Annual Water Quality Report – Reporting Year 2018
Village of Fredonia Water Filtration Plant
P.O. Box 31
Fredonia, NY 14063
PWSID# NY0600364
There When You Need US
We are once again proud to present our annual water quality report covering all testing performed between January 1 and December 31, 2018. Over the years we have dedicated ourselves to producing drinking water that meets all state and federal standards. We continually strive to adopt new methods for delivering the best quality drinking water to you. As new challenges to drinking water safety emerge, we remain vigilant in meeting the goals of source water protection, water conservation, and community education while continuing to serve the needs of all our water users.
Please share with us your thoughts or concerns about the information in this report. After all, well informed customers are our best allies.
Fact and Figures
Our water system serves over 10,700 customers through 3,200 service connections. The total amount of water produced in 2018 was 490 million gallons. The daily average of water treated is 1.34 million gallons per day. Of the 490 million gallons we produced, 276 million gallons was billed to our customers. The balance or unaccounted water was used for firefighting, hydrant use, distribution system leaks, and reactor solids removal at the water plant.
Source Water Assessment
A Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) is now available at our office. This plan is an assessment of the delineated area around our listed sources through which contaminants, if present, could migrate and reach our source water. It also includes an inventory of potential sources of contamination within the delineated area and a determination of the water supply’s susceptibility to contamination by the identified potential sources.
According to the Source Water Assessment Plan, our water system had a susceptibility rating of medium. If you would like to review the Source Water Assessment Plan, please feel free to contact our office during regular business hours.
Where Does My Water Come From?
The Village of Fredonia draws its water from the Fredonia Reservoir. The present estimated storage capacity of the reservoir is 295 million gallons. The watershed area that feeds the reservoir covers more than five square miles. A vast majority of the watershed is unpopulated and heavily wooded. In addition to the reservoir, we are also supplied on an as needed basis by an interconnection with the City of Dunkirk. This connection can be utilized in times of emergency or drought. We are able to receive 800,000 gallons per day via this connection. This equates to half of our average daily usage.
During 2018, we had no incidents where a “Boil Water Order” was issued or any other incidents noted for the year.
Community Participation
You are invited to participate in our public forum and voice your concerns about your drinking water. We meet
the second and fourth Monday of each month, at 7:30 pm, at Village Hall, 9-11 Church Street, Fredonia, NY.
LT2 Rule
The USEPA has created the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2) for the sole purpose of
reducing illness linked with the contaminant Cryptosporidium and other disease causing microorganisms in
drinking water. A second round of monthly monitoring began in October of 2016. This monitoring ended in
November 2018 and showed no instances of the parameters targeted.
UCMR4 Rule
In 1996, the USEPA amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) require that once every five years, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issue a new list of no more than 30 unregulated contaminants to be
monitored by public water systems (PWSs). The Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) provides
EPA and other interested parties with scientifically valid data on the occurrence of contaminants in drinking
water. This national survey is one of the primary sources of information on occurrence and levels of exposure that
the Agency uses to develop regulatory decisions for contaminants in the public drinking water supply. The
"Revisions to the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 4) for Public Water Systems and
Announcement of Public Meeting" was published in the Federal Register on December 20, 2016 (81 FR 92666).
UCMR 4 monitoring will occur from 2018-2020 and includes monitoring for a total of 30 chemical contaminants:
10 cyanotoxins (nine cyanotoxins and one cyanotoxin group) and 20 additional contaminants (two metals, eight
pesticides plus one pesticide manufacturing byproduct, three brominated haloacetic acid [HAA] disinfection
byproducts groups, three alcohols, and three semivolatile organic chemicals [SVOCs]).
Water Conservation Tips
You can play a role in conserving water and saving yourself money in the process by becoming conscious of the
amount of water your household is using, and by finding ways to use less whenever possible. It is not hard to
conserve water. Here are a few tips:
Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons of water for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are
loaded. Load your dishwasher to capacity, and get a run for your money!
Turn of the tap when brushing teeth.
Check all faucets in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15-20 gallons a day. By fixing leaks,
you can save almost 6,000 gallons a year.
Check all toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Watch for a few minutes to
see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day due to an
invisible toilet leak. Fixing this can save more than 30,000 gallons a year.
Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks. Simply turn off all taps and water using appliances. After 15
minutes, check your meter to see if it has moved. If has moved, you have a leak.
How Is My Water Treated?
The treatment process consists of a series of steps. First, raw water is drawn from our reservoir and sent to
clarifiers, where polyaluminumchloride, polymer, and clay are added. The addition of these substances cause
small particles to adhere to one another (called floc), making them heavy enough to settle in a basin from which
sediment is removed. From here, the clarified water is piped to the filter beds. The water is filtered through layers
of fine coal and silicate sand. As smaller, suspended particles are removed, turbidity disappears and clear water
emerges. We then carefully monitor and add chlorine to the filtered water to kill any potential harmful bacteria.
