HEARING

PRIVATE WELL TESTING LAW VETO HEARING

 

Thursday, August 28, 10AM there will be a  PUBLIC HEARING ON WELL TESTING IN DUTCHESS COUNTY. County Executive Steinhaus must have this hearing in order to veto the law that passed the legislature 15-10.

DAY: Thursday, August 28, 2008
TIME: 10AM-Noon
PLACE: Dutchess County Legislative Chambers
22 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, 6th Floor

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Please watch Ann Kover and Debra Hall testifying at the Dutchess County Legislature meeting.

http://dutchess29.org/video/DCLeg-WellTesting_8-11-08L.wmv

 
Ann Kover is a long time resident of Hopewell Junction. She has decided that the time has come to speak out about her wonderful son, Matthew. Matthew is challenged because of the Trichloroethylene exposure. The federal government, state, county and town officials ALL KNEW that Hopewell Precision dumped thousands of gallons of TCE, TCA, Paint thinners and unknown chemicals directly on the ground. Only a few wells near Hopewell Precision were tested and came up clean therefore the site was de-listed and residents were never notified about the possible danger. One decade later those private wells STILL ARE CLEAN although over 100 wells 2 MILES AWAY from Hopewell Precision are not!

Municipal and community wells in Dutchess County have PCE, TCE,TCA,MTBE, Benzene and other cancer causing chemicals. Most municipal, community and private wells all come from the same place, THE GROUND! Therefore it is imperative to get as much information from as many wells as possible. It will save lives and protect the health of Dutchess County residents.

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We would like to thank Anne Kover and her family. Anne spoke eloquently to the Dutchess County Legislature asking them to pass the private well testing bill. We are positive it was because of Ann's story that legislator Weiss changed his mind and voted for the well testing law. Like we have always said, one person can make a difference.

There will be a veto hearing. It is imperative for Mr Steinhaus to hear our stories. Imagine how good it will feel knowing that you helped another family from going through what we have been going through. You can stop someone from getting sick. You might even save a life or two

Who knows better than us?

We will post on this web site when the veto meeting will happen. Last veto hearing. Steinhaus scheduled the meeting on a Thursday morning at 10AM. It would have been better if it were held in the evening. Let's hope that Steinhaus schedules the hearing so residents do not need to take time off from work. The hearing should be scheduled so as many people can attend as possible.

Please watch Ann Kover and Debra Hall testifying at the Dutchess County Legislature meeting.

http://dutchess29.org/video/DCLeg-WellTesting_8-11-08L.wmv

 

 

Well-testing law goes to Steinhaus again

By Jenny Lee • Poughkeepsie Journal • August 12, 2008
www.PoughkeepsieJournal.com
 

Another mandatory well-testing law will go to Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus for consideration, but it lacks the support to override a veto.

The Legislature voted 15-10 Monday night for a law that would require the seller of a home with a private well to test it before the closing of a sale. Steinhaus vetoed the law last year.

Proponents needed 17 votes to override any veto.

Test results would have to be filed with the county Department of Health.

Opponents of the law support target testing rather than making it mandatory. Last year, Steinhaus implemented a program to test wells for people who applied. The county has tested 125 private wells, and plans to start another phase of testing this fall.

Some Town of East Fishkill residents have been outspoken about the Hopewell Precision plant that dumped the chemical trichloroethylene, or TCE, into the ground in the 1970s. The chemical has been linked to cancer, kidney and liver damage and other illnesses.

Anne Kover of the Town of East Fishkill said her 18-year-old son was born severely disabled because of TCE.

"He will never be a functioning citizen," Kover said. "But are you willing to not test the water and subject one more family to 18 years of horrendous cost? That's your burden, not just the family's burden."

Referring to homebuyers, Legislator David Kelly, R-Pawling, who opposed the law and supports target testing, said, "You should know what you're buying. You should test it yourself."

The towns of Wappinger, East Fishkill and Fishkill have man-datory well-testing laws. But Majority Leader Sandra Goldberg, D-Wappinger, said there is a need for one law because the town laws are different.

Reach Jenny Lee at leeja@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4835.
 

