Glassboro Water Department

We are pleased to present this year's Annual Municipal Water Quality Report. This document informs you about the quality water and services we deliver daily. Our primary goal is providing you with safe, reliable water. We continuously strive to enhance our treatment system and protect our valuable water resources.

Our water comes from groundwater sources in the Cohansey, Potomac/Raritan/Magothy and Mount Laurel Aquifers. Additionally, we purchase water from New Jersey American Company, which sources from the Delaware River.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has completed a Source Water Assessment Report for our system, available at www.Nation.Nj.Us/dep/switch or by contacting NJDEP's Bureau of Safe Drinking Water at (609) 292-5550. You can also contact us directly for information about our water system's Source Water Assessment ratings and potential contaminant sources.

What Can Be in Our Municipal Water?

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land or underground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals, sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity. Potential contaminants include:

• Microbial contaminants from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants like salts and metals, which may occur naturally or result from runoff, wastewater discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential use
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants that can be naturally occurring or result from oil/gas production and mining

EPA regulations limit contaminants in public water systems to ensure safety. FDA regulations establish similar limits for bottled water to provide equivalent protection.

Health Considerations

Tap 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, call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Lead in Municipal Water

Elevated lead levels can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in municipal water primarily comes from materials in service lines and home plumbing. While Glassboro Water provides high-quality water, we cannot control the materials used in plumbing components. When water sits unused for several hours, minimize potential lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If concerned, you can have your water tested. Information about lead in water, testing methods, and exposure reduction steps is available from the Safe Drinking Water hotline or at http://www.Epa.Gov/safewater/lead.

Our Treatment Process

To maintain water quality, we use several treatment methods:

• Water from our Patomic-Raritan-Magothy wells (600+ feet underground) requires only chlorination before distribution
• Our Mount Laurel well (approximately 400 feet deep) also needs only chlorination
• Chlorination, required by state regulations, eliminates bacteria and ensures water remains safe throughout the distribution system
• Our Cohansey wells (about 100 feet deep) utilize carbon-based up-flow clarifiers to remove iron and manganese traces before chlorination
• Our final Patomic-Raritan-Magothy well employs reverse osmosis and Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing (VSEP) to remove sodium traces and exceed New Jersey standards

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