Before entering the clear well, poly orthophosphate is added for corrosion control to reduce lead-leaching from
household plumbing. The water travels into our on-site clear well. This clear well is baffled to allow the chlorine
to react with the water so it becomes thoroughly disinfected. Upon exiting the clear well, the water travels through
three transmission lines in the village. This is all done using gravity. The processes are monitored with our stateof-
the-art SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system. This system monitors water quality and
controls flows into and out of the water plant.
Substances That Could Be in Water
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 activities. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and
radioactive contaminants.
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. In order
to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the State and the U.S. EPA prescribe regulations which limit the amount
of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The State Health Department and the U.S.
FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for
public health. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the
EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
Important Health Information
Some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 or AIDS, or other immune system disorders,
some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their
health care provider about their drinking water. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of
infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and other microbial pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water
Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and
young children. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community
as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing system. We are responsible for providing high quality
drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing systems. When your system has been
sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2
minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish
to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to
minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791, or at
www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
About Our Violations
During the past year, the Village was not in violation of any NYSDOH water quality regulations. However, each
year since 2015, the Chautauqua County Department of Health conducted an inspection and sanitary survey of our
water system. They made numerous recommendations and issued several violations that we have addressed.
We are currently working on resolving the following remaining violations with guidance from both the Health
Department and our engineers at O’Brien and Gere:
1. Install new pump station/interconnect with Dunkirk that could meet all village water needs without
causing the pressure problems that our current interconnect does. This also eliminates the need to build
another water storage tank. This plan is drafted and work has begun Winter 2017 to present.
2. Complete engineering work required to improve safety of the dam.
3. Complete maintenance to the dam, intake tunnel and related appurtenances.
4. Complete maintenance and improvements to the filter plant. Work to begin Spring 2019.
5. Improve security and cyber-security at the filter plant. This has been upgraded several times this past
year.
6. Conduct inspection of the water storage tanks and complete any required maintenance/improvements.
7. Complete and implement disinfection byproduct control study. This plan has been drafted in 2017.
8. Prepare a water distribution system improvement plan. This project has started and has been
implemented in 2018 and ongoing into 2019.
Sampling Results
During the past year we have taken hundreds of water samples in order to determine the presence pf any
radioactive, biological, inorganic, volatile organic, or synthetic organic contaminants. The table below shows only
those contaminants that were detected in the water. The state requires us to monitor for certain substances less
than once per year because the concentrations of these substances do not change frequently. In these cases, the
most recent sample data are included, along with the year in which the sample was taken.
Table of Detected Contaminants
Contaminant
Violation
Date of
Sample
Level
Detected
Unit
Measure
-ment
Regulatory
Limit
(MCL/AL)
MCLG
Likely Source of Contamination
MICROBIIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
Turbidity(1) Max
No 1/27/18 1.0 NTU TT=<1.0
NTU
N/A Soil Run-off, the filter plant had an upset due to rapid
water loss in the clear well and Webster Rd storage tank
from the major water main break that month.
Turbidity(1)
No January
(2018)
55%
<0.3
NTU TT=95% of
samples
<0.3NTU
N/A Soil Run-off
Distribution
Turbidity(2) Max
No May
(2018)
0.45 NTU MCL>5 NTU N/A Soil Run-off
INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS
Lead(3)
No 8/10/16-
8/24/16
4.8;
Range=
ND-9.6
ug/l 15 (AL) 0 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural Deposits
Copper(4) No 8/10/16-
8/24/16
0.303;
Range=
0.0045-
0.474
mg/l 1.3 (AL) 1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits;
Leaching from wood preservatives
Barium No 11/19/18 0.0554 mg/l 2.0 (MCL) 2 Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion or
natural deposits
Arsenic No 11/19/18 0.38 ug/l 10 (MCL) N/A Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and
electronics production wastes.
Nickel No 11/19/18 1.0 ug/l N/A N/A Nickel enters groundwater and surface water by dissolution of rocks and
soils, from atmospheric fallout, from biological decays and from waste
disposal.
Chromium No 2017 0.65 ug/l 100 (100) 100 Discharge from steel and pulp mill; Erosion of natural deposits.
Fluoride No 2017 0.055 mg/l 2.2 (MCL) N/A Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive that promotes strong teeth;
Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Nitrate No 2018 0.35 mg/l 10 (MCL) 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion
of natural deposits.
