Tullahoma Utilities Board
2001 Water Quality Report

Our Mark of Excellence
    0nce again we are proud to present to you our annual water quality report. Over the years, we have dedicated ourselves to producing drinking water that meets or does better than all state and federal drinking water standards. We accomplish this by continually striving to adopt new and better methods of delivering the best quality drinking water that we can. As regulations and drinking water standards change, it is our commitment to you to quickly incorporate these changes system wide in an expeditious and cost effective manner.
    As new challenges to drinking water safety emerge, we will be vigilant in maintaining our objective of providing quality drinking water at an affordable price. If you have any health concerns relating to the information in this report, we encourage you to contact your health cam provider.

What's Inside?
    This report outlines the processes involved in delivering to you the highest quality drinking water available. In it, we will answer these important questions:

    Where does my water come from?
    What is in my drinking water?

    We will also provide information on other available resources that will answer questions about water quality and health effects.

Got Questions?
Call the U.S. EPA's Safe
Drinking Water Hotline
at 1-800-426-4791

Substances Expected in Drinking Water
    To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.
    The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it can acquire naturally occurring minerals, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances that may be present in source water include:
    Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, or wildlife;
    Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or may result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming;
    Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses;
    Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and may also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems;
    Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or may be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
    For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the U.S. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426﷓4791.

Special Health Information
    Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants may be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

What's In My Water?
     We are pleased to report that during the past year, the water delivered to your home or business complied with, or did better than, all state and federal drinking water requirements. For your information, we have compiled a list in the table below showing what substances were detected in our drinking water during 2001. Although all of the substances listed below are under the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set by U.S. EPA,  we feel it is important that you know exactly what was detected and how much of the substance was present in the water. The state requires us to monitor for certain substances less than once per year because the concentrations of these substances do not change frequently. In these cases, the most recent sample data are included, along with the year in which the sample was taken.

     *Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water.  We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of the filtration system. During the reporting year, 100% of all samples taken to measure turbidity met water quality standards.
Table Definitions
  Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
  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.
  N/A Not Applicable
  NTU (Nephelometric Tubidity Units): Measurement of the clarity, or turbidity, of water.
  Parts per billion (ppb): One part substance per billion parts water (or micrograms per liter)
  Parts per million (ppm): One part substance per million parts water (or milligrams per liter)
  Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Where Does My Water Come From?
    The Tullahoma Utilities Board's water is supplied by the Duck River Utility Commission (DRUC), which treats surface water from the Normandy Reservoir. The reservoir was constructed Authority in 1976. It is filled by flow from the upper Duck River basin. TVA the reservoir and is actively working with DRUC and the state of Tennessee Division o to protect the reservoir. A source water assessment program is under development for t available soon.
    The water drawn from Normandy Lake is moderately soft with a hardness of approximately grains. This is about 2 on a scale of 110. The minimum amount of soap or detergent manufacturer should be used in all appliances.

Working Hard For You
    The Tullahoma Utilities Board is committed to providing safe and reliable water for all of our customers' needs. TUB is proud to report that the water produced by the DRUC filtration plant met or exceeded all federal and state standards for drinking water during 2001. In fact, TUB and DRUC have never violated any EPA or state drinking water standard or regulation.
    TUB employs a full time staff to manage, operate and monitor water quality and the distribution system, including professional engineers and certified
by the Tennessee Valley owns the land surrounding Water Pollution Control the reservoir and will be approximately 50 ppm, or three as recommended by the
system operators. Thousands of tests are conducted each month on water samples at the treatment plant and throughout the distribution system to ensure that the water remains safe and pure at all times. Over the past 12 years the utilities have invested over $4 million in upgrades to the improve water quality and system reliability.
    For more information on this report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please call Scott Young, Water/Wastewater Department Manager, at (931) 455-4515.

Information on the Internet
    The U.S. EPA Office of Water (www.epa.gov/watrhome) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) Web sites provide a substantial amount of information on many issues relating to water resources, water conservation and public health. Also, the Tullahoma Utilities Board has a Web site (www.tub.net) that provides complete and current information on local water issues.

Water Conservation Tips
    Water conservation measures are an important step in protecting our water supply. Such measures not only save the supply of our source water, but can also save you money by reducing your water bill. Here are a few suggestions:
Conservation measures you can use inside your home Include:
*FIX lawns faucets, pipes, toilets, etc.
*Replace old fixtures; install water saving devices in faucets, toilets and appliances.
*Wash only full loads of laundry.
*Do not use the toilet for trash disposal.
*Take shorter showers.
*Do not let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
*Soak dishes before washing.
*Run the dishwasher only when full.
You can conserve outdoors as well:
*Water the lawn and garden in the early morning or evening.
*Use mulch around plants and shrubs.
*Repair leaks in faucets and hoses.
*Use water saving nozzles.
*Use water from a bucket to wash your car, and save the hose for rinsing.

Community Participation
    You are invited to participate in our public forurn and voice your concerns about your drinking water. Board meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month beginning at 5p.m. in the board room of the Tullahoma Utilities Board, 901 S. Jackson St., Tullahoma The meetings are always open and the public is invited to attend.