Welcome To The Water & Sewer Department - Town Of Plainville Massachusetts 02762



			Keep watching - we will be changing and adding content here regularly. ------------------------------------------------- 2007 AMENDED OUTDOOR WATER USE RESTRICTIONS JUNE 22, 2007 Effective Immediately ****** An automatic device is anything that dispenses water, which is not hand held ****** TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LAWN 4-13-2006 1.Good Soil Preparation is essential. Make sure the soil is 4-6 inches thick, a nice mixture of topsoil and compost will give you a great head start. 2.Use drought resistant grasses.Examples are: fescues,indiangrass,big bluestem,canada blusgrass and some kentucky bluegrass. 3.Don't mow it down too short! 2" is too short, 3" is good.Make sure the blade is sharp. 4.Water infrequently and thoroughly.Deep enough to wet the roots and a little deeper. Light watering discourages deep roots and leaves grass more apt to act badly to drought. 5.Water in the early morning, avoid watering when windy or when the ground is already wet. 1" of water per week on average is all that's needed. Fungus can be caused by overwatering and keeping the grass blades too wet too long, this is not good practice. 6. Some shade can be good for protection of your grass. 7. Reducing the size of your lawn can help you save money and can help the town maintain it's water system. 8. Plant some wildflowers and other native plants and shrubs. They don't require as much water. 9. Be very careful when applying any fertilizers and or pesticides. They ALL have an effect on the environment,(especially the groundwater). Read all the labels and familiarize yourself with proper use and storage before taking any action. When in doubt call the agricultural office of the UMass extension service for assistance 413-545-2311. 10. Use "rainbarrels" to catch roof runoff when it rains. Plainville Board of Health will be sponsoring a program in the near future Please cantact them for information. FAST FACTS On average 50 to 70 percent of home water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens. This is variable across the country due to differing climatic conditions. Multi-family settings are much different, with indoor use being greater. ------------------------------------------------- DID YOU KNOW ? The average household water use annually in the U.S.A. is 127,400 gallons. Average daily household water use is 350 gallons. Did you know that 1 inch of rain on 1 square mile of area equals approximately 17,379,000 gallons of water! Today most of that water runs off as "stormwater" into drains, rivers and lakes before it has a chance to "recharge" the local area groundwater. Stormwater runoff has become an increasingly more important aspect of the Water Department's concern for quality and quantity issues. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has just issued new guidelines for water suppliers in Massachusetts. One such guideline requires, that water suppliers attempting to increase their water management permits or install new wells, will be limited to supplying their customers with an annual average of 65 gallons per person per day. There is a goal at DEP to try and have all water users conserve on consumption. Are you doing your part ? For help on how to figure your average daily useage call us, we'll be glad to help you and explain to you how you can do this very simply. 508-695-6871 or 508-643-1589. Watch for more here in the future. _________________________________________________ 2004 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for Plainville, Massachusetts DEP PWSID # 4238000 This report is a snapshot of drinking water quality that we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to state and federal standards. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies. PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM INFORMATION Address: PO Box 1565 – 171 East Bacon Street Contact person: James R. Marshall,Jr. , Superintendent Telephone 508-695-6871 Fax 508-695-6736 supt@plvws.org Internet: plvws.org Water System Improvements Our water system is routinely inspected by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP inspects our system for its technical, financial and managerial capacity to provide safe drinking water to you. To insure that we provided the highest quality of water available, your water system is operated by a Massachusetts certified operator who oversees the routine operations of our system. As part of our ongoing commitment to you, last year we added new disinfection treatment equipment at the Turnpike Lake Well Water Treatment Plant. This equipment was added as a result of failure to comply with regulations governing the groundwater under the direct influence of surface water rule established by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and in accordance with an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) agreed to by the Massachusetts DEP and the Plainville Water Department. Opportunities for Public Participation If you would like to participate in discussions regarding your water quality, you may attend the Water Commissioners meetings or participate in the Citizen Advisory Committee