In general, 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 activities. Contaminants that 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 tap water is safe to drink, the State and the 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 source is surface water drawn from the St. Lawrence River. During 2005, our system did not experience any restriction of our water source. The water is pumped from the intake by a low lift pump station to the filtration plant where it is filtered and disinfected before being pumped into the distribution system.

In 2005, water customers within the village limits were charged $0.80 per 1,000 gallons of water plus a $35 quarterly service charge. Users outside the village are charged $2.50 per K gallon plus $45 quarterly service charge. Bulk sales at the filtration plant are $7.50 per K gallon.

As the State regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total coliform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, and synthetic organic compounds. 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.

Since 1994, The Village of Cape Vincent has been testing a representative number of homes for the presence of Lead and Copper in tap water. The Village is currently required to sample 10 homes every three years. The last round of sampling took place on September 13, 2005. Action Levels were not exceeded during the 2005 round of sampling.

2 – Regulations require that 95% of the combined filter effluent turbidity levels are below 0.5NTU. The highest filter effluent at our plant was 0.177 NTU recorded on August 1, 2004. 100% of the combined filter effluent turbidities were below the MCL.

3 – The level presented represents the 90^th percentile of the 10 sites tested. A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it. The 90^th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water system. In this case, ten samples were collected at your water system and the 90^th percentile value was the ninth highest value. The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

4 – The level presented represents the 90^th percentile of the 10 samples collected. The action level for lead was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

5 – Water containing more than 20 mg/l of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on severely restricted sodium diets. Water containing more than 270 mg/l of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on moderately restricted sodium diets.

6 – This level represents the annual quarterly average calculated from data collected.

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.

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.

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.

Non-Detects (ND): Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): A measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Milligrams per liter (mg/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid (parts per million - ppm).

Parts per billion - ppb

Although our drinking water met or exceeded state and federal regulations, some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 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).

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:

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:

During the summer of 2005, village crews, with the assistance of New York Rural Water Association, located and repaired two substantial water leaks in the village distribution system. Water department personnel continued replacing old water meters and installing meters on previously unmetered water services.

The NYS DOH has evaluated this PWS’s susceptibility to contamination under the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP), and their findings are summarized in the paragraphs below. It is important to stress that these assessments were created using available information and only estimate the potential for source water contamination has or will occur for this PWS. Elevated susceptibility ratings do not mean that source water contamination has or will occur for this PWS. This PWS provides treatment and regular monitoring to ensure the water delivered to consumers meets all applicable standards.

The Great Lakes’ watershed is exceptionally large and too big for a detailed evaluation in the SWAP. General drinking water concerns for public water supplies which use these sources include: storm generated turbidity, wastewater, toxic sediments, shipping related spills, and problems associated with exotic species (e.g. zebra mussels – intake clogging and taste and odor problems). The summary below is based on the analysis of the contaminant inventory compiled for the drainage area deemed most likely to impact drinking water quality at the PWS intake.

The assessment found an elevated susceptibility to contamination for this source of drinking water. The amount of agricultural lands in the assessment area results in elevated potential for microbials, DBP precursors, and pesticides contamination. While there are some facilities present, permitted discharges do not likely represent an important threat to source water quality based on their density in the assessment area. There are no noteworthy contamination threats associated with other discrete contaminant sources.

A copy of the assessment can be obtained by contacting the supplier of water.

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking water this year. 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.