Issue link: http://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/684048
Substances That Could Be in Water T o ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. 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, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances that may be present in source water include: Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, or wildlife; Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or may result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming; Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses; Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and may also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or may be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the U.S. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. Partnership for Safe Water W e're proud to report that, once again, in 2015 the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility was awarded the Partnership for Safe Water's Directors Award for its efforts to achieve excellence in water quality. This marked the twelfth consecutive year the facility has received the award. The Partnership for Safe Water is a national volunteer initiative developed by the EPA and other U.S. drinking water organizations representing water suppliers striving to provide their communities with drinking water quality that surpasses Federal standards. The Directors Award is presented to water systems who have completed a successful review in the Partnership's Self-Assessment and Peer Review phase, a phase in which utilities examine the capabilities of their treatment plant operation and their overall water utility administration and then create a plan for implementing improvements. The Town is also a charter member of the Partnership for Safe Water's Distribution System Optimization Program. The goal of this program, initiated in 2011, is to further improve and ensure the highest quality drinking water for Cary customers by taking steps to optimize our water distribution system operations and management. For more information on the Partnership for Safe Water, please visit the American Waterworks Association Web site at www. awwa.org. Go Online to Manage your Water Wisely A quastar, the Town's innovative, advanced meter infrastructure, uses a wireless system to collect multiple remote meter reads per day. With Aquastar you can view your water consumption online down to hourly increments. Set usage alerts and be notified within 24 hours by text/email when your water use exceeds your expected amount. Visit aquastar.townofcary.org to better understand your water use.