Is Erie Tap Water Safe to Drink?

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

ABOUT THE ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

The ECWA was created in 1949 by a special act of the New York State Legislature to ensure that the people and the industry of Erie County would have a safe, plentiful supply of water for the future. Since 1953, the ECWA has produced and reliably delivered water of the highest quality to its customers at an affordable rate. As an independent public-benefit corporation, ECWA is not an agency of New York State and is totally independent of Erie County government. ECWA operates as a financially self-sustaining public utility and pays all of its operating expenses from revenues generated by the sale of water to its over 500,000 customers.

To comply with State Regulations, ECWA, will be annually issuing a report describing the quality of your drinking water. The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources. Last year, your tap water met all New York State drinking water health standards. We are proud to report our system did not violate a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard. This report provides an overview of last year’s water quality. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to state standards.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your drinking water, please contact Sabrina Figler, Director of Water Quality, @ 716-685-8574. We want you to be informed about your drinking water. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. The schedule may be found on www.ecwa.org. Board and Committee meetings are also streamed live and archived for later viewing from this website.

WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?

In general, the sources of drinking water, both tap and bottled, 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 animal or human activities. Contaminants that may be present in source water include: microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic contaminants, and radioactive contaminants. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the State and the EPA prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public systems. The State Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Our source waters are Lake Erie and the Niagara River. The ECWA’s Sturgeon Point Treatment Plant in the Town of Evans draws water from Lake Erie to supply the southern area of Erie County and some communities in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties. The Van de Water Treatment Plant in the Town of Tonawanda draws water from the Niagara River and services municipalities in northern Erie County as well as Monroe, Genesee and Wyoming counties. These two plants serve more than 500,000 people in Western New York. The water is treated by conventional treatment and filtration and chlorine disinfection.

FACTS AND FIGURES

In 2020, the ECWA produced approximately 26.4 billion gallons of high quality water for residential, commercial and industrial use in 36 municipalities. The highest single day produced 111.74 million gallons. Some of this was unmetered water, 37.2%, use for flushing water mains, fighting fires, training firefighters, plant processes, equipment and hydrant testing and loss due to leaks. Approximately 16.6 billion gallons were sold to our customers. In 2020, residential water customers paid $3.36/1000 gallons. The 2020 residential average customer bill was $83.04 per quarter of $332.16 for the year.

ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN OUR DRINKING WATER?

As the state regulations require, we routinely test your drinking water for numerous contaminants. These contaminants include: total coliform, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, radiological and synthetic organic compounds. The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water. The state allows for us to test for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentration of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, through representative, are more than one year old.

It should be noted that all drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably 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 or the Erie County Health Department @ 716- 961-6800.

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

DETECTED CONTAMINANTS

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

Cryptosporidium

& Giardia

1 – Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We test it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system. State regulations require that turbidity must always be below 1 NTU in the combined filter effluent. The regulations require that 95% of the entry point turbidity samples collected have measurements below 0.3 NTU. Our highest single system turbidity measurement, 0.218 NTU, for the year occurred in July, 2020.

2 – The level presented represents the 90th percentile of the 50 sites tested. A percentile is a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it. The 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water system. In this case, 50 samples were collected at your water system and the 90th percentile value was the sixth highest sample at 36 ug/L. The second highest sample was the fourth highest with a value of 41 ug/L. The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

3 - The 90th percentile value was the sixth highest sample at 12.6 ug/L. The second highest sample was the fifth highest with a value of 13 ug/L. The action level for lead was exceeded at two of the sites tested, because samples were taken following a lead service line replacement.

4 – This level represents the highest locational running annual average calculated from data collected.

Definitions and Abbreviations:

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

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 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.

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

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

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

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): A measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Milligrams per liter (mg/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one million parts of liquid (parts per million - ppm).

Micrograms per liter (ug/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one billion parts of liquid (parts per billion - ppb).

Nanograms per liter (ng/l): Corresponds to one part of liquid in one trillion parts of liquid (parts per trillion - ppt).

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): A measure of the radioactivity in water.

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

AL = Action Level: The concentration of the highest contaminant

LRAA = Locational Annual Running Average

ND = Not Detected: Laboratory analysis indicates the constituent is not present

NE = Not Established

NA = Not Applicable

NR = Not Regulated

SU = Standard Units

46. = Treatment Technique

WHAT DOES THIS INFORMATION MEAN?

As you can see by the table, our system had no violations. We have learned through our testing that some contaminants have been detected; however, these contaminants were detected below the level allowed by the State.

IS OUR WATER SYSTEM MEETING OTHER RULES THAT GOVERN OPERATIONS?

During 2020, our system was in compliance with applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.

INFORMATION ON CRYPTOSPORIDIUM

Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen found in surface water and groundwater under the influence of surface water. Although filtration removes Cryptosporidium, the most commonly-used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100 percent removal. During 2017, as part of our routine sampling, 6 samples were collected from Lake Erie and the Niagara River and were analyzed for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Of these samples, none were positive for Cryptosporidium. Ingestion of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, a gastrointestinal infection. Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Most healthy individuals can overcome disease within a few weeks. However, immuno-compromised people are at greater risk of developing life-threatening illness. We encourage immuno-compromised individuals to consult their health care provider regarding appropriate precautions to take to avoid infection. Cryptosporidium must be ingested to cause disease, and it may be spread through means other than drinking water.

