Bradford City Water Authority routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 2010.   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 2010.  Surface water systems such as BCWA are required to maintain a detectable disinfectant residual of at least 0.02 ppm (parts per million) of total or combined chlorine throughout the distribution system at all times.  BCWA has met or exceeded that standard throughout all of 2010.  There is also a requirement for maintaining an entry point disinfection level that does not drop below 0.2 ppm for any period of four hours or greater.  BCWA has met or exceeded this standards throughout all of 2010.  ** There is also an entry point disinfection requirement to provide a 1.0 log inactivation of Giardia at all times.  Due to an equipment malfunction on October 25, 2010, there was approximately a one hour period when the log inactivation level fell too 0.687.  Equipment repairs were subsequently made to prevent a reoccurance.  PA DEP has determined this to be a violation as well as failure to issue a companion boil water advisory for this one hour event.  All other sampling requirements for 2010 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.
Log Inactivation - mathematical calculation utilizing volume, flow rates, baffling factors, free chlorine residual, temperature and pH.

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.
 

Over the past three decades, over 30 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.  During the past year we have implemented 2 million dollars of significant upgrades, including completion of a centrifuge dewatering facility.  We continue to maintain our water impoundments and are currently planning a 6.5 million dollar rehabilitation of the Gilbert Reservoir with the assistance of a 5.2 million dollar state grant. 

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.