PWS ID # NJ1522001

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

The Pine Beach Water Department

Following is this year's Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day.

The Pine Beach Water Department routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 2021.  The state allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants does not change frequently.  Some of our data, though representative, are more than one year old.

If you are a landlord, you must distribute this Drinking Water Quality Report to every tenant as soon as practicable, but no later than three business days after receipt. Delivery must be done by hand, mail, or email, and by posting the information in a prominent location at the entrance of each rental premises, pursuant to section #3 of NJ P.L. 2021, c.82 (C.58:12A-12.4 et seq.).

Our water source: We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water.  Our water source is wells.  Our two wells draw groundwater from the Kirkwood Aquifer, and are over 170 feet deep.     We're pleased to present to you this year's Annual Quality Water Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and 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 source is (name the source and type, i.e., wells, OurwellsdrawfromtheDuncanAquifer, surface water, i.e., River Jordan or we purchase our water from the City of Waterville which is treated surface water from Lake Duncan.)  (This is REQUIRED information). tc \l1 " We're pleased to present to you this year's Annual Quality Water Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and 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 source is (name the source and type, i.e., wells, OurwellsdrawfromtheDuncanAquifer, surface water, i.e., River Jordan or we purchase our water from the City of Waterville which is treated surface water from Lake Duncan.)  (This is REQUIRED information). The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has completed and issued the Source Water Assessment Report and Summary for this public water system, which is available by logging onto NJDEP’s source water assessment web site at WWW.state.nj.us/dep/swap or by contacting NJDEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water at (609) 292-5550.  You may also contact your public water system at 732-349-6425.  This water system’s susceptibility ratings and a list of potential contaminant sources is attached.

Vulnerable populations:  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/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).

Chlorine: Water additive used to control microbes

Waivers:  The Safe Drinking Water Act regulations allow monitoring waivers to reduce or eliminate the monitoring requirements for asbestos, volatile organic chemicals and synthetic organic chemicals.  Our system received a monitoring waiver for synthetic organic chemicals.

For additional information:  If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Michael Sedlak at 732-349-6425.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Borough Council meetings at Borough Hall, 599 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.

Potential sources of contamination: 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 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 storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas projection, mining, or farming.

·         Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

·         Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, also come from gas stations, urban storm water 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, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

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.

Definitions:

In the “Table of Detections” you may find some terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

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

Parts per million (ppm) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) - 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.

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.  MCLGs 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.

Sources of Lead in Drinking Water

Although most lead exposure occurs from inhaling dust or from contaminated soil, or when children eat paint chips, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates that 10 to 20 percent of human exposure to lead may come from lead in drinking water. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40 percent to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water. Lead is rarely found in the source of your drinking water but enters tap water through corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and household plumbing materials. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipes, brass, and chrome-brass faucets, and in some cases, service lines made of or lined with lead.  New brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free”, may still contain a small percentage of lead, and contribute lead to drinking water. The law currently allows end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, with up to 0.25 percent lead to be labeled as “lead free”. However, prior to January 4, 2014, “lead free” allowed up to 8 percent lead content of the wetted surfaces of plumbing products including those labeled National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certified. Visit the NSF website at www.nsf.org to learn more about lead-containing plumbing fixtures. Consumers should be aware of this when choosing fixtures and take appropriate precautions. When water stands in lead service lines, lead pipes, or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon if the water has not been used all day, can contain fairly high levels of lead.

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water

For a full list of steps visit: https://www.state.nj.us/dep/watersupply/dwc-lead-consumer.html

Run the cold water to flush out lead.  Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in the faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer the water resides in plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold-water faucet. Let the water run from the cold-water tap based on the length of the lead service line and the plumbing configuration in your home. In other words, the larger the home or building and the greater the distance to the water main (in the street), the more water it will take to flush properly. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It usually uses less than one gallon of water.

Use cold, flushed water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Because lead from lead-containing plumbing materials and pipes can dissolve into hot water more easily than cold water, never drink, cook, or prepare beverages including baby formula using hot water from the tap. If you have not had your water sampled or if you know, it is recommended that bottled or filtered water be used for drinking and preparing baby formula. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and then heat it.

Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead; however, it is still safe to wash dishes and do laundry. Lead will not soak into dishware or most clothes.

Use alternative sources or treatment of water. You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter. Read the package to be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead or contact NSF International at 800-NSF-8010 or www.nsf.org for information on performance standards for water filters.

Determine if you have interior lead plumbing or solder. If your home/building was constructed prior to 1987, it is important to determine if interior lead solder or lead pipes are present. You can check yourself, hire a licensed plumber, or check with your landlord.

Replace plumbing fixtures and service lines containing lead. Replace brass faucets, fittings, and valves that do not meet the current definition of “lead free” from 2014 (as explained above). Visit the NSF website at www.nsf.org to learn more about lead-containing plumbing fixtures.

Remove and clean aerators/screens on plumbing fixtures. Over time, particles and sediment can collect in the aerator screen. Regularly remove and clean aerators screens located at the tip of faucets and remove any particles.

Test your water for lead.  Please call Michael Sedlak at 732-349-6425 to find out how to get your water tested for lead. Testing is essential because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water.

Get your child tested. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about lead exposure.  New Jersey law requires that children be tested for lead in their blood at both 1 and 2 years of age and before they are 6 years old if they have never been tested before or if they have been exposed to a known source of lead.

Have an electrician check your wiring. If grounding wires from the electrical system are attached to your pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed electrician or your local electrical code to determine if your wiring can be grounded elsewhere. DO NOT attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.

Water softeners and reverse osmosis units will remove lead from water but can also make the water more corrosive to lead solder and plumbing by removing certain minerals; therefore, the installation of these treatment units at the point of entry into homes with lead plumbing should only be done under supervision of a qualified water treatment professional.

Health Effects of Lead

Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Scientists have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children. Adults with kidney problems and high blood pressure can be affected by low levels of lead more than healthy adults. Lead is stored in the bones, and it can be released later in life. During pregnancy, the child receives lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about lead exposure. You can find out more about how to get your child tested and how to pay for it at https://www.state.nj.us/health/childhoodlead/testing.shtml.

Pine Beach Water Department - PWSID # NJ1522001

Pine Beach Water Department is a public community water system consisting of 2 wells.

This system’s source water comes from the following aquifer: Kirkwood-Cohansey Watertable Aquifer System

This system can purchase water from the following water systems: Berkeley Water Department, Beachwood Water Department.

Susceptibility Ratings for Pine Beach Water Department Sources

The table below illustrates the susceptibility ratings for the seven contaminant categories (and radon) for each source in the system.  The table provides the number of wells and intakes that rated high (H), medium (M), or low (L) for each contaminant category.  For susceptibility ratings of purchased water, refer to the specific water system’s source water assessment report.

The seven contaminant categories are defined at the bottom of this page.  DEP considered all surface water highly susceptible to pathogens, therefore all intakes received a high rating for the pathogen category.  For the purpose of Source Water Assessment Program, radionuclides are more of a concern for ground water than surface water.  As a result, surface water intakes’ susceptibility to radionuclides was not determined and they all received a low rating.

If a system is rated highly susceptible for a contaminant category, it does not mean a customer is or will be consuming contaminated drinking water.  The rating reflects the potential for contamination of source water, not the existence of contamination. Public water systems are required to monitor for regulated contaminants and to install treatment if any contaminants are detected at frequencies and concentrations above allowable levels.  As a result of the assessments, DEP may customize (change existing) monitoring schedules based on the susceptibility ratings.