'Yes' vote

Dutchess County legislators who voted "yes" to the well-testing law are: Roger Higgins, D-New Hamburg; Sandra Goldberg, D-Wappinger; Margaret Fettes, D-Millbrook; James Doxsey, C-Town of Poughkeepsie; Richard Keller-Coffey, D-Town of Poughkeepsie; Diane Nash, D-Hyde Park; Dan Kuffner, D-Hyde Park; Steve White, D-City of Poughkeepsie; Barbara Jeter-Jackson, D-City of Poughkeepsie; Joel Tyner, D-Clinton; William McCabe, D-Union Vale; Alison MacAvery, D-Town of Fishkill; Peter Wassell, D-Dover; Marge Horton, R-Town of East Fishkill and Robert Weiss, R-Town of East Fishkill.

'No' vote

Legislators who voted "no" to the well-testing law are: Gary Cooper, R-Pine Plains; Rob Rolison, R-City of Poughkeepsie; Suzanne Horn, R-Pleasant Valley; Robert Sears, R-LaGrange; Angela Flesland, R-Town of Poughkeepsie; James Miccio, R-Village of Fishkill; John Forman, R-Beacon; Gerald Hutchings, R-Beekman; David Kelly, R-Pawling and Tom Mansfield, D-Red Hook.

 

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Government Services and Administration - Private well testing bill

Well-testing law will have its day

www.PoughkeepsieJournal.com

Editorial

August 9, 2008

Here we go again. The Dutchess County Legislature is poised to vote Monday on a critically important well-testing law designed to protect homeowners - and an essential underground resource.

The Legislature must approve this measure and make it veto-proof, as County Executive William Steinhaus has remained steadfast against the idea, saying it is tantamount to government intrusion and private property owners should be responsible to test their own wells.

But the proposed measure, which would mandate broad tests when homes are sold, has too many benefits to ignore. Consider:

n It would give would-be homeowners insights about what is in the water of the house they are looking to buy.

n It would provide protections to renters, since landlords using wells also would have to test them periodically to see there are no harmful chemicals in them.

n It would give government health officials important data that, over time, could catch chemical spills before they spread.

Most banks require homebuyers to test wells for bacteria, but not necessarily for industrial pollution caused by chemical spills. In some cases, chemical spills went undetected for years, if not decades, in Dutchess, and residents and various levels of governments are still dealing with the cleanups and potential health hazards. In contrast, comprehensive tests are performed periodically on public water systems; homeowners on private wells need better assurances also.

The Legislature's Government Services and Administration Committee supported the well-testing measure in a 7-5 vote along party lines Thursday, with Democrats voting for and Republicans against.

Voluntary program started

Last year, Steinhaus, a Republican, vetoed the law but then began a voluntary well-testing program. About 125 wells have been tested so far, and another phase of tests is scheduled for the fall. So far, none of the tested wells has had unacceptable levels of contaminants, though some showed elevated sodium levels, most likely due to road salt runoff. While this pilot program is better than nothing, there are approximately 35,000 private wells in Dutchess; the more wells tested, the better.

Westchester and Rockland counties, as well as the New Jersey, have taken this approach on behalf of public safety. The tests can cost between $300 and $500, and the buyer and seller can essentially work that into the overall sale-price agreement.

The Legislature has decided to try to pass this measure again now that Democrats are in the majority following last year's election. But they are going to need some Republican support to make the measure veto-proof. All legislators must realize the county's Board of Health supports the broader tests, believing it is sound public policy.

The county's aquifers are everyone's business; protecting the watershed transcends property lines, so does the flow of water. It's imperative the county identify any problems as early as possible and homeowners and renters know what they are drinking. This well-testing proposal is a sound, logical way to get a better handle on these issues.

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Agency proposes plans for Hopewell contamination site

200 attend session with EPA reps

Southern Dutchess News-7/24/08

By Kristine Coulter Staff Writer

EAST                     FISHK1LL--

Environmental Protection Agency representatives held an information­al meeting about the proposed plans they have for the Hopewell Precision Superfund site. Approximately 200 residents gath­ered at the past Fishkill Town Hall, some standing in the vestibule because of the standing-room-only crowd in the community meeting room, to hear the three proposed plans about the site.

