2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
 Pearl River Valley Water Supply District 
PWS#: 450019, 450024, 610035 & 610036

April 2024

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.

Contact & Meeting Information

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Larry Wilcher at 769.218.7202. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please join us at any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the third Thursday of the month at 9:30 AM at 115 Madison Landing Circle, Ridgeland, MS.

Source of Water

Our water source is from wells drawing from the Cockfield and Sparta Sand Aquifers. The source water assessment has been completed for our public water system to determine the overall susceptibility of its drinking water supply to identify potential sources of contamination. A report containing detailed information on how the susceptibility determinations were made has been furnished to our public water system and is available for viewing upon request. The wells for the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District have received lower to moderate rankings in terms of susceptibility to contamination.

Period Covered by Report

We routinely monitor for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws. This report is based on results of our monitoring period of January 1st to December 31st , 2023. In cases  where monitoring wasn’t required in 2023, the table reflects the  most recent testing done in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations.

As water travels over the surface of land or underground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials and can pick up substances or contaminants from the presence of animals or from human activity; microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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 production, 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 by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations 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 that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It's important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

Terms and Abbreviations

In the table you may find unfamiliar terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

Action Level (AL) : The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): 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 (MCLG): 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 to control microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk of health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter: one part by weight of analyte to 1 billion parts by weight of the water sample.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l): one part by weight of analyte to 1 million parts by weight of the water sample.

* Most recent sample. No sample required for 2023.

** Fluoride level is routinely adjusted to the MS State Dept of Health’s recommended level of 0.6 - 1.2 mg/l.

Unregulated Contaminants:

Sodium. EPA recommends that drinking water sodium not exceed 20 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Excess sodium from salt in the diet increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a monthly basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. In an effort to ensure systems complete all monitoring requirements, MSDH now notifies systems of any missing samples prior to the end of the compliance period.

LEAD INFORMATION

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. Our 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 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 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. The Mississippi State Department of Health Public Health Laboratory offers lead testing. Please contact 601.576.7582 if you wish to have your water tested.

FLUORIDE INFORMATION

To comply with the “Regulation Governing Fluoridation of Community Water Supplies”, our system is required to report certain results pertaining to fluoridation of our water system.

For System # 450019 the number of months in the previous calendar year in which average fluoride sample results were within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 11. The percentage of fluoride samples collected in the previous calendar year that was within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 92%. The number of months samples were collected and analyzed in the previous calendar year was 12.

For System # 450024 the number of months in the previous calendar year in which average fluoride sample results were within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 8. The percentage of fluoride samples collected in the previous calendar year that was within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 58%. The number of months samples were collected and analyzed in the previous calendar year was 12.

For System # 610035 the number of months in the previous calendar year in which average fluoride sample results were within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 10. The percentage of fluoride samples collected in the previous calendar year that was within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 83%. The number of months samples were collected and analyzed in the previous calendar year was 12.

For System # 610036 the number of months in the previous calendar year in which average fluoride sample results were within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 11. The percentage of fluoride samples collected in the previous calendar year that was within the optimal range of 0.6-1.2 ppm was 94%. The number of months samples were collected and analyzed in the previous calendar year was 12.

VIOLATIONS

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all Federal and State requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminants have been detected however the EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.

All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man-made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. 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 the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1.800.426.4791.

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 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 1.800.426.4791.

The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District works around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.