Keesler's annual water quality report released Published June 21, 2012 By 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron 81st Medical Group KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Consumer Confidence Report 2012 We are pleased to present this year's annual water quality report as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. This report is designed to provide details about where your water comes from, what it contains and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. This report is a snapshot of last year's water quality. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are our best allies. Last year, we conducted tests for more than 80 contaminants. We only detected 11 contaminants and found only one at a level higher than the Environmental Protection Agency allows. For more information call (228) 376-0590. Do I need to take special precautions? Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy; people who have undergone organ transplants; people with HIV, AIDS or other immune system disorders; the elderly and infants. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health-care providers. The Safe Water Drinking Hotline, 1-800-426-4791, provides EPA and Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are. Where does my water come from? Keesler's drinking water is pumped from the Lower Graham Ferry Aquifer, a groundwater source. All water provided to Keesler is pumped from wells located on base property. The water from the wells is mixed, treated, stored and distributed. Source water assessment and its availability The purpose of a source water assessment is to determine the quality of the raw water used for drinking water. At Keesler, the only treatment performed on source water is the addition of chlorine and fluoride. Because of the limited chemical treatment, the analytical results for Keesler's drinking water are representative of its source water. Why are there contaminants in my drinking water? 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. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791. The sources of drinking water, both tap 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: 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 stormwater 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 stormwater 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 alsocome from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. To ensure tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that 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. How can I get involved? Education is the key to getting involved and understanding your drinking water. Additional information is available from the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ Description of water treatment process Your water is treated by disinfection. Disinfection involves the addition of chlorine or other disinfectant to kill dangerous bacteria and microorganisms that may be in the water. Disinfection is considered to be one of the major public health advances of the 20th century. Other information To comply with the "Regulation Governing Fluoridation of Community Water Supplies," Keesler is required to report certain results pertaining to fluoridation of our water system. The number of months in the previous calendar year that average fluoride sample results were within the optimal range of 0.7-1.3 parts per million was 11. The percentage of fluoride samples collected in the previous calendar year that was within the optimal range of 0.7-1.3 ppm was 70 percent. Monitoring and reporting of compliance data violations -- A message from the Mississippi State Department of Health concerning radiological sampling In accordance with the Radionuclides Rule, all community public water supplies were required to sample quarterly for radionuclides beginning January-December 2007. Your public water supply completed sampling by the scheduled deadline; however, during an audit of the Mississippi State Department of Health Radiological Health Laboratory, the EPA suspended analyses and reporting of radiological compliance samples and results until further notice. Although this was not the result of inaction by the public water supply, MSDH was required to issue a violation. This is to notify you that as of this date, your water system has not completed the monitoring requirements. The Bureau of Public Water Supply has taken action to ensure that your water system be returned to compliance by March 31, 2013. For more information call 601-576-7518. Additional information on 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. Keesler (PWS ID#240049) 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. Water quality data table To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The tables in this report lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally-occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive and, in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally-occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table. Click here for a PDF of this report with data tables For more information call 228-376-0590.