Project manager for the site Lorenzo Thantu gave a brief history of the site. Hopewell Precision, Inc., was located in Hopewell Junction. It was a contract manufacturer of sheet metal pans, Thantu explained. It operated on Ryan Drive from 1977 until 1980, Thantu stated, and then at an adjacent property since that time.

"They were dumping five gallons of waste solvents a day," Thantu said.

The company's waste disposal, he said, resulted in a groundwater con­tamination plume beneath and downgradient of Hopewell Precision. In early 2003, according to EPA documents, the EPA initiated a Removal Site Evaluation (RSE). Thirty-nine of 450 private wells tested contained Trichloroethene (TCE) contamination above the fed­eral regulations and 14 wells were identified with contamination of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) above the state regulatory level. TCE may cause nerve, kidney, and liver dam­age.

In April of 2005 the Hopewell Precision site was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a published list of hazardous waste sites in the country.

The site clean up is divided into Operable Unit 1 and Operable Unit 2 to prioritize and accelerate the choice of remedy.

"The one that we're worried about tonight is the first Operable 1," said EPA's Ed Als.

Operable Unit 1 addresses provi­sions of an alternate water supply to properties with private drinking water wells that have been or have the possibility of being affected by the groundwater plume.

"We evaluate each alternative against each other," Als stated.

The first alternative of the Focused Feasibility Study, Thantu explained, is "no action." The total cost would be $0. This is the base­line when comparing to other alter­natives.

The next alternative would be to install and operate POET systems.

"About 325 homes we would install POET systems," said Thantu.

This alternative, according to the EPA, would provide potable drinking water to all properties within the study that use private wells for drinking water. The cost would be $15.4 million.

"This cost is quite high because of the significant expense of the monitoring we would do of these 325 homes [every three months]," Thantu stated.

The third alternative would cost $15.6 million. This alternative would provide an alternate water supply to all the affected properties, by installing a system to deliver water from a nearby existing public water supply system. That would be the Little Switzerland Water District.

"New York State Department of Conservation and New York State Department of Health would both have to concur on the proposed plan," Thantu stated.

A storage capacity tank would be constructed near the Little Switzerland Water Tank. A service connection from the main would be extended from each house or com­mercial building.

Some residents, during the ques­tion and answer program of the nearly four-hour meeting, were con­cerned if there would be enough water, if contamination would be drawn into the tanks and about leaks.

"We have a tremendous amount of leaks...," said East Fishkill Town Supervisor John Hickman. "Our engineer's report from a couple of years ago, [however], said there's a tremendous amount of water."

There are pros and cons to the whole thing, said Hickman. There are issues because of the distribu­tion system, Hickman slated recent­ly, adding, "Because they're first in line it should not affect Little Switzerland."

Thantu talked of the four-step process that is utilized to assess the risk to humans. Those steps are haz­ard identification, exposure assess­ment, and toxicity assessment and risk characterization.

"We did identify cancer risk for adult and children residents," said Thantu.

The estimates of excess cancer risk for adult and child resident exposure exceeds EPA's acceptable target range of one in ten thousand to one in a million, EPA documents state.

The total Hazard Index, according to EPA documents, for non-cancer health effects for the adult and child resident, is above EPA's acceptable threshold of one.

The best alternative to provide potable drinking water, using nine criteria, which includes comments from the public, would be the third criteria,  according to documents because "best overall protection of human health and eliminate the potential for exposure to contami­nated groundwater from private drinking water well."

Gus Schimankey, who has been a resident of East Kishkili since 1946, asked how long did it take the con­tamination to get into the ground.

"We know this entire plume was created in 1977," answered EPA's Grant Anderson.

Schimankey stated he used to drink "Hopewell water and it was darn good."

Another resident asked if Mother Nature would be able to take care of the contamination plume.

Anderson said the FPA has been monitoring the plume on a periodic basis for approximately live years and some wells contamination is declining and others are holding.

"It could be 5,000 years. Eventually Mother Nature would," Anderson said.

He said after 30 years, though, there are still dangerous human risk levels.

Debra Hall, resident of East Fishkill who has been awarded for the work she has done on behalf of people  affected  in  the  Superfund

site, told those in attendance she has been in touch with people who live in other Superfund sites. She stated that "Out of all those sites we're been really lucky. We've gotten taken care of much more quickly than other sites."

