2023 Annual Water Report

2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Town of Sparta

Water System Number:  01-03-010

We are pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.  This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality.  Included are details about your source(s) of water, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies.  Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.  We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.  We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and to providing you with this information because informed customers are our best allies.  If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water, please contact Kevin Dowell, Public Services Director at 336-372-4257.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings.  They are held at Sparta Town Hall on the 1^st Tuesday of each month at 7pm.

What EPA Wants You to Know

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. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

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. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  The Town of Sparta  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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. 

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 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 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 can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

When You Turn on Your Tap, Consider the Source

The water that is used by this system is well water that comes from 5 drilled wells in combination with water purchased from the Virginia/Carolina Water Authority located at 1630 Moxley Ridge Rd, Independence VA 24348.

Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Results

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Public Water Supply (PWS) Section, Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) conducted assessments for all drinking water sources across North Carolina.  The purpose of the assessments was to determine the susceptibility of each drinking water source (well or surface water intake) to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs).  The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that include maps, background information and a relative susceptibility rating of Higher, Moderate or Lower.

The relative susceptibility rating of each source for The Town of Sparta was determined by combining the contaminant rating (number and location of PCSs within the assessment area) and the inherent vulnerability rating (i.e., characteristics or existing conditions of the well or watershed and its delineated assessment area). The assessment findings are summarized in the table below:

Susceptibility of Sources to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs)

The complete SWAP Assessment report for The Town of Sparta may be viewed on the Web at: https://www.ncwater.org/?page=600 Note that because SWAP results and reports are periodically updated by the PWS Section, the results available on this website may differ from the results that were available at the time this CCR was prepared.  If you are unable to access your SWAP report on the web, you may mail a written request for a printed copy to:  Source Water Assessment Program – Report Request, 1634 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1634, or email requests to swap@deq.nc.gov.  Please indicate your system name, number, and provide your name, mailing address and phone number.  If you have any questions about the SWAP report, please contact the Source Water Assessment staff by phone at (919) 707-9098.

It is important to understand that a susceptibility rating of “higher” does not imply poor water quality, only the system’s potential to become contaminated by PCSs in the assessment area.

Help Protect Your Source Water

Protection of drinking water is everyone’s responsibility.  You can help protect your community’s drinking water source(s) in several ways: (examples:  dispose of chemicals properly; take used motor oil to a recycling center, volunteer in your community to participate in group efforts to protect your source, etc.).

Violations that Your Water System Received for the Report Year

During 2023, or during any compliance period that ended in 2023, we had no reporting violations and no MCL violations.

Important Drinking Water Definitions:

• Not-Applicable (N/A) – Information not applicable/not required for that particular water system or for that particular rule.

• Non-Detects (ND) – Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at the level of detection set for the particular methodology used.

• Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/L) – One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

• Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/L) – One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

• Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/L) – One part per trillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

• Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) – Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

• Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) – Nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

• Variances and Exceptions – State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or Treatment Technique under certain conditions.

• Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

• Treatment Technique (TT) – A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

• Maximum Residual Disinfection Level (MRDL) – 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.

• Maximum Residual Disinfection Level Goal (MRDLG) – 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.

• Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA) – The average of sample analytical results for samples taken at a particular monitoring location during the previous four calendar quarters under the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule.

• Running Annual Average (RAA) – The average of sample analytical results for samples taken during the previous four calendar quarters.

• Level 1 Assessment – A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.

• Level 2 Assessment – A Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.

• 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.

Water Quality Data Tables of Detected Contaminants

We routinely monitor for over 150 contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The tables below list all the drinking water contaminants that we detected in the last round of sampling for each particular contaminant group.  The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.  Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2023.  The EPA and the State allow us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year.  Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old.

Inorganic Contaminants

Nitrate/Nitrite Contaminants

Nitrate:  Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age.  High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant you should ask advice from your health care provider.

Radiological Contaminants

Lead and Copper Contaminants

 Disinfectant Residuals Summary

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (five) (HAA5)

Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

The PWS Section requires monitoring for other misc. contaminants, some for which the EPA has set national secondary drinking water standards (SMCLs) because they may cause cosmetic effects or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, and/or color) in drinking water.  The contaminants with SMCLs normally do not have any health effects and normally do not affect the safety of your water.

Other Miscellaneous Water Characteristics Contaminants

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Virginia-Carolina Water Authority

INTRODUCTION

This Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for calendar year 2023, is designed to inform you about your drinking water quality.  Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water, and we want you to understand the efforts we make to protect your water supply.  The quality of your drinking water must meet state and federal requirements administered by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

If you have questions about this report, please contact:

Water Operator – Billy Cornett Phone: 276-773-3884 Fax: 276-773-2634

If you want additional information about any aspect of your drinking water or want to know how to participate in decisions that may affect the quality of your drinking water, please contact:

Chairman – Laura Ratcliffe Phone: 276-773-3703 Fax: 276-773-2634

The times and location of regularly scheduled board meetings are as follows:

Second Thursday of each month at the Virginia-Carolina Water Treatment Plant, 1360 Moxley Ridge Rd., Independence, VA 10:00am

GENERAL INFORMATON

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 source water include:  (1) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.  (2) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm-water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.  (3) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources: such as agriculture, urban storm-water runoff and residential uses.  (4) Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm-water runoff, and septic systems.  (5) Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.  In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Drinking water, including bottled drinking 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.  More information can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.  Immune-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.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

SOURCES OF YOUR DRINKING WATER

The sources of your drinking water are groundwater as described below:

Groundwater under the direct influence of surface water.

The Virginia Department of Health conducted a source water assessment of our system during 2001.  All well sources was determined to be of high susceptibility to contamination using the criteria developed by the state in its approved Source Water Assessment Program.  The assessment report consists of maps showing the source water assessment area, an inventory of known land use activities of concern, and documentation of any known contamination within the last 5 years.  The report is available by contacting Billy Cornett at the phone number or address given elsewhere in this drinking water quality report.

DEFINITIONS

Contaminants in your drinking water are routinely monitored according to Federal and State regulations.  The table on the next page shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st 2023.  In the table and elsewhere in this report you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with.  The following definitions are provided to help you better understand these terms:

Maximum Contaminant Level, or MCL – the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in the drinking water.  MCL’s are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or MCLG – the level of contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Non-detects (ND) – lab analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter – one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/l) – one part per trillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) – picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Action Level – the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) – a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) – nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity, or cloudiness of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.  Turbidity is monitored because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal or MRDLG – the level of 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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level or MRDL – 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.

WATER QUALITY RESULTS

VIOLATION INFORMATION

Your water system did not have any MCL or TT violations during the year.

The water quality results in the above table are from testing done in 2023.  However, the 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 accurate, is more than one year old.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  In developing the standards, EPA assumes that the average adult drinks 2 liters of water each day throughout a 70-year life span.  EPA generally sets MCLs at levels that will result in no adverse health effects for some contaminants or a one-in-ten-thousand to one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect for other contaminants.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  The Virginia-Carolina Water Authority  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 15 to 30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature 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 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

VIOLATION INFORMATION

Did any monitoring, reporting, or other violations occur during the year?   (  ) YES            (x ) NO

If yes, an explanation of the violation, including potential adverse health effects and steps we are taking to correct the violation, is as follows.