Our goal is to provide a safe and dependable supply of water
To assure you about our water quality, we are pleased to present this eighth annual water report, as required by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. We appreciate the comments and input we received from our customers on our previous reports, and look forward to receiving more.
This report is designed to inform you about the water quality and services we provide to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our valuable water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water.
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The source of Toccoa’s water
Our main source of water is Lake Toccoa, located on Highway 17 Alternate approximately 2.5 miles north of the City. The lake is supplemented by pumping water from Davidson Creek and Lake Yonah. As you will see, the report shows that our drinking water is safe and actually meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements.
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Toccoa’s water is monitored for safety
The City of Toccoa Water Treatment Facility routinely monitors for various constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. Our laboratory performed more than 45,453 analyses and 1,065 microbiological tests during the past year. This report shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January to December of 2006.
Drinking water, including bottled drinking 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 EPD’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1.800.426.4791).
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Toccoa water meets Federal Standards
All water sources, including reservoirs such as ours, travel over the surface of land or through the ground and dissolve naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from human activity and the presence of animals.
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 systems disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk of infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
Guidelines are provide by the Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control on the appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants. These guidelines are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1.800.426.4791.
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Find out more about Toccoa water
In an effort to keep our valued customers informed about our water utility, tours are held throughout the year and can be arranged by calling Marie Morse at 706.282.3250. The City of Toccoa Commission meets on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at 5 p.m. Meetings are held at City Hall. Your participation is welcome.
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City of Toccoa Water Treatment Facilities Drinking Water Analysis Report (Jan - Dec 2005) Regulated Substances
2007 WATER QUALITY REPORT - Side 1
2007 WATER QUALITY REPORT - Side 2
EPD has determined that the concentration of certain water quality parameters does not change frequently within our system; therefore some of the data presented in this report are greater than one year old. In addition, variances have been granted to our water system because EPD studies show that the distributed water is not vulnerable to certain substances. Waivers were granted in November 2001 for certain synthetic organic compounds and inorganic compounds; these waivers include testing for asbestos and cyanide for the period of January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2010.
In this table you may find terms and abbreviations that are unfamiliar to you. To help you better understand these, we’ve provided the following definitions:
ppm - parts per million or milligrams per liter - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years, or a single penny in $10,000
ppb - parts per billion or micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years or a single penny in $10 million
NTU - nephelometric turbidity units - a measure of the clarity of the water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person
MCL - maximum contaminant level - the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available technology
MCLG - maximum contaminant level goal - the highest level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow a margin of safety
TT - treatment technique - a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water
NA - Not Applicable
Turbidity is the measure of the cloudiness of water. We monitor turbidity because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.
TA Sourse Water Assessment was completed by the University of Georgia in October, 2003. The report is available for revire at City Hall - Water Department.
Water treated in 2006: 1,477 billion gallons: average of 4.04 million gallons per day.
The City of Toccoa Water Laboratory is certified for bacteriological analysis. Samples are taken from various sites approved by EPD and analyzed for coliform bacteria. All new water lines are also analyzed and must meet EPD requirements before they are put in service and taps can be made.
Lead and Copper are under reduced sampling. The current results are from 2004. We will be collecting again this year (2007).
If you have any questions about this report or concerning our water utility, please contact the Toccoa Water Department at 706.282.3257.
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