for Water Supply meetings held throughout the year. Your Drinking Water Sources Your drinking water comes from the following sources: Source name DEP Source ID# Source type Location of Source Well #1 4238-01G Groundwater off East Bacon Street Well #2 4238-02G Groundwater off East Bacon Street Well #3 4238-03G Groundwater off West Bacon Street Well #5 4238-05G Groundwater off George Street Is my water treated? Yes. The water from wells 1,2 and 5 are treated at the Turnpike Lake Well Water Treatment Plant and the water from well 3 is treated at the Whiting Street Treatment Plant in North Attleboro. Our water system makes every effort to provide you with safe drinking water. To improve the quality of the water delivered to you, we treat it to remove several contaminants. At the Turnpike Lake Plant water is chemically treated for corrosion control with the addition of sodium hydroxide to elevate the pH of the water in order to control lead and copper from getting into the water from plumbing systems. Iron and manganese are removed through filtration by greensand pressure filtration in combination with oxidation using the addition of potassium permanganate. We add a disinfectant, chlorine, to protect you against microbial contamination and the water is further sanitized by the use of ultra-violet light. At the North Attleboro treatment plant our water is mixed with water from four of their sources and treated for iron and manganese removal as it is in Plainville, fluoride is added at a dose of 1.0 parts per million and the water is aerated for the removal of volatile organic compounds and chlorinated for disinfection purposes. How are these sources protected? These sources are protected by the ownership of the land immediately surrounding them. This is a minimum of 400’ in radius around the well called the Zone 1. The Zone II area, which is identified as the area providing water to the well(s) after 180 days of no recharge during normal pumping conditions is protected by local zoning bylaws which control certain activities within this area that may adversely affect the groundwater. SUBSTANCES FOUND IN TAP WATER Sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoir, 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, and 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 byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also can come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems. 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, the DEP and U.S. EPA prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by the public water systems. The Food and Drug Administartion and Massachusetts Department of Public Health regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. 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 EPA’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 some infants can be particularly at risk form infections. These people should seek the advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) guidelines on lowering the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS 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. Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level(MRDL)-the highest level of a disinfectant (chlorine, chloromines, chlorine dioxide) 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-the level of a drinking water disinfectant (chlorine, chloromines, chlorine dioxide) below which there is no known expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants. Treatment Technique (TT)-A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. Action Level-the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow. 90th Percentile-out of ten homes sampled, 9 were not at or below this level. Variance and exemptions-state or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions. Test For Units MCL Results MCLG Violation Where tested How it gets into drinking water Nitrate mg/L 10 1.08 - 1.31 - No finished water Natural deposits stormwater fertilizer runoff Nitrite mg/L 1 <0.05 - No finished water Natural deposits stormwater fertilizer runoff Fluoride mg/L 4 .11-1.0 No finished water Naturally added for dental health Sodium mg/L None 38.4 No finished water naturally stormwater winter road maintenance Range 90% value Action Level MCLG # homes # homes sampled above MCLG Lead 0-0.003 0.007 15 ppb 0 43 2 household Coper 0-0.54 1.24 1.3 ppm 0 43 3 plumbing leachate stormwater Plainville elementary schools were tested for lead and copper lead ranged between 0.0 and 0.003 mg/l copper ranged between 0.03 and 0.36 mg/L ------------------------------------------------- STORMWATER EDUCATION 4-13-2004 Plainville Water and Sewer Department is the co-ordianating agency of a $36,000.00 grant from the DEP and EPA for the creation of a stormwater education program amongst the communities within the Ten Mile River Basin. Supt. Marshall and other members are meeting with GeoSyntec Consulting to establish education materials for the purpose of teching people about the environmental effects of stormwater. There is a website for viewing, check it out at http://projects.geosyntec.com/tenmile Please call us and let us know what you think. Information relative to stormwater is useful for all river basins.