Citrus County Utilities/Charles A. Black

MUNICIPAL WATER SOURCE: The jointly owned Citrus County and Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority's Charles A. Black Central Citrus County Wellfields and Water Treatment Facility draws from the Northern West-Central Groundwater Basin of the Floridan Aquifer. Water undergoes chlorination for disinfection and is distributed from three interconnected treatment facilities comprising eight wells. The largest facility is the Charles A. Black I Treatment Plant located in the Citrus Hills area.

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, while potentially collecting substances from animal presence or human activity.

Potential contaminants in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria) from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants (salts, metals) either naturally occurring or from urban runoff, industrial/residential discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential use
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile compounds from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, stormwater runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants, either naturally occurring or resulting from oil/gas production and mining

To ensure tap water safety, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes regulations limiting certain contaminants in public water systems. Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets limits for contaminants in bottled water to provide equivalent public health protection.

All drinking water, including bottled varieties, may reasonably contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. Their presence doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Certain populations may be more vulnerable to water contaminants than the general public. Immune-compromised individuals such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune disorders, some elderly individuals, and infants may face increased infection risks. These individuals should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate measures to reduce infection risks from Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) completed a Source Water Assessment for the Charles A. Black system in 2017. The assessment identified four potential contamination sources with low susceptibility levels. Assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water Assessment and Protection Program website at https://fldep.dep.state.fl.us/swapp/lookup.net. Use the PWS ID provided at the top of this report to search.

CONSERVATION: Ensuring adequate water supplies for people and nature is vital to the Department. More importantly, water conservation saves time and money. For free copies of water conservation brochures and tools to request demonstrations in your community, call (352)527-7650.

MONITORING RESULTS: The Citrus County Department of Water Resources routinely monitors water quality to determine the presence of organic, inorganic, volatile organic, synthetic organic and radioactive contaminants in our water supply according to State and Federal regulations. The table below shows only those contaminants that were detectable, required to be reported, or were considered of special interest to customers.

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