Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

To comply with State and Federal regulations, The Village of Hunter Water Department will be annually issuing a report describing the quality of your drinking water. The current report covers the period of 1/1/16 through 12/31/16. The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources. Last year, your tap water met all State drinking water standards. This report provides an overview of last year’s water quality. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to State standards. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking water, please contact Joseph Myers, Water Department, 518-263-5030.

In general, the sources of drinking water (both tap 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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activities. Contaminants which may be present in source water include microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and radioactive contaminants. In order to ensure that your tap water is safe to drink, the State and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribe regulations which 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.

Our water system serves approximately 896 people through 756 service connections. Our water supply consists of four wells and a surface reservoir. The reservoir is located off Ski Bowl Road and Riverside Drive. Well #1 produces 170 gallons per minute, well #2 produces 115 gallons per minute, and well #3 produces 140 gallons per minute. Well#4 is new to the system and is permitted for 30 gallons per minute. The system has two storage tanks. One tank has a capacity of 500,000 gallons and the other tank has a capacity of 150,000 gallons.

The reservoir water is no longer under a filtration avoidance permit because it is now being filtered at the new Water Treatment Plant located on Ethel’s Court. The water plant utilizes a two stage, pressure filter system and can produce up to 375 gallons per minute. The water is disinfected with chlorine and ultraviolet light before it is sent to the distribution system. The water plant went on-line in August, 2007.

As the State regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total coliform, inorganic compounds, nitrates, nitrites, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, synthetic organic compounds, and radiological contaminants. The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water. The State allows us to test 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.

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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or the local NYSDOH office at:

New York State Department of Health – Oneonta District Office
28 Hill Street, Suite 201
Oneonta 14820-9804
607/432-3911

Some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 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 (800-426-4791).

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 New York State requirements.

We have learned through our testing that some contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants were detected below current federal drinking water requirements. Although arsenic was detected (during testing in 2004 & 2009) below the federal MCL, it was detected at 2.4 ug/l(well#2, 2004) & 7ug/l(well#1, 2009), therefore, we are required to present the following information:

While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic; it did contain low levels of arsenic when testing was done in 2004, 2009, 2012 and 2014. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the cost of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.

During 2016, our system was in compliance with applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.

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 Hunter 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.

Although our system has an adequate amount of water to meet present and future demands, there are a number of reasons why it is important to conserve water:

• Saving water saves energy and some of the costs associated with both of these necessities of life;
• Saving water reduces the cost of energy required to pump water and the need to construct costly new wells, pumping systems and water towers; and
• Saving water lessens the strain on the water system during a dry spell or drought, helping to avoid severe water use restrictions so that essential firefighting needs are met. You can play a role in conserving water by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using, and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water. Conservation tips include:
• Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it up and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.
• Check your 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 from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you 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, then check the meter after 15 minutes. If it moved, you have a leak.

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements which will benefit all of our customers. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community. Please call our office if you have questions.

Village of Hunter Water Department
(518) 263-5030