What is the 1998 Water Quality Report?

                The Community Water Company of Green Valley, Arizona is one of over 55,000 community water systems nationwide that will be providing their customers with annual water quality reports, beginning in October 1999. We are pleased to present you with our first annual Water Quality Report.  Information contained in this report reflects the 1998 calendar year.

This report is designed to help you, the water user, make informed decisions regarding your drinking water.

Within this report, you will find information about:

... where your water comes from and ways you can help protect this precious resource;

... the Source Water Assessment for our service area;

... the effects of certain contaminants on those with special health needs;

... the sampling requirements set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a summary of our sampling results for 1998 (detected contaminants and constituents tested for, but NOT detected); and

... the dedicated staff of Community Water Company and our continuing efforts to provide you with the highest quality water possible.

                We hope that you will find this 1998 Water Quality Report informative and enlightening.  Above all, we hope to maintain your confidence in our efforts to provide you with safe, clean water.

Where Does Our Water Come From?

                The Community Water Company's water source is the Tucson Basin Aquifer.  This same aquifer is the water supply source for all of Green Valley, Tucson, and the surrounding communities.

                Groundwater is supplied to the Community Water Company system by four wells and stored in three one-million gallon reservoirs.  The water is then delivered to your home through the Community Water Company's water distribution system.

How Can I Help Protect Our Water Source?

                All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made.  These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals, and radioactive substances.  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.

                Some contaminants are naturally present in the groundwater. Other contaminants may enter the water table through a number of sources, including runoff from batteries, anti-freeze, and paints, leaching from wood preservatives and septic tanks, runoff from fertilizers and herbicides, and discharge from petroleum products, to name a few.

                Proper disposal of household chemicals and automotive waste can help minimize the risk of groundwater contamination by reducing the potential for runoff and leaching.

                Pima County's Household Hazardous Waste Program accepts paint, batteries, motor oil, anti-freeze, and other items every Friday and Saturday between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM at its main location 3/4 mile north of Prince on the west frontage road of I-10.

                A hazardous waste pickup occurs in Green Valley twice each year, in March and October.  The Green Valley News and Sun typically announces the date, time, and location of the scheduled pickup.

                General recycling information may be obtained by contacting the Pima County Recycling Hotline at 791-5000.

What is the Community Water Company of Green Valley?

                The Community Water Company of Green Valley is a member-owned, non-profit water utility existing in unincorporated Pima County. We serve an average of 2 million gallons of water per day to approximately 14,000 people.  Our service area is approximately eight square miles, existing roughly between Duval Mine Road to the north, the Santa Cruz River to the east, Cyprus Sierrita to the west, and Mission Twin Buttes Road to the south.

                Our staff of fourteen full-time and three part-time employees works hard to ensure you receive safe, clean water.

What is the Source Water Assessment?

                A source water assessment based on data and information generated by many state, federal, and local natural resource programs to quantify the status of water quality is mandated by the Clean Water Act.  The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) ambient Groundwater Monitoring Program is developing a statistically-based groundwater monitoring and assessment approach for determining regional water quality conditions.

                This program, once completed, will enable the analysis of long term groundwater conditions by the representation of select wells within a hydrologically-defined area.  For more information, please contact ADEQ at 1-800-234-5677 or visit them at http://www.adeq.state.az.us.

What If I Have Special Health Needs?

                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.

                Environmental Protection Agency/Center for Disease Control (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 at 1-800-426-4791.

What are the Sampling Requirements and
            How Did the Community Water Company Measure Up?

            The Community Water Company is proud to report that your water met all federal and state standards for drinking water during 1998.

            The Community Water Company routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to federal and state laws.  We are required to test the water for more than 100 constituents at intervals determined by the state.  Unless noted otherwise, the results in this report reflect data obtained in 1998.

            Table 1 below identifies constituents that were detected during the January 1 through December 31, 1998 monitoring period. The constituents that were detected were within state and federal standards and were all well below the EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels.  It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. Table 2 below identifies constituents that were tested for, but not detected in your water.

A note on Radon:  Radon is not presently regulated in drinking water by the EPA; however, we have recently sampled our water for the presence of radon.  The results were not available at the time this report was printed.  Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that results from the decay of natural deposits within the earth's crust.  Approximately 3% of indoor radon contamination is attributed to radon that is possibly emitted from running water.  The EPA is currently evaluating a proposed rule to regulate the amount of radon that may be present in drinking water as a possible means to help improve indoor air quality.

What Do these Terms Mean?

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

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)- The "Goal" (MCLG) is the level of 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 "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.  MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.  MCLs are set at very stringent levels.  To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Non-Detects (ND) - The laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Parts Per Million (ppm) or Milligrams Per Liter (mg/l) - one Part Per Million corresponds to one minute in two years, or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts Per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms Per Liter (µg/l) - one Part Per Billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries Per Liter (pCi/l)- The measure of the radioactivity in water.

What is the Community Water Company Doing to Ensure Safe, Reliable Water Service?

            We are dedicated to providing you with the best water and service possible.  In 1999, our operations manager received an award for the 1998 Outstanding Individual/Professional of the Year from the American Public Works Association, Southern Arizona Branch (APWA).  This award is given to individuals whose contributions to the community through the public works field has made a difference in the lives of friends, family, coworkers, colleagues, and the community.

            At its annual conference in May 1999, the Arizona Water & Pollution Control Association (AWPCA), the Arizona Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), presented the 1998 Small Facility Water Distribution System of the Year award to our field operations staff.  This award recognizes innovations and/or improvements in the water distribution system and special contributions within the environmental field.

            In 1998, we installed a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system which allows for remote control and monitoring of our production and storage facilities.  In the future, this computerized control system will enable us to identify potential problems and take necessary corrective measures before the problem becomes serious.

            Also in 1998, we undertook a process to analyze our water system to provide us with a long range water system improvement plan.  This plan identifies improvements that will enable us to continue to provide you with reliable water service.

            In our efforts to provide you with safe, clean water, the Community Water Company uses chlorine as a disinfectant in addition to a regular sampling schedule. Treatment with chlorine is an efficient, economical way to minimize health risks from microorganisms that may be present in any water supply.  For more information about chlorine and its use as a water supply disinfectant, please visit the Chlorine Chemistry Council's website.

            To help ensure our long term supply of safe, clean water, we are currently evaluating possible uses of our allocation of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water.  Our existing allocation of CAP water is 1,337 acre-feet and, as part of the proposed state reallocation, we may be entitled to an additional allocation of 1,347 acre-feet.  One acre-foot of water is equivalent to approximately 325,900 gallons of water and would cover one acre of land at a depth of one foot.  Several options regarding our CAP allocation have been proposed including recharge of CAP water, blending with groundwater, direct use of CAP water, and total reliance on groundwater only. Over the next few years, our staff will evaluate each of the proposed uses and any impacts each option may have on our customers and the water system.

            In meeting our goal to provide reliable water service to you, we have performed an aggressive program to ensure a smooth transition into the year 2000. All necessary Y2K modifications to our computer systems have been completed and tested.

            The business of providing you with safe and reliable water in a desert community presents us with significant and unique challenges.  In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply, we frequently make improvements to your water system.  The cost of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure.

            We look forward to working with you to address water issues that affect us all.