Matamoras Municipal Authority

Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras

304 Pennsylvania Avenue
Matamoras, PA 18336

Phone: (570) 491-2715
Fax: (570) 491-9911
Email: matawtr@optonline.net

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to call our borough office at (570) 491-2771. You can also e-mail the Borough of Matamoras via this address: info@matamorasborough.com

7/19/2018
PWS ID#: 2520044

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras

Este informe contiene informacion muy importante sobre su agua potable. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien gue lo entienda bien.

We are pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the water quality and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a 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. Our water sources come from five wells. Well #3 and well #5 are located in Westfall Township. Well #7 is located in the Matamoras Borough; this well is currently inactive. Well #8 and well #9 are located in the Matamoras Borough. Well #3 and well #5 come from the Mahantango Formation Aquifer. Well #7, #8 and #9 come from the Pleistocene Outwash Aquifer. After distribution of water from the wells, the excess water is stored into two reservoirs. The large reservoir is located in Westfall Township and has a storage capacity of 750,000 gallons of water. The small reservoir has a storage capacity of 300,000 gallons of water and is also located in Westfall Township.

We are currently in compliance with all federal and state water quality requirements.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Kathy Foss or Julia Romer at the Municipal Authority (570) 491-2715. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the first Wednesday of each month except for the months of January and July, which are held on the second Wednesday of the month. The meetings are held at the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras’ office at 304 Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras, PA.

The Authority’s notification system (Swiftreach Networks) a requirement by DEP, alerts our customers of emergencies and pertinent information. (ex: notification of hydrant flushing or boiler advisories)

The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras completed considerably more monitoring and testing than the results in the table of test results (following) because the table only indicates contaminants from tests that had any detections. The table includes test results for the period of January 1st to December 31st 2017.

Your water supplier has three bacteriological samples collected each month from the distribution system. The pH and level of chlorine is continually checked within the system. As of May 1, 2011, the Authority was required to also monitor the level of chlorine each day at the entry locations from each well.

The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras is required to monitor for 14 different inorganic contaminants and 21 different volatile organic contaminants, and Nitrates and Nitrites on a regular schedule. We are also required to test for five TTHM, five HAA5 and radioactive contaminants in your drinking water, such as radon. In 2011, we were also required to start testing for SOC’s; causing a dramatic increase in expenses for the Authority. The Authority tested for the chromium – hexavalent in 2011 at which there were no reportable detects.

In the table of test results, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we’ve provided the following definitions:

Parts per million (ppm) of 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(µg/L) – one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

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 treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level – The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is 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 – The “Goal” (MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCGLs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant 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 Disinfectant 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 contamination.

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constants that are naturally occurring or man- made. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials. All 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 the 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 at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL’s are set at very stringent levels for health effects. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Total Coliform: The Total Coliform Rule requires water systems to meet a stricter limit for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are usually harmless, but their presence in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria. When coliform bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply. If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio. We would also contact you through our automated telephone service.

Information about Lead

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 Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras 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.

DETECTED SAMPLE RESULTS:

Chemical Contaminants

MCL in CCR

Level

Range of

Violation

Contaminant

Units

MCLG

Detected

Detections

Units

Sample Date

Y/N

NITRATE

10

10

.903

<0.100-.903

MG/L

2017

N

Sources of Contamination: Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage. Erosion of natural deposits.

NITRITE

1

1

<0.005

<0.005-<0.005

MG/L

2017

N

URANIUM

RL: .140

.907+/-.016 ugl

02/10/16

N

Manganese

Secondary contaminant

0.364

MG/L

12/2015

N

Minimum Disinfectant

Lowest Level

Range of

Sample

Violation

Contaminant

Residiual

Detected

Detections

Units

Date

Y/N

Entry Point Disinfectant

Residual-Chlorine

0.4

0.40

0.40-1.46

MG/L

2017

N

Sources of Contamination: Water additive used to control microbes.

If any entry point disinfectant residual is below the minimum disinfectant residual value for mote than 4 hours, the Authority would be in violation for failing to maintain 4-log treatment of viruses

Distribution Disinfectant

Lowest

Highest

Residual-Chlorine

0.10

0.84

MG/L

2017

N

Lead and Copper

90th percentile

# of Sites Above AL of

Contaminant

Action Level (AL)

MCGL

Value

Units

Total Sites

LEAD

0.015

0

MG/L

0

Sources of Contamination: Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits.

COPPER

1.3

0.234

MG/L

0

Sources of Contamination: Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits, leaching from wood preservatives.

Microbial

Contaminants

MCL

MCLG

Highest # or % of Positive Samples

Violation Y/N

Total Coliform Bacteria

*see below

0

One positive sample

N

MCL: For systems that collect <40 samples/month: More than 1 positive monthly sample, for systems that collect > or = to 40

samples/month: 5% of monthly samples are positive

Sources of Contamination: Naturally present in the environment.

Fecal Coliform Bacteria

0

0

0

N

Sources of Contamination:

Human and animal fecal waste.

Contaminants

MCLG

Total # of Positive Samples

Violation Y/N

E. coli

0

0

N

Sources of Contamination:

Human and animal fecal waste.

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 of 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).

This notice will be sent to you with your October 2018 billing. You may pick up a report prior to the October 2018 billing at the office located at 304 Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras, PA.

The Authority has been actively replacing watermains and just completed additional watermains in parts of Westfall Township. The Authority was fortunate to receive a partial grant through USDA to use towards this project. As with our normal procedures, customers affected will be notified prior to construction. We would like to thank our customers for all their patience during these watermain projects.

There are many customers that are receiving estimates on their bills. Please remember to keep debris from your outside meter unit so our water operator can have access to read it. It is important that you call with a read from your meter if it is requested on your bill; this will allow the office to adjust your estimated bill.

All customers should have backflow preventer devices on their water system. This device prevents anything from the home owner’s water system going back into the water supply system. We would like to remind you that these devices must be checked every year. The Authority will do spot inspections with the customers to make sure they are complying with this requirement.

Tips on “Conserving Water”

  • Check for dripping faucets (including outdoor) and leaking toilets, they account for as much as 14% of all indoor water use, equivalent to 10 gallons per person of water lost per day. An average of 20% of all toilets leak.
  • Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth, rinse with a glass of water.
  • Run dishwasher and clothes washers only when full.
  • Water your garden only when needed. Water in the early morning or end of day to decrease evaporation. Incorporate rain barrels for watering gardens.
  • There are many other ways to conserve water. Share your ideas with your neighbors on water conservation; water is a very valuable resource.

Please call our office if you have any questions.

OWNERS MUST MAKE AVAILABLE TO THEIR TENANTS THIS INFORMATION AND ANY ALERTS SENT VIA THE AUTHORITY’S AUTOMATED TELEPHONE SERVICE. The Authority does not keep records of rental properties; therefore it is the responsibility of the landlords to get any information to their tenants. Additional copies of this report will be available at 304 Pennsylvania Avenue, the office building of the water company.

The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Matamoras

Norman Dexter, Chairman