STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH REGULATORY SERVICES BRANCH DRINKING WATER SECTION PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS VIOLATIONS REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2007 July 2008 NOTICE OF REPORT SUMMARY AND FULL REPORT AVAILABILITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS VIOLATIONS REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2007 CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DRINKING WATER SECTION The Department of Public Health (DPH) is Connecticut’s lead State agency in all matters related to the purity and adequacy of drinking water. The Drinking Water Section (DWS) in DPH’s Regulatory Services Branch administers the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) at the State level. The DWS responsibilities for the SDWA include regulating approximately 2717 public water systems (PWS) throughout Connecticut. In 1996, the United States Congress amended the SDWA. One of the important provisions in the amendments was a public information component that requires State drinking water programs to provide the public with a summary of PWS violations on an annual basis. During calendar year 2007: • A total of 289 Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violations were issued to 143 PWS. • Of the 289 MCL violations, 158 were for total coliform bacteria of which 12 were for E. coli bacteria (total coliform (acute)). • One hundred thirty-one MCL violations were also issued for the following contaminants: Arsenic (28); Nitrate (3); Net Gross Alpha (8); Radium 226 & 228 (29); Uranium (59); Trichloroethylene (1); Tetrachloroethylene (2); and Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) (1). • One PWS failed to complete public education requirements under the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). • Four hundred nineteen PWS were issued monitoring and reporting violations. • Sixty-nine PWS were issued violations for failure to complete public notification requirements related to maximum contaminant level and/or monitoring and reporting violations. • One hundred fifty-five community public water systems were issued violations for failure to submit to DPH a copy of the 2006 Consumer Confidence Report and/or Certification that the report was issued to their customers. The complete Calendar Year 2007 Public Water Systems Violations Report is available for review on the DWS website at http://www.ct.gov/dph or at DWS offices located at Department of Public Health, 450 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT. To schedule an appointment to review this document at the Drinking Water Section call 860-509-7333. PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS VIOLATIONS REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2007 CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DRINKING WATER SECTION INTRODUCTION The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is the State’s lead agency in all matters related to the purity and adequacy of drinking water. Connecticut’s “primacy” status, granted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows DPH to implement and enforce provisions of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) through State statutes and regulations in the Public Health Code. The Drinking Water Section (DWS) in the DPH’s Regulatory Services Branch administers the statewide drinking water program associated with the SDWA. In 1996, the United States Congress amended the SDWA. One of the important provisions in the amendments is the public information component that requires State drinking water programs to issue an annual report on violations incurred by public water systems (PWS). States must also make this report available to the public. This document comprises DPH’s annual report which must be made available to the public and submitted to EPA. This report covers the calendar year 2007. PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS IN CONNECTICUT The DWS exercises regulatory oversight of approximately 2717 PWS throughout Connecticut. These PWS fall into three categories. Community PWS, of which there are about 581, serve at least 25 year round residents. In Connecticut, approximately 77 % of the state’s population of 3.5 million people obtains their drinking water from community water systems. Non-transient non-community PWS, of which there are approximately 605, serve at least 25 of the same individuals, other than year round residents, for more than six months per year. Examples of non-transient non-community PWS are schools, day care centers, and factories. Finally, there are about 1531 transient non-community PWS in Connecticut which provide drinking water to places like restaurants and campgrounds. Over two-thirds of the population on community PWS are supplied by surface water. Groundwater serves the remaining population on community water systems, and almost all non-community PWS rely on groundwater. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DRINKING WATER SECTION PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS VIOLATIONS REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2007 July, 2008 2 REGULATION OF CONTAMINANTS Public water systems are required to monitor and test their drinking water. Community PWS monitor and test for all regulated microbiological, chemical and radionuclide contaminants. Non-transient non-community PWS monitor and test for all regulated microbiological and chemical contaminants. Transient non-community PWS are required to monitor and test for microbiological contaminants and two chemical contaminants (nitrate and nitrite). EPA sets a national limit or standard known as the Maximum Contaminant Level (“MCL”) for each regulated contaminant. The MCL represents the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in the water. Public water systems submit the results of their water quality tests to the DWS. The water quality data is then entered into SDWIS/STATE and compliance with all applicable MCLs and monitoring requirements is determined. EPA also establishes minimum treatment techniques. This report includes violations of treatment techniques under the Lead and Copper Rule. For this report, a violation of this treatment technique means a failure to meet operational and PWS requirements under the rule. CALENDAR YEAR 2007 REPORT OF PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM VIOLATIONS This annual violation report includes four types of violations. The first type of violation is for MCL exceedances. The second type is for treatment technique violations under the Lead and Copper Rule and Disinfection ByProducts Rule. The third type is for significant monitoring violations which are defined by EPA as a PWS’s failure to collect a required sample or submit a required water quality test result to the DWS. The fourth type is for failure to comply with the consumer confidence reporting and public notification requirements. When a PWS has a violation, the DWS provides technical assistance to the PWS to ensure that it implements all required procedures associated with the violation, such as public notification and any necessary corrective action, such as the installation of appropriate treatment. For calendar year 2007, the DPH issued 102 formal enforcement actions to PWS. The actions taken included 6 Consent Orders and 96 Notices of Violation with Civil Penalty. The majority of these formal enforcement actions were issued to community and non-transient non-community PWS that incurred significant monitoring and reporting violations. Connecticut does not have any PWS that have been granted a variance or exception; therefore there have not been any violations in calendar year 2007 that were related to variances or exceptions. Our goal is to oversee the return of PWS to compliance as quickly as possible. The DWS remains committed to continuing its positive working relationship with the PWS for the express purpose of protecting public health by minimizing violations. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DRINKING WATER SECTION PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS VIOLATIONS REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2007 July, 2008 3 REPORT EXPLANATION The majority of PWS with violations are small systems serving populations of less than 1,000 people. Small PWS are the most frequent violators of Federal and State drinking water mandates. The DWS devotes considerable time and effort to helping small community and non-community PWS understand and comply with their mandated requirements. The attached tables present data on PWS violations in calendar year 2007. Table A reports violations by the four types of violations incurred in calendar year 2007. Table B covers MCL violations; Table C covers treatment technique violations; Table D covers significant monitoring and reporting violations; Table E covers public notification violations; and Table F covers consumer confidence reporting violations. The definitions appended to Table A further explain the terms in the report and tables. MCL Violations: (refer to Table B) For calendar year 2007, the DWS issued a total of 289 violations to 143 PWS for MCL exceedances. Microbiological: Fifty-seven percent of all MCL violations in calendar year 2007 were for microbiological contamination of public water supplies. 1. Total Coliform: One hundred nine PWS were issued a total of 146 total coliform MCL violations. A PWS incurs a violation for total coliform when the test result shows the presence of coliform bacteria in the water. When a violation occurs, the DWS assists the PWS with identifying the source of the coliform bacteria. Total coliforms are common in the environment and are generally not harmful themselves. The presence of these bacteria in drinking water, however, generally indicates a problem with the system that should be corrected. The problem is often corrected through system improvements and chlorination of the system. 2. Total Coliform Acute: Ten PWS were issued a total of 12 total coliform acute MCL violations. An acute total coliform violation occurs when fecal coliform or E. coli bacteria is