INFORMATION ON GIARDIA

Giardia is a microbial pathogen present in varying concentrations in many surface waters and groundwater under the influence of surface water. Giardia is removed/inactivated through a combination of filtration and disinfection or by disinfection. During 2017, as part of our routine sampling, six samples were collected and analyzed for Giardia cysts. Of these samples, two were confirmed positive. Therefore, our testing indicates the presence of Giardia in our source water. Current test methods do not allow us to determine if the organisms are dead or if they are capable of causing disease. Ingestion of Giardia may cause giardiasis, an intestinal illness. People exposed to Giardia may experience mild or severe diarrhea, or in some instances no symptoms at all. Fever is rarely present. Occasionally, some individuals will have chronic diarrhea over several weeks or a month, with significant weight loss. Giardiasis can be treated with anti-parasitic medication. Individuals with weakened immune systems should consult with their health care providers about what steps would best reduce their risks of becoming infected with Giardiasis. Individuals who think that they may have been exposed to Giardiasis should contact their health care providers immediately. The Giardia parasite is passed in the feces of an infected person or animal and may contaminate water or food. Person to person transmission may also occur in day care centers or other settings where hand washing practices are poor.

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

COMPOUNDS TESTED FOR BUT NOT DETECTED

WHY SAVE WATER AND HOW TO AVOID WASTING IT:

The Erie County Water Authority encourages water conservation. Although the Lake Erie and the Niagara River are unlimited sources of a good supply of water, it must not be wasted. A few steps will preserve the resource for future generations and also save on your bill:

Use low flow shower heads and faucets

Use low-flush toilets

Repair all leaks in your plumbing system

Water your lawn sparingly early morning or late evening

Wash your car with a bucket and a hose with a nozzle

Don’t cut the lawn too short; longer grass saves water

Each of the water conservation tips can save you more than 1000 gallons of water per month, giving you the ability to save up to $140 per year in your water bill.

SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS

ECWA spent 30.3 million dollars in system-wide infrastructure upgrades including:

Watermain Replacements: $19,419,127

Ball Tanks & Pump Station upgrades including a new North Tank & Piping Modifications: $6,755,181

Meters: $1,637,931

Laboratory Instrumentation: $454,319

High Service Replacement Pump at Sturgeon Point WTP: $130,000

CLOSING

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking water this year. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community.

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444

ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY

2020 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT

For additional or large print copies of this report, please call 716-849-8444, or visit www.ecwa.org or email your request to questionscomments@ecwa.org.

New York State Department of Health Source Water Assessment

The New York State Department of Health completed a draft Source Water Assessment of the supply’s raw water sources under the state’s Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP). The purpose of this program is to compile, organize, and evaluate information regarding possible and actual threats to the quality of public water supply (PWS) sources. It is important to note that source water assessment reports estimate the potential for untreated drinking water sources to be impacted by contamination. These reports do not address the safety or quality of treated finished potable tap water. The Great Lakes’ watershed is exceptionally large and too big for a detailed evaluation in the SWAP. General drinking water concerns for public water supplies, which use these sources include: storm generated turbidity, wastewater, toxic sediments, shipping related spills, and problems associated with exotic species (e.g. zebra mussels – intake clogging and taste and odor problems). The SWAP is based on the analysis of the contaminant inventory compiled for the drainage areas deemed most likely to impact drinking water quality at this public water supply’s raw water intakes. Separate assessments were completed for the Lake Erie source and the Niagara River source. The assessment found a moderate susceptibility to contamination for the Lake Erie source. The amount of agricultural land in the assessment area results in elevated potential of disinfection byproduct precursors and pesticides contamination. While there are some facilities present, permitted discharges do not likely represent an important threat to source water quality based on their density in the assessment area. There is also noteworthy contamination susceptibility associated with other discrete contaminant sources, and these facility types include: landfills. The assessment found an elevated susceptibility to contamination for the Niagara River source. The amount of agricultural (and to a lesser extent residential) lands in the assessment area results in elevated potential for microbials, disinfection byproduct precursors, and pesticides contamination. There is also a high density of sanitary wastewater discharges, which results in elevated susceptibility for all contaminant categories. Non-sanitary wastewater discharges may also contribute to contamination. There is also considerable contamination susceptibility associated with other discrete contaminant sources, and these facility types include: chemical bulk storage, inactive hazardous waste sites, landfills, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act facilities and Toxics Release Inventory facilities. If you have any questions about New York State’s Source Water Assessment Program, please contact the Director of Environmental Health, Erie County Health Department at (716) 961-6800.

The seal of the Partnership for Safewater as seen on this document indicates that we are part of a select group of water systems nationwide who have voluntarily committed themselves toward a proactive approach to strengthen the safety of drinking water for our customers above and beyond the current regulatory requirements. For additional information on the Partnership for Safewater visit www.awwa.org/science/partnership.

Erie County Water Authority

Administrative Offices

295 Main Street, Room 350

Buffalo, New York 14203

PWS ID #NY1400443

Phone: 716-849-8444