Apache Junction water quality report
The Apache Junction Water District (AJWD) is pleased to present the annual drinking water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report) for calendar year 2015. This report contains important information about the quality of your drinking water.
Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre el agua usted bebe. Tradúscalo ó hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.
Why Provide a Water Quality Report?
To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
Apache Junction Water District proudly produces a water quality report each year, so residents can learn about the health information of our water.
Where Does AJWD Water Come From?
AJWD supplies well water (groundwater) pumped from the Eastern Salt River Sub-Basin Aquifer which flows southwesterly under Apache Junction and its surrounding areas. The groundwater is treated for arsenic removal where necessary, disinfected with chlorine, pumped into
storage tanks and blended with Colorado River water transported through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system and treated
at the City of Mesa’s Brown Road Treatment Plant before being introduced into the distribution system.
The water supplied by AJWD meets all State and Federal safe drinking water standards.
Please contact Frank Blanco, District Director, at (480) 982-6030 to learn
more about what you can do to help protect your drinking water sources, with any questions about the annual drinking water quality report, to learn more about our system, or to attend scheduled public meetings. We want our valued customers to be informed about the services we provide and the quality water we deliver to you every day.
Source Water Assessment
In 2004, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) completed a source water assessment (SWA) of our water system to identify potential sources of contaminants to our drinking water. In this assessment, ADEQ reviewed the adjacent land use that may pose a potential risk to our water sources.
Based on the SWA, ADEQ has given AJWD a low risk designation for our source water. A low risk designation indicates that most source water protection measures are either already implemented or the hydrogeological setting is such that it protects the source water. This assessment report provides a one time evaluation of our source water. Further source water assessment documentation can be obtained by contacting ADEQ at (602) 771-4641.
What Could Be in Sources of Drinking Water?
The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) includes rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it can dissolve naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, 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 that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and
- 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
- Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources, like agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential
- Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also may come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
- Radioactive contaminants, that can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining
Should I Take Special Precautions for My 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 water poses a health risk.
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.
For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, or to receive a copy of the EPA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and microbiological contaminants, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
Additional Health Information about Nitrate, Arsenic, and Lead
- Nitrate: Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods-of-time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, and detected nitrate levels are above 5 ppm, you should ask advice from your health care
- Arsenic: If arsenic is less than or equal to the MCL, your drinking water meets EPA’s standards. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory
- 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. AJWD is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in residential plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can reduce 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 www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
AJWD Drinking Water Quality
AJWD routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to State and Federal standards. Samples are tested by a third party Arizona Department of Health Services Certified Laboratory.
Monitoring (Sampling) Results
The following tables show regulated substances that were required to be tested and were detected in very low levels in AJWD drinking water in 2015. AJWD monitored for many more substances which were not detected. The State of Arizona requires us to monitor certain contaminants less than once a year because concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year or our system is not considered vulnerable
to this type of contamination.
Total Coliform Bacteria
|
MCL |
MCLG |
Highest Monthly # | Highest Monthly % | Sample Year |
Violation |
Likely Source of Contamination |
|
| Apache Junction Water District | < 1
Monthly |
0 |
2* |
NA |
2015 |
Yes* |
Naturally present in environment |
| City of Mesa Distribution System | < 5%
Monthly |
0 |
3 |
0.9% |
2015 |
No |
Naturally present in environment |
* Violation
During the month of March 2015, AJWD experienced a Non-Acute Monthly MCL violation for total coliform. Field staff took 15 routine samples to test for the presence of coliform bacteria. Two of these samples preliminarily showed presence of total coli- form bacteria. Confirmation samples were taken and confirmed no presence of any bacteria was found in subsequent testing.
Since the standard was that no more than one routine sample result per month may be positive for the presence of total coliforms, we were required to inform our customers through public notice, which was sent out in April 2015.
Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule Part 3 (UCMR3)
From March 2015 through December 2015, we also monitored for unregulated substances. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires water systems to periodically assess the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water. A new list of contaminants is issued about every five years. Monitoring is performed at every location where source water enters the distribution system.