She said she never had anyone from the EPA try to keep anything from her.

"Try to trust. I know it's hard because it's government," Mall said, which got a laugh from the audi­ence. 'They've been doing a good job. They really have."

Hickman said his heart goes out to the people living in the Superfund site.

"It's up to the people. I don't know another water source they would find," stated Hickman.

The public comment period ends on August 5. Written comments on the proposed plan should be sent to: Lorenzo Thantu, Project Manager Eastern New York Remediation Section, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 20lh Floor, New York, New York 10007-1866 or email Thantu.loren-zo@epa.gov. Copies of the report are available at the East Fishkill Community Library on Route 376 in Hopewell Junction.

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Final_July_2008_Hopewell_AWS_Proposed_Plan.pdf

The Following are Reports From Water Districts in East Fishkill

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2006
Brettview Water District
Town of East Fishkill
(Public Water Supply ID# 1302762)

INTRODUCTION

To comply with State regulations, Brettview Water District 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. During 2006 we continued to obtain all of our water supply through a connection to the Dogwood Knolls (Rand Water Corp.) water system. We are continuing to investigate the use of an alternative water source or the addition of treatment facilities to provide a long-term solution to the water quality issues. We will keep you informed regarding these issues. 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 Supervisor John Hickman, Jr. at (845) 221-4303, or Highway Superintendent Dennis Miller, at (845) 221-2681. We want you to be informed about your drinking water. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Town Board meetings.

WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?

In general, 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 activities. Contaminants that may be present in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical 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 water systems. The State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Our water system serves approximately 298 homes. The Brettview Water District Facilities produced nearly 21.6 million gallons of water for distribution throughout the year with an average daily production of approximately 59,300 gallons. Our original water source was three gravel wells, located within our property boundary near the Sprout Creek on Brown Road. Since September 2005, all of our water supply has been provided through a connection to the Rand Water Corp. water system. The water from Rand Water Corp. is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite.

The New York State Department of Health completed a source water assessment of the discontinued well water supply in 2003. The source water assessment has rated our water source as having a potential susceptibility to microbial and nitrate contamination. These ratings are due primarily to the reported proximity of the wells to permitted discharge facilities (facilities that discharge wastewater into the environment and are regulated by the state and/or federal government) and the residential land use and related activities in the assessment area. The full results of this report are available from the Town of East Fishkill or the Dutchess County Department of Health. For questions regarding this report, please contact the New York State Department of Health at (518) 402-7713.

 

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, nitrite, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes, and synthetic organic compounds. The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water. The State allows us to test for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though 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 (800-426-4791) or the Dutchess County Health Department at (845)-486-3404.

Table of Detected Contaminants
Contaminant	Violation Yes/No	Date of Sample	Level Detected (Avg/Max) (Range)	Unit Measure- ment	MCLG	Regulatory Limit (MCL or AL)	Likely Source of Contamination
Microbiological Contaminants
Algae wells 1,2,3 Nematodes well 24	No	12/99	N/A	Organ- isms/ 10 liters	N/A	N/A	Surface Water influence.
Turbidity1	No	2/00- 3/00	0.60	NTU	N/A	See (1)	Soil Runoff.
Inorganic Contaminants
Chloride	No	6/03	218	mg/l	N/A	250	Naturally occurring or indicative of road salt contamination.
Barium	No	9/05	21	ug/l	2000	2000	Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits.
Nitrate	No	3/06- 12/06	0.42 (Avg.) (0.35 – 0.46)	mg/l	10	10	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits.
Copper	No	8/05	0.2782 (.323-.561)	mg/l	1.3	AL=1.3	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives.
Lead	No	8/05	4.73 (2-7)	ug/l	0	AL=15	Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits.
Other Contaminants
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE)	No	10/06	0.4	ug/l	N/A	10	Releases from gasoline storage tanks. MTBE is an octane enhancer in unleaded gasoline.

