BCWA routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws.  The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2011.  The State allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently.  Some of our data is from prior years in accordance with the Safe Water Drinking Act.  BCWA received no violations for water quality or exceedance of MCLs for 2011.  Also, all other sampling requirements for 2011 were in compliance.

In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

Parts per million (ppm) - one part per million (corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000).
Parts per billion (ppb) - 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) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.
Action Level (AL) -  the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. 

Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

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 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 Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.  There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contamination.
Million Fibers per Liter (MFL) - utilized when measuring fiberous materials in water such as asbestos.

Information about Lead - 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.  Bradford City Water Authority 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.  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 or at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Over the past three decades, over 31 million dollars has been invested in improvements to the Bradford water system.  During this time frame, the system has seen positive growth and continues to expand its service territory in Bradford, Foster, and Lafayette Townships.  Bradford water is also supplied to the Borough of Lewis Run.  During the past year we have implemented significant upgrades, including electronic metering of raw water flows from the Marilla Reservoir as well as precise metering of stream flows of the Tunagwant at Heffner Reservoir.  Water service infrastucture has recently been extended to portions of Hedgehog Lane in Bradford Township as well as areas of Lafayette Township, including Beaver Drive, Riterville, and Ryan Roads.  Contracts have been let to install new dual wall chemical storage tanks at the water treatment plant.  We are also in the planning stages to rebuild all eight of the plant's filter beds.  We continue to maintain our water impoundments and are in the permitting stage of a 6.5 million dollar rehabilitation of the Gilbert Reservoir, aided by a 5.2 million dollar state grant.  Our efforts are nonstop to provide good value for our customer's dollar.  In December, a regional survey of 75 water systems in western PA illustrated that 60 of the systems assessed rates and charges higher than Bradford; some systems by more than double the Bradford rate.

We're proud of the efforts that have been made to meet or exceed all Federal and State drinking water quality requirements.  We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some contaminants have been detected.  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.

We at the Bradford City Water Authority work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap.  We ask that all our customers help
us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children's future.

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Kim Benjamin at the BCWA office, 814-362-3004.  We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.  If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 12:00pm in the conference room of the Bradford City Water Authority office, 28 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA  16701.