Manganese No 11/9/16 160.0 ug/l 300 (MCL) N/A Naturally occurring; Indicative of landfill contamination.
RADIOLOGICALS
Gross Alpha No 12/22/16 0.691 pCi/L 15(MCL) 0 Erosion of natural deposits.
Gross Beta No 12/22/16 0.641 pCi/L 50 (MCL) 0 Decay of natural deposits and man-made emissions.
Radium 226 No 12/22/16 0.0896 pCi/L 5 (MCL) 0 Erosion of natural deposits
Radium 228 No 12/22/16 0.168 pCi/L 5 (MCL) 0 Erosion of natural deposits.
STAGE 2 DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS (CHESTNUT ST)
Haloacetic Acids No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=53.7
Range=
35-70
ug/l 60 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination.
Trihalomethanes No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=48.5
Range=
31-70
ug/l 80 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination. TTHM's are formed when
source water contains large amounts of organic matter.
STAGE 2 DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS (EAGLE ST)
Haloacetic Acids No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=21.7
Range=
12-30
ug/l 60 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination.
Trihalomethanes No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=56.4
Range=
45-78
ug/l 80(MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination. TTHM's are formed when
source water contains large amounts of organic matter.
STAGE 2 DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS (GREGORY HALL)
Haloacetic Acids No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=51.5
Range=
41-74
ug/l 60 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination.
Trihalomethanes No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=56.7
Range=
41-91
ug/l 80 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination. TTHM's are formed when
source water contains large amounts of organic matter.
STAGE 2 DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS (TEMPLE)
Haloacetic Acids No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=54.6
Range=
35-77
ug/l 60 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination.
Trihalomethanes No Quarterly
(2018)
Avg.=55.3
Range=
40-72
ug/l 80 (MCL) N/A By-products of drinking water chlorination. TTHM’s are formed when
source water contains large amounts of organic matter.
DISINFECTANT
Chlorine
Residual
No Daily
(2018)
Ave.=1.27
Range=
0.85-2.6
mg/l 4.0 (MCL) N/A Water additive used to control microbes.
Notes:
1 – 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. State regulations require that turbidity must always be less than or equal to 1.0
NTU. The regulations require that 95% of the turbidity samples collected have measurements below 0.3 NTU.
2-Distribution Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water found in the distribution system. We monitor it
because it is a good indicator of water quality. High turbidity can hinder the effectiveness of disinfectants. Our
highest average monthly distribution turbidity measurement detected during the year (0.85 NTU) occurred in January
2017. This value is below the State’s maximum contaminant level (5 NTU).
3-The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 30 sites tested. A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that
indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it. The 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the
Lead values detected in your water system. In this case, 30 samples were collected at your water system and to 90th
percentile value was calculated to between the 30th and 26th values at the 27th value of 4.8ug/l. The action level for lead was
not exceeded in any of the 30 sampling locations.
4- The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 30 sites tested. A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that
indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it. The 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the
Copper values detected in your water system. In this case, 30 samples were collected at your water system and to 90th
percentile value was calculated to between the 30th and 26th values at the 27th value of 0.303mg/l. The action level for lead
was not exceeded in any of the 30 sampling locations.
Table Definitions
ppm (part per million): One part substance per million parts water (or milligrams per liter).
ppb (parts per billion): One part substance per billion parts water (or micrograms per liter).
NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units): Measurement of the clarity, or turbidity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5
NTU is just noticeable to the average person.
AL (Action Level): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other
requirements which a water system must follow.
MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level): 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.
MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal): 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.
MRDL (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.
There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
MRDLG (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which
there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to
control microbial contaminants.
NA: Not Applicable
ND (Not Detected): Indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.
TT (Treatment Technique): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
What Does This Information Mean?
As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We have learned through our testing that some
contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants were detected below the level allowed by the
State. Lead and copper were detected within the system but of 30 samples collected, none were found exceeding
the action levels. We are however required to present the following information on Lead in drinking water:
Is Our Water System Meeting Other Rules That Govern Operations?
During 2018, our system was in compliance with applicable State drinking water operating and reporting
requirement.
Questions?
For more information about this report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please call
Christopher Surma, Chief Operator, at (716) 679-2310. You may also contact the Chautauqua County Department
of Health at (716) 363-4481.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young
children. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of
materials used in your home’s plumbing. The Village of Fredonia is responsible for providing high quality drinking
water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for
several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before
using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water
tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available
from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791), or at http:
www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
The NYSDOH has a free lead testing program – for more information go to:
https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/lead/free_lead_testing_pilot_programThe NYSDOH has a free lead testing program – for more information go to:
https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/lead/free_lead_testing_pilot_program