Some contaminants are also measured at points within the distribution system, where the water is consumed. The EPA uses this occurrence data, along with health effects studies, to determine if regulations are needed.
| Entry Point | Distribution System | ||||||
| Substance (Units) | MCL | Range (Low-High) | Avg | Range (Low-High) | Avg | Sample Year | Likely Source of Contamination |
| Chlorate (ppb) |
NA |
230 – 450 |
308 |
250 – 410 |
331 |
2015 |
Disinfection byproduct; Agricultural defoliant or desiccant |
| Chromium (ppb) |
100 |
ND – 1.8 |
1.2 |
.2 – 2 |
1.4 |
2015 |
Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from steel and pulp mills |
| Chromium, Hexavalent (ppb) |
NA |
.04 – 1.9 |
0.6 |
.13 – 1.9 |
1.4 |
2015 |
Naturally Occurring; Used in making steel and other alloys |
| Molybdenum (ppb) | NA | 4.3 – 8.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 – 6.5 | 6 | 2015 | Naturally Occurring |
| Strontium (ppb) | NA | 970 – 1500 | 1096 | 880 – 1100 | 968 | 2015 | Naturally Occurring |
| Vanadium (ppb) | NA | 1.9 – 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.2 – 3.1 | 2.9 | 2015 | Naturally Occurring |
Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants
All Following Results Meet Regulatory Standards
|
Parameter |
MCL |
MCLG |
AJWD
Range (Avg) |
Sample Year | City of Mesa Range (Avg) | Sample Year |
Likely Source in Drinking Water |
|
| INORGANIC CHEMICALS | ||||||||
| Arsenic (ppb) | 10 | 0 | 1.5 – 3.7 | 2015 | ND – 7.3 (4.2) | 2015 | Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards | |
| Barium (ppb) | 2000 | 2000 | 110 | 2013 | 2.0 – 118 (12) | 2015 | Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge of drilling wastes | |
| Chromium, Total (ppb) | 100 | 100 | ND—2 (1.3) | 2015 | ND – 19 (12) | 2015 | Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from steel mills | |
| Fluoride (Naturally Occurring)
(ppm) |
4 |
4 |
0.42 – 0.43 |
2013 |
0.29 – 1.2 (0.50) |
2015 |
Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from fertilizer factories | |
| Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen)
(ppm) |
10 |
10 |
0.26 – 0.26 |
2015 |
0.24 – 3.8 |
2015 |
Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaking from septic tanks |
|
| Selenium (ppb) | 50 | 50 | 3 | 2013 | ND – 2 | 2015 | Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from mines | |
| ORGANIC CHEMICALS | ||||||||
| Toluene (ppm) | 1 | 1 | 0 – 0.0006 | 2015 | ND | 2015 | Discharge from petroleum factories | |
| Xylene (ppm) | 10 | 10 | 0.0005 -0.0008 | 2015 | ND | 2015 | Discharge from chemical factories | |
| RADIONUCLIDES | ||||||||
| Alpha Particles (piC/L) | 15 | 0 | 2.4 – 2.4 | 2014 | ND – 4.4 (1.8) | 2012 | Erosion of natural deposits | |
| Combined Radium (pCi/L) | 5 | 0 | ND | 2014 | ND | 2012 | Erosion of natural deposits | |
| DISINFECTANTS & DISINFECTANT BYPRODUCTS | ||||||||
| Parameter |
MCL |
MCLG |
Range (Highest Level) | Sample Year | Range (Highest Level) | Sample Year | Likely Source in Drinking Water | |
| Free Chlorine Residual (ppm) | MRDL
= 4 |
MRDLG
= 4 |
0.78-1.14 (0.92) | 2015 | ND – 2.6 (1.0) | 2015 | Water additive used to control microbes | |
| Chlorine Dioxide (ppb) | MRDL
= 800 |
MRDLG
= 800 |
NA | 2015 | <10 – 26 (NA) | 2015 | Water additive used to control microbes | |
| Chlorite (ppm) | 1 | 0.8 | NA | 2015 | 0.08 – 0.6 (0.2) | 2015 | Byproduct of chlorine dioxide disinfection | |
| Haleoacetic Acids (HAA5)
(ppb) |
LRAA
= 60 |
NA |
5.7 – 11.1 (9) |
2015 |
ND – 27 (22) |
2015 |
Byproduct of drinking water disinfection |
|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
(ppb) |
LRAA
= 60 |
NA |
12.8 – 39.9 (30) |
2015 |
1.5 – 98 (75) |
2015 |
Byproduct of drinking water disinfection |
|
| LEAD & COPPER | ||||||||
| Parameter | AL | ALG | Range (90th Percentile) | Sample Year | Range (90th Percentile) | Sample Year | Likely Source in Drinking Water | |
| Lead (ppb) | 15 | 0 | ND – 8.6 (2.4) | 2013 | ND – 7.6 (4.2) | 2015 | Erosion; Corrosion of household plumbing systems | |
| Copper (ppb) | 1300 | 1300 | 1 – 270 (220) | 2013 | 7.5 – 163 (90) | 2015 | Erosion; Corrosion of household plumbing systems | |
