Definitions

Terms Used in This Water Quality Report

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant that triggers treatment or other requirement that a water system must follow. Combined Radium: Radium 226 + Radium 228

E. coli: Bacteria from human and animal fecal waste

HAA5s: Haloacetic acids.

LRAA: Locational Running Annual Average

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL):

The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology. 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 Disinfection Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfection allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

mg/L: Milligrams per liter, also referred to as parts per million (for example, one minute in two years). ND: Analyte was not detected or was below the method detection limit of the laboratory’s instrumentation. NTUs: Nephelometric Turbidity Units; a measure of turbidity. P/A: Present or Absent pCi/L: Picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water. ppm: One part per million, also referred to as mg/L, (for example, one minute in two years). ppb: One part per billion, also referred to as μg/L (for example, one minute in 2,000 years).

ppt: One part per trillion, also referred to as ng/L (for example, one second in nearly 32,000 years). TTHMs: Total Trihalomethanes

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. μg/L: Micrograms per liter, also referred to as parts per billion (for example, one minute in 2,000 years).

Alkalinity

Antimony

Arsenic

Barium

Beryllium Discharge from metal refineries and coal-burning factories; discharge from electrical, aerospace, and defense industries

Cadmium

Chlorate

Chlorine Measurement of naturally occurring carbonates Discharge from petroleum refineries; fire retardants; ceramics; electronics; solder Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards, runoff from glass and electronics production wastes Discharge from drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits

Corrosion of galvanized pipes; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from metal refineries; runoff from waste batteries and paints By-product of treating drinking water with chlorine dioxide Required disinfectant added during treatment process to eliminate bacteria

Chlorite

Chromium

Conductivity Copper Corrosivity Ethylbenzene Fecal Coliforms By-product of treating drinking water with chlorine dioxide Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits Physical property of water Natural\industrial deposits, plumbing, wood preservatives Physical property of water that occurs when water reacts with metal Discharge from petroleum refineries Human and animal waste

Fluoride

Gross Alpha Gross Beta HAA5s Hardness

HFPOA-DA

Iron Lead

Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from aluminum and fertilizer factories Erosion of natural deposits Decay of natural and man-made deposits By-product of drinking water chlorination Measurement of naturally occurring hardness metals Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid; an industrial replacement for the straight-chain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Naturally occurring in the environment Natural\industrial deposits, plumbing solder, brass alloy in faucets Manganese Naturally occurring in the environment Orthophosphate (as P) Corrosion inhibitor added during treatment process Radium 226/228 Erosion of natural deposits

Selenium Discharge from petroleum refineries; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from mines

Sodium

Styrene

Thallium Naturally occurring in the environment Discharge from rubber and plastic factories; leaching from landfills Leaching from ore-processing sites; discharge from electronics, glass, and drug factories

Toluene

Total Coliforms

Total Nitrate & Nitrite (as N) TTHMs Vinyl Chloride Xylene

Discharge from petroleum factories Naturally present in the environment Run-off from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits By-product of drinking water chlorination Leaching from PVC pipes; discharge from plastic factories Discharge from petroleum factories; discharge from chemical factory Zinc Naturally occurring in the environment 1,2-dichlorobenzene Discharge from industrial chemical factories 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene Discharge from textile finishing factories

Classroom Presentations

The Authority’s outreach staff is pleased to offer free Standards of Learning (SOL) correlated lessons to students in our service area grades four and above. These hands-on programs help students understand concepts such as watersheds and the amazing properties of water. Students in the upper grades learn about watershed protection, GIS mapping and future careers in the water and wastewater industry. Interested in bringing the Water Authority into your classroom? Email us at education@westernvawater.org to schedule a visit.

Guest Speakers

Interested in having a speaker talk to your civic league or community group? We’d be happy to talk to your group about your water source, how we treat your water and improvements we are making to the water and wastewater infrastructure. Contact us at info@westernvawater.org for scheduling and information.

Tours of our treatment facilities and reservoirs are offered to our customers, students, civic, community groups or other groups of ten or more. You will be amazed to learn what goes on behind the faucet as we treat and deliver the highest quality drinking water to our customers. We’d love to show you how we treat your water. To request a visit,

please call 853.5700 or email education@westernvawater.org

Videos

Learn about our water and wastewater treatment processes or explore the science of water without ever leaving your classroom or home. The Water Authority has a collection of videos on our YouTube channel to teach, inspire and amaze. Visit the Western Virginia Water Authority YouTube channel to start exploring.

Dam Inundation Information

The Western Virginia Water Authority utilizes four surface water sources in the Roanoke Valley - Carvins Cove, Spring Hollow, Beaverdam Creek and Falling Creek Reservoirs. Each of these bodies of water is impounded by a dam which is physically inspected annually.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has published this information to inform customers in the unlikely event of a catastrophic dam failure. If this should occur, or if conditions should occur that would increase the likelihood of such an event occurring, the public would be notified through all major media outlets and local emergency centers.

To learn more about the risk of flooding to your property, and to learn how you can protect yourself, please visit the FloodSafe.gov website.

If you have specific questions about the Western Virginia Water Authority dam inundation information or to see if you property is located in an inundation zone, please see www.westernvawater.org/ drinking-water/dam-safety-information