We’re pleased to present to you this Annual Water Quality Report for the calendar year of 2004.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality of 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 comes from three wells. Our wells draw from the regional fractured carbonate aquifer.  The aquifer that supplies drinking water to the Village of Spencerville has a moderate susceptibility to contamination, due to the moderate sensitivity of the aquifer in which the drinking water well is located and the existence of potential contaminant sources within the protection zone.  This does not mean that this wellfield will become contaminated, only that conditions are such that the ground water could be impacted by potential contaminant sources.  Future contamination may be avoided by implementing protective measures.  More information is available by calling 419-647-6263. The Village of Spencerville monitors this water for a number of contaminants. 

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Jim Cave or Sean Chapman at the Spencerville Water Department at 419-647-6263 or e-mail at jcave@spencervilleoh.com.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our Utilities Committee Meetings held on an as needed basis and usually announced at Council Meetings and printed in the Spencerville Journal News.  You may also want to attend a council meeting held on the 1^st and 3^rd Mondays of every month.

Special Information Available… 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, persons 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).

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.  EPA web page: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/

The sources of drinking water both tap water 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 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; (A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife; (B) 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; (C) Pesticides and herbicides which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff and residential uses; (D) 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, urban
storm water runoff, and septic systems; (E) 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.  FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Definitions of some terms contained within this report.

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.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Parts per Million (ppm) or Milligrams per Liter (mg/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contaminant.  A part per million corresponds to one second in a little over 11.5 days.

Parts per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms per Liter (µg/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contaminant.  A part per billion corresponds to one second in 31.7 years.

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

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

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.

The “<“ symbol: A symbol which means less than.  A result of <5 means that the lowest level that could be detected was 5 and the contaminant in that sample was not detected.

Million Fibers per Liter (mf/L):  Total concentration of fibers collected on a 10 micron filter.