Dear City of Americus Water Customers:

We are pleased to present to you by this letter our 2010 Water Quality Report. We are required by law to send this assurance report annually so our customers are informed about the quality of the water you are consuming.

Your water meets all state and federal requirements for safety

We are pleased to report that we conducted more than 9,678 tests for over 90 drinking water contaminants and detected only 5 contaminants. These contaminants did not affect the water quality. Your drinking water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements. This brochure is a snapshot of the quality of the water we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. We are committed to providing you with the information because we want you to be informed. For more information about your water call 229- 924 - 4419 and ask for Rick Leisner.

Special population advisory

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/Center For Disease Control guidelines on how to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800-426-4791.

Public participation opportunities

Your City Council meets monthly at the Public Safety Building. Contact Paula Martin, City Clerk at 229-924-4411, to obtain the dates for these meetings. Please feel free to participate in these meetings and find out about your drinking water.

Drinking water sources

Your water comes from ground water wells located throughout the City of Americus. Wellhead protection program information for the Americus wells can be obtained from CH2M HILL , PO Box 526 Americus, Ga. 31719. An assessment was done to determine Potential Pollution Sources (PPS) within the City’s system. Sources include: electrical transformers, utility poles, vehicle parking areas, sewer lines, roads, railroad tracks, abandoned wells, diesel generators, dumpsters, abandoned vehicles, industrial facilities, and water treatment facilities.

Contaminants in water

Drinking water, including bottled water, is reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.

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 can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water before we treat it 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 & herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential use.

·         Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring.

·         Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also can come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

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.  Your water system 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 3o 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,

Water quality monitoring

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. We treat our water according to EPA’s regulations. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Water quality data

The table in this report lists all the drinking water contaminants we detected during the 2010 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table are from testing conducted January 1 through December 31, 2010. The state requires 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, may be more than one year old.

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