 

 

Table of Detected Contaminants (continued)
Contaminant	Violation Yes/No	Date of Sample	Level Detected (Avg/Max) (Range)	Unit Measure- ment	MCLG	Regulatory Limit (MCL or AL)	Likely Source of Contamination
Disinfection Byproducts
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)	No	7/04	11.3	ug/l	N/A	80	By-product of drinking water disinfection needed to kill harmful organisms. TTHMs are formed when source water contains large amounts of organic matter.
Haloacetic Acids	No	9/04	8.7	ug/l	N/A	60	By-product of drinking water disinfection needed to kill harmful organisms.

 

Notes:

1 – Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We do not filter the well water. State regulations require that turbidity must always be below 5 NTU. The regulations require that 95% of the turbidity samples collected have measurements below 0.5 NTU.

2 – The level presented represents the 90^th percentile of the 10 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 90^th percentile is equal to or greater than 90% of the copper values detected at your water system. In this case, 10 samples were collected at your water system and the 90^th percentile value was the ninth highest value, 0.403 mg/l. The action level for copper was not exceeded at any of the sites tested.

3 – The level presented represents the 90^th percentile of the 10 samples collected. The action level for lead was not exceeded at any of the 10 sites tested.

4 – Discreet numbers of algae were not reported. The report states “chlorophyll containing cells were observed”.

Definitions:

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.

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that 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).

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 2006, our system was in compliance with applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring and reporting requirements.

DO I NEED TO TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS?

Although our drinking water met or exceeded state and federal regulations, some people may be more vulnerable to disease causing microorganisms or pathogens 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 from their health care provider about their drinking water. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other microbial pathogens are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

WHY SAVE WATER AND HOW TO AVOID WASTING IT?

Although our system has an adequate amount of water to meet present and future demands, there are a number of reasons why it is important to conserve water:

·            Saving water saves energy and some of the costs associated with both of these necessities of life;

·            Saving water reduces the cost of energy required to pump water and the need to construct costly new wells, pumping systems and water towers; and

·            Saving water lessens the strain on the water system during a dry spell or drought, helping to avoid severe water use restrictions so that essential fire fighting needs are met.

You can play a role in conserving water by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using, and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water. Conservation tips include:

·            Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.

·            Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

·            Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it up and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.

·            Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank, watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons a year.

CLOSING

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide your family with quality drinking water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community. Please call our office if you have questions.

 

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2005
Little Switzerland Water District
Town of East Fishkill
(Public Water Supply ID# 1302803)

INTRODUCTION

To comply with State regulations, Little Switzerland Water District 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 State drinking water health standards. 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 Supervisor John Hickman, Jr. at (845) 221-4303 or Highway Superintendent Dennis Miller at (845) 221-2681. We want you to be informed about your drinking water. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled town board meetings. The meetings are held throughout the year.

WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?

In general, 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 activities. Contaminants that may be present in source water include: microbial contaminants; inorganic contaminants; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical 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 water systems. The State Health Department’s and the FDA’s regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Our water system serves a total of approximately 135 homes. Our water source is from two drilled wells that draw from an underground aquifer along the Fishkill/Sprout Creek drainage basin. The water is disinfected with chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) prior to distribution. The Little Switzerland Water District facilities produced nearly 22.3 million gallons of water for distribution throughout the year with an average daily production of approximately 61,100 gallons.

The New York State Department of Health completed a source water assessment of the water supply in 2003. The source water assessment has rated our water source as having a potential susceptibility to microbial and nitrate contamination. These ratings are due primarily to the reported proximity of the wells to permitted discharge facilities (facilities that discharge wastewater into the environment and are regulated by the state and/or federal government) and the residential land use and related activities in the assessment area. The full results of this report are available from the Town of East Fishkill or the Dutchess County Department of Health. For questions regarding this report, please contact the New York State Department of Health at (518) 402-7713.

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, inorganic compounds, nitrate, volatile organic compounds and synthetic organic compounds. The table presented below depicts which compounds were detected in your drinking water. The State allows us to test for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though 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 (800-426-4791) or the Dutchess County Department of Health at (845) 486-3400

 

 

Table of Detected Contaminants
Contaminant	Violation Yes/No	Date of Sample	Level Detected (Avg/Max) (Range)	Unit Measure- ment	MCLG	Regulatory Limit (MCL or AL)	Likely Source of Contamination
Inorganic Contaminants
Chloride	No	9/05	81	mg/l	N/A	250