2016 CCR - BRMWC

The sources of drinking water (both tap water 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.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

· 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, that 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, that 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, that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application, and septic systems.

· Radioactive contaminants, that 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, the USEPA and the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. State Board regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that provide the same protection for public health.

Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 list all of the drinking water contaminants that were detected during the most recent sampling for the constituent. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. The State Board allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, are more than one year old. Any violation of an AL, MCL, MRDL, or TT is asterisked. Additional information regarding the violation is provided later in this report.

Additional General Information on 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 the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (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. USEPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Lead-Specific Language for Community Water Systems: 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. Best Road MWC 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. [Optional: If you do so, you may wish to collect the flushed water and reuse it for another beneficial purpose, such as watering plants.] 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 (1-800-426-4701) or at http://www.epa.gov/lead.

Iron was found at levels that exceed the secondary MCL of 300 ug/L. The iron MCL was set to protect you against unpleasant aesthetic effects (e.g., color, taste, and odor) and the staining of plumbing fixtures (e.g., tubs and sinks) and clothing while washing. The high iron levels are due to leaching of natural deposits.

Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, waterborne pathogens may be present or that a potential pathway exists through which contamination may enter the drinking water distribution system. When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessment(s) to identify problems and to correct any problems that were found during these assessments.

During the past year there were no Level 1 assessments in our water system.

E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely-compromised immune systems. When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessment(s) identify problems and to correct any problems that were found during these assessments.

During the past year there were no Level 2 assessments in our water system due to E. coli in our water system.

Drinking Water Source Assessment

Water System

BEST ROAD MWC

San Benito County

Water Source

WELL 01

Assessment Date

August, 2002

Assessment Completed By

CDPH Monterey District

California Department of Public Health Drinking Water Field Operations Branch CDPH Monterey District

The source is considered most vulnerable to the following activities associated with contaminants detected in the water supply:

Septic systems - low density [<1/acre]

The source is considered most vulnerable to the following activities not associated with any detected contaminants:

Crops, nonirrigated [e.g., Christmas trees, grains, grass seeds, hay, Transportation corridors - Roads/Streets

Storm Water Detention Facilities

Discussion of Vulnerability

Well 01 is considered most vulnerable to low density septic systems. This activity is associated with the contaminant nitrate, which has been detected in the water supply. The well is also considered vulnerable to the following activity not associated with any detected contaminants: storm water detention facilities.

Although outside of the 10 year zone of influence, there is a landfill located approximately 1 mile from the wells. This landfill could have long term effects on water quality in the area.

A copy of the complete assessment may be viewed at:

Best Road MWC

P.O. Box 395 Hollister, CA 95024

You may request a summary of the assessment be sent to you by contacting: Bob DeGeorge

President

(831) 636-9782

A source water assessment was recently completed for this drinking water source. The assessment identifies the vulnerability of the drinking water supply to contamination from typical human activities. The assessments are intended to facilitate and provide the basic information necessary for a local community to develop a program to protect the drinking water supply.

A summary of the complete assessment is provided here. For more information, contact the agency or individual that prepared the assessment (shown in summary). You may also contact the local Department of Public Health Drinking Water Field Operations Branch district office (http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Documents/DDWEM/OriginalDistrictMapCDPH.pdf).

Additional information about assessments can be found at: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/DWSAP.aspx

Terms used in this summary:

Source Water Assessment:

An assessment is an evaluation of a drinking water source to determine the "possible contaminating activities"

(PCAs) to which the source is most vulnerable. The assessment includes: a delineation of protection zones around the source; an inventory of the types of PCAs within the source protection zones; and an analysis to determine the PCAs to which the source is most vulnerable. The information is compiled into a report that includes a map, calculations, checklists, and a summary of the findings.

Possible Contaminating Activity (PCA): A PCA is a current or historic human activity that is an actual or potential origin of contamination for a

drinking water source. PCAs include activities that use, store, produce or dispose of chemicals that have the potential to contaminate drinking water supplies. There are 110 types of PCAs in the California DWSAP program.

PCA Risk Ranking: Each type of PCA is assigned a risk ranking (Very High, High, Moderate, or Low). The risk ranking is based on the

contaminant(s) typically associated with that PCA, the likelihood of release from that type of facility based on historical experience, and the mobility of the contaminant(s).

PCA Inventory: The PCA inventory is a review using local knowledge, databases, and on-site evaluations to identify the occurrence and

approximate location of PCAs in the source water zones. The inventory for the basic DWSAP assessments is a presence-absence review. If a type

of PCA occurs in a zone, a "Yes" is noted in the inventory for that zone, regardless of whether there is one or many of that type of facility within the zone. If a PCA has been associated with a contaminant detected in the water supply, a notation is made in the PCA inventory.

Source Water Zones or Areas:

initial protection areas.

These are areas located around and typically adjacent to a drinking water source that have been identified as

For groundwater sources, there are typically three concentric circular zones around a source (Zones A, B5 and B10). The sizes of the

are determined based on characteristics of the source. PCAs located in the inner Zone A are considered more of a risk to the water supply than PCAs located in the middle Zone B5. Similarly, PCAs located in Zone B5 are considered more of a risk than PCAs located in the outer Zone B10.

For surface water sources, the watershed is defined as the overall protection area, and as an option, zones are defined closer to the

source. Two types of zones are typically established. Zone A is the area within and near the surface water body and its tributaries. Zone B is an area within 2,500 feet of the intake, not including areas in Zone A. For surface water sources, PCAs located in Zone A are considered a greater threat than PCAs located in Zone B. PCAs located on the watershed outside of the zones are considered to be of less risk to the water supply. If zones have not been defined, PCAs are considered to be of equal risk regardless of location on the watershed.

Physical Barrier Effectiveness (PBE): The PBE for a source is an evaluation of the ability of the source and the surrounding area to prevent the

movement of contaminants into the source. The PBE is based on the construction and operation features of the source, and the characteristics of the surrounding area. A source is assigned a PBE of Low, Moderate or High, where High indicates that the physical barriers of the source and site are very effective in preventing the movement of contaminants. By design, typical groundwater sources will have Moderate PBE, while typical surface water sources will have Low PBE. This is due to the greater exposure of surface water sources to contamination.

Vulnerability Ranking: The vulnerability ranking is a summary of the PCAs identified in the assessment prioritized by the risk that they pose to

the water supply. The prioritization is based on the risk associated with a PCA, the zone in which it occurs, and the PBE of the source. In the vulnerability ranking, points are assigned as follows:

The points for each type of PCA in each zone are totaled to give a vulnerability score, and the PCAs are ranked in order from the highest score to the lowest score. PCAs associated with detected contaminants are ranked at the top, regardless of vulnerability score. By definition, groundwater sources are not considered vulnerable to PCAs with scores less than 8, and surface water sources are not considered vulnerable to PCAs with scores less than 11. It should be noted that the vulnerability ranking scores do not have a direct quantitative value. Rather, the points are used only to relatively rank the types of PCAs for an individual source.

Note: Some of the summaries do not include a vulnerability ranking. If the assessment was done on paper and the details were not entered into the database, the vulnerability ranking is not available here. In addition, alternate methods of determining vulnerability were allowed in some cases, and the vulnerability ranking is not in the database.

Vulnerability Summary: The source is considered most vulnerable to the PCAs with the highest score, and to PCAs associated with detected

contaminants. These PCAs are noted in the vulnerability summary. Further details or discussion may be provided in the vulnerability discussion.

Drinking Water Source Assessment

Water System

BEST ROAD MWC

San Benito County

Water Source

WELL 02