Water Quality

We are required by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to provide our customers with an Annual Water Quality Report (AWQR). The AWQR is designed to provide consumers with information on the quality of the water delivered by their public water system. Annual Water Quality Reports must contain information about the water system; information on the source of the water; reporting levels of contaminants detected in the finished water; information on any violations of the national primary drinking water regulations; and information regarding any variances or exemptions the water system may be operating under.

A word about measurements

Due to the development of increasingly more sensitive scientific instruments, it is possible to measure water characteristics in precise and minute quantities that previously went undetected. The AWQR shows measurements in parts per million (ppm) which is equivalent to milligrams per liter (mg/L) and parts per billion (ppb) which is the same as micrograms per liter (ug/L).

To put these measurements into perspective, consider that one part per million, in time, would be one second out of 11 and 1/2 days. One part per billion translates into just one second in nearly 33 years!

Water Hardness

The simple definition of water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water.  Hard water is high in dissolved minerals, largely calcium and magnesium.  Our water is groundwater and is considered very hard (see table below) since as water moves through  soil and rock it dissolves small amounts of naturally-occurring minerals and carries them into the the groundwater supply.  Hardness is a property of water that is not a health concern, but it can be a nuisance. Hard water can can cause mineral buildup in plumbing, fixtures, and water heaters, and poor performance of soaps and detergents. Having said all of that our hardness has been measured at 17 grains or 290 ppm or mg/L.