
Trihalomethanes (THM) |
100 |
NA |
0.5-153 |
56.3 |
By-product of
water chlorination.3 |
| Haloacetic
Acid (PPM) |
60 |
NA |
0.014-0.142 |
0.048 |
By-product of
water chlorination.3 |
| Substances
Monitored at Customers' Taps |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lead2
(PPM) |
AL=15 |
2 |
ND-2.0 |
ND |
Corrosion
of house hold plumbing and erosion of natural deposits;
discharges from industrial manufacturers. |
| Copper2
(PPM |
AL=1.3 |
0.17 |
ND-0.23 |
0.045 |
Internal
corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural
deposits; leaching from wood preservatives. |
|
SECONDARY
STANDARDS |
|
Substances
Monitored at the Treatment Plant
|
Secondary
MCL |
Surface
Water |
Typical
Source of Containment |
|
Range |
Average |
| Chloride
(PPM) |
500 |
6.6-19 |
18 |
Runoff or leaching
from wastes; seawater influence. |
| Odor
threshold at 60o (Units) |
3 |
1.0-8.0 |
4.3 |
Naturally
occurring organic minerals. |
| pH
(Units) |
NA |
7.6-8.2 |
7.9 |
|
| Specific
Conductivity (micromhos) |
1,600 |
670-974 |
757 |
Substances that
form ions in water. |
| Sulfate
(PPM) |
500 |
150-332 |
217 |
Runoff or leaching
from natural deposits; industrial wastes. |
| Total
Dissolved Solids (PPM) |
1,000 |
420-856 |
553 |
Runoff/leaching
from natural deposits. |
|
OTHER
CONSTITUENTS |
| Hardness
(CaCO3) (PPM) |
NS |
330-436 |
360 |
|
| Sodium
(PPM) |
NS |
24-64 |
44 |
| Calcium
(PPM) |
NS |
79-96 |
86 |
| Magnesium
(PPM) |
NS |
24-85 |
38 |
| Potassium
(PPM |
NS |
1.0-2.7 |
1.7 |
| Alkalinity
(PPM) |
NS |
171-200 |
191 |
|
Definitions
Used in the Chart:
PPM:
Parts per million or milligrams
per liter. 1 PPM is equal to about one drop in 17 gallons
of water.
PPB:
Parts per billion or micrograms per liter. 1 PPB is
equal to about one drop in 17,000 gallons of water.
TT
(Treatment Technique): A
required process intended to reduce the level of a
contaminant in drinking water.
AL (Regulatory Action Level): The
concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded,
triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water
system must follow.
NA: Not applicable
NS: No standard
ND: Not detected at testing limit
pCi/l: Picocuries per liter (a measure
of radiation)
mmhos/cm: Micromhos per centimeter (an
indicator of dissolved minerals in the
water)
NTU: Nephelometric turbidity units (a
measure of clarity)
Public Health Goal (PHG): The level of a
contaminant in drinking water below, which there is no
known or expected risk to health. PHGs are set by the
California Environmental Protection Agency.
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 are set by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The
highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking
water. Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs or MCLGs
as is economically and technologically feasible. Secondary
MCLs are set to protect the odor, taste, and appearance of
drinking water. |
MRDL:
Maximum Residual Disinfection Level
Primary Drinking Water Standard or PDWS: MCLs
for contaminants that affect health along with their
monitoring and reporting requirements and water treatment
requirements.
Footnotes:
1Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of
the water. Montecito Water District monitors for it
continuously because turbidity is a good indicator of the
effectiveness of our filtration system.
Turbidity of the filtered water must: 1)
Be less than or equal to 0.5 NTU in 95% of measurements in
a month; 2) Not exceed 1.0 NTU for more than eight
consecutive hours; 3) Not exceed 5.0 NTU at any time.
• 100% of the District’s samples met
the Turbidity Performance standard
• The highest single surface water
turbidity measurement during the year was 0.28 NTU
• The District had no violations of
any surface water treatment requirement
2The State allows us to
monitor for some contaminants less than once per year
because the concentrations of these contaminants do not
change frequently. Some of our data, though
representative, are more than one year old. Constituents
that were tested previous to 2001 follow with their test
date in parenthesis: Asbestos (1997); and radioactivity
(1998).
3Ortega Reservoir is not
covered and is exposed to the possibility of contamination
and development of disinfection byproducts. The District
has a management plan to keep it clean and intends to
cover it. A plan and funding are in place to accomplish
this, but the project has been delayed by litigation. |
|
