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Consumer Confidence Reports

Borough of Clayton
Annual Water Quality Report
2007
PWSID #0801001

Click here to Downdoad as a PDF (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

What's the Quality of My Water?

The Borough of Clayton has been providing clean water to your community since the 1800’s, helping to keep you and your family healthy. We take this mission very seriously. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. This report covers January 1 through December 31, 2007. The City of Clayton’s drinking water supply surpassed the strict regulations of both the State of New Jersey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires all water suppliers to prepare reports like this every year.

What's on Tap?

In 2007 our water department distributed 247,613,000 gallons of water to our customers. Our water source is groundwater pumped by four wells from three natural underground aquifers: the Potomac Raritan Magothy Aquifer from approximately 800 feet deep, the Wenonah-Mt. Laurel Aquifer from approximately 400 feet deep, and the Cohansey Aquifer from approximately 85 feet deep. 

Clayton treats your water using filtration and chlorine disinfection to remove or reduce harmful contaminants that may come from the source water.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has completed and issued the Source Water Assessment Report and Summary for the Borough of Clayton Water System. The Source Water Assessment was performed on our four existing wells (#3,4,5 & 6) that deliver water to our water system. A susceptibility rating was used for the Borough of Clayton wells. These ratings ranged from low, medium or high for a particular category. The information on the Source Water Protection Program can be obtained by logging onto NJDEP's source water web site at www.state.nj.us/dep/swap/ or by contacting NJDEP Bureau of Safe Drinking Water at 609-292-5550.

The portion of our system which rated high, does not mean that a customer is consuming contaminated drinking water. The Borough of Clayton Water System is required to monitor for all these regulated compounds. Our current water system utilizes state of the art treatment removal processes.

The Borough of Clayton is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality of water and service. We believe in education and strongly urge our employees to attend various classes and seminars on water treatment processes and distribution operations.  All licensed water operational personnel are mandated to continue training under the Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations.

Hydrant flushing is done in April and October. We do this to check the hydrants to make sure they are working properly. It is also done for taste and odor control of our system.

Where Can I Get More Information?

If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Joe Gentile, Water Operator, by calling (856)-881-3778 or by writing to this address: 125 N. Delsea Drive, Clayton, NJ 08312. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. You can attend Regular Mayor and Council meetings on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 8:00 p.m., in the Municipal Building, at 125 N. Delsea Drive. Find out more on the Internet at http://www.ccr-report.com.

The US Environmnetal Protection Agency (EPA) wants you to know :

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that 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 contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

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 dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants 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, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water 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 storm water runoff, and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

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. The Borough of Clayton 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.

2007 Monitoring Results for Borough of Clayton

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised 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 can be particularly at risk from infections.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  EPA/CDC 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).

Click here for Chart 1

Secondary and Non-regulated Substances

Unregulated contaminant monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminates.

Click here for Chart 2  

Special Considerations Regarding Children, Pregnant Women, Nursing Mothers and Others

Children may receive a slightly higher amount of a contaminant present in the water than do adults, on a body weight basis, because they may drink a greater amount of water per pound of body weight than do adults. For this reason, reproductive or developmental effects are sued for calculating a drinking water standard if these effects occur at lower levels than other health effects of concern. If there is insufficient toxicity information for a chemical (for example, lack of data on reproductive or developmental effects), and extra uncertainty factor may be incorporated into the calculation of the drinking water standard, thus making the standard more stringent, to account for additional
uncertainties regarding these effects. In cases of lead and nitrate, effects on infants and children are the health endpoints upon which the standards are based.

NOTES:

The Borough of Clayton does not add fluoride to the water.  However natural fluoride was detected at 1.93 ppm.  Parents of young children may want to consult with their dentist about their need for fluoride treatments.

¹The 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, though accurate, is more than one year old.

 ²For healthy individuals, the sodium intake for water is not important, because a much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet.  However, sodium levels above the secondary recommended upper limit may be of concern to individuals on a sodium restricted diet.  The sodium found in Clayton's water is from natural erosion.  For more information on sodium, contact Gloucester County Health Department at 856-262-4100.

Definitions

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 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 contaminants.

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

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

90th Percentile:  90% of samples are equal to or less than the number in the chart.

NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units): A measure of clarity

NA:  Not applicable.

ND:  Not detectable at testing limits.

SU: Standard Unit

PPB ( parts per billion):  micrograms per liter (ug/l).

PPM (parts per million):  milligrams per liter (mg/l).

pCi/L (picocuries per liter):  a measure of radioactivity.

CDC: Centers for Disease Control

EPA: Environmental Protection Agency

RAA: Running Annual Average.

 

Tips for Saving Water

1. Keep your showers down to five minutes or less. This will save 75 gallons of water a week per person.
2. Repair all leak faucets, fixtures, and pipes both inside and outside of your home. Saves you 150 gallons of water per week, per leak.
3. Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth. This will save you 35 gallons of water a week per person.
4. Flush the toilet only when necessary. Never use the toilet as a wastebasket. This will save you 150 gallons of water per week.
5. Run the dishwasher only when you ahve a full load. This will save you 30 gallons of water a week.
6. When doing laundry, never wash less than a full load. This will save you 100 gallons of water per week.
7. Keep a container of water in the refrigerator instead of running the faucet to get a cold drink. This will save you 2 to 5 gallons of water a week.
8. Run your garbage disposal only on alternate days. This will save 25 gallons of water a week.
9. Rinse vegetables and fruit in a sink or pan filled with water instead of under running water.
10. If you smoke, PLEASE do not throw your lit cigarette butts out your car window. Many fires have started this way.