2019 Water Quality Report
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2019 Water Quality Report Water Sustainability through Stewardship, Innovation and People About This Report At Scottsdale Water we strive every day to epitomize our vision of Water Sustainability through Stewardship Innovation and People. We are dedicated to supplying you with safe, reliable drinking water at an affordable price with outstanding service. Our commitment to that goal is summarized in this annual report. Water is a precious resource for our community, especially in our desert environment. In addition to working to ensure your water is safe, we are also dedicated to ensuring a secure and sustainable water supply for today and the future. Through innovative aquifer recharge programs and effective strategic planning and investment, Scottsdale was the first city in Arizona to meet safe yield – put more water in the aquifer than we take out – and has been doing so every year since 2006, nearly 20 years ahead of the state-mandated deadline to do so. We also work to actively educate and encourage our citizens to use water wisely and conserve whenever possible. I encourage you to review this report and learn about the work and dedication that goes into providing you safe, reliable and affordable drinking water each and every day. Brian K. Biesemeyer, PE • Scottsdale Water Executive Director DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS A NOTE FROM THE EPA Contaminant – Any physical, chemical, biological or To ensure the water from your tap is safe to drink, the radiological substance or matter in the water. Environmental Protection Agency issues regulations Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) – The level limiting the amount of certain impurities allowed in of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is drinking water and the water treatment process. You can no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a expect all drinking water, including bottled water (which margin of safety. is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration), to Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – The highest level contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. of a contaminant allowed by the EPA in drinking water. It’s important to know that the presence or detection of MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the impurities does not necessarily indicate a health risk. best available treatment technology. Scottsdale’s drinking water sources include rivers, lakes, Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) – reservoirs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the The highest level of a disinfectant (chlorine) allowed in land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring drinking water. There is convincing scientific evidence materials and can pick up substances from human or that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for the control animal activity. Possible contaminants may include: of microbial contaminants. • Microbial contaminants including viruses, bacteria and Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) – parasites, which may come from sewage treatment The level of drinking water disinfectant below which there plants, septic systems, agricultural or livestock is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not operations and wildlife. reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control • Inorganic contaminants such as minerals, salts and microbial contamination. metals, which can be naturally occurring or result Treatment Technique (TT) – A required process intended from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant, or farming. which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other • Radiochemical contaminants, which occur naturally or requirements that a water provider must follow. result from oil and gas production and mining activities. • Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety Part Per Million (ppm) / Part Per Billion (ppb) – of sources such as agriculture, stormwater runoff and Equivalent to mg/L and µg/L respectively, describe the residential uses. levels of detected substances. • Organic chemical contaminants including synthetic and Picocuries Per Liter (pCi/L) – A measure of the volatile organic compounds, which are byproducts of radioactivity in a liter of water. industrial processes and petroleum production, and Non-detectable (ND) – The substance was analyzed but also can come from gas stations, urban stormwater not detected. runoff and septic systems. Not Applicable (NA) – A regulatory limit does not exist. Water Supply and Treatment Prior to the 1980s, Scottsdale was 100 percent reliant on groundwater for our water supply. Today, 90 percent of our total water supply comes from renewable surface water sources and recycled water, helping us ensure a long-term water supply for future generations. Depending on the time of year, the weather and customer demand, you may receive water from a single source or from a combination of sources. Colorado River water delivered through the CAP Canal SURFACE WATER GROUNDWATER RECYCLED WATER Scottsdale’s main surface water A small portion of Scottsdale’s water10% The Advanced Water Treatment supply comes from the Colorado supply also comes from aquifers deep Plant at the Scottsdale Water River. It is transported through the below ground. The city has 2312% active Campus is one of the largest and Central Arizona Project canal to wells and operates several groundwater most advanced water recycling the CAP Water Treatment Plant at treatment facilities, including the facilities in the world. The plant the Scottsdale Water Campus. Central Groundwater Treatment Facility treats water from Scottsdale 78% The CAP Plant, which can treat and the North Groundwater Treatment businesses and homes to ultrapure up to 70 million gallons of water Facility, which treat groundwater standards that exceed federal a day, is actually three distinct from the North Indian Bend Wash drinking water regulations. That facilities. CAP I and II use a Superfund site. Both facilities were water is then used for turf irrigation conventional water treatment built by private companies that were and to replenish our local aquifers. process, which includes deemed potentially responsible for Over the past 20 years, the state- pretreatment, coagulation/ contaminating the groundwater with of-the-art facility has enabled flocculation, sedimentation, Trichloroethylene. These companies Scottsdale to recharge over 65 filtration and disinfection. Water at pay operating and maintenance costs billion gallons of water into our CAP III is treated with ultrafiltration of the facilities. The groundwater is area aquifers, safeguarding the membrane technology and treated to levels that exceed federal and city’s long-term water supply while disinfection. The CAP Plant uses state drinking water standards, with ensuring the exceptional water granular activated carbon to regulatory oversight by the EPA, ADEQ quality of our local aquifers. improve taste and odor and treat and Maricopa County. for disinfection byproducts. Scottsdale’s Water Supply Portfolio We also receive surface water from the Verde and Salt rivers 12% watersheds, which is transported Surface Water 10% by the Salt River Project to the 63% = CAP Chaparral Water Treatment 15% = SRP Plant. The Chaparral WTP uses ultrafiltration membranes and 78% Recycled Water granular activated carbon and has a treatment capacity of 27 million Groundwater gallons a day. SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT PROGRAM In 2004, Scottsdale worked with the Arizona Department of by these wells has a high risk of contamination, but is treated to meet Environmental Quality to finalize an assessment on the wells and or surpass drinking water standards and monitored closely by the city, surface water sources we use to provide you with drinking water. ADEQ and the EPA. This assessment looked at potential risks to our water sources, All surface water sources are considered high risk due to their which include gas stations, landfills, dry cleaners, agricultural fields exposure to open air. These risks are addressed by the EPA through and wastewater treatment plants. its increased monitoring requirements for surface water sources. The The CAP Water Treatment Plants are located at the The assessment concluded that most of Scottsdale’s groundwater complete assessment is available at Scottsdale Water Campus in north Scottsdale. wells have low to medium risk, with the exception of the wells linked azdeq.gov/environ/water/dw/swap.html or by calling Scottsdale to the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site. The water produced Water at 480-312-8732. Why choose tap over bottled water? AFFORDABLE A 25-ounce bottle can be refilled Your recommended 8 glasses of water a day for just 1,200 times $1. cost 80 cents a year from Scottsdale Water. SAFE Our lab is so advanced it can test for some SUSTAINABLE substances down to On average, only 1 in 5 plastic the part per quadrillion. water bottles are recycled. That’s equivalent to one drop of water diluted 80% end up in an ice cube the size of in landfills the Empire State Building! and waterways. WATER HARDNESS As water makes its way to treatment plants or through aquifers, it Approximate Hardness Levels picks up naturally occurring minerals that make the water “hard” and can also affect taste and other characteristics. Hardness is Hardness Hardness not a primary water quality standard and is not considered to be Boundary (Grains per (mg/L or a health concern. Scottsdale is committed