Ohio County Water District

This report aims to inform residents about the quality of water and services we provide daily. We're dedicated to delivering safe, clean, and reliable water, continuously monitoring, improving, and protecting our water system to maintain high standards.

Ohio County Water District treats surface water from Green River. Our susceptibility assessment indicates a moderate risk overall, with some areas of higher concern. Major roadways and agricultural row crops present higher risks due to contaminant types, proximity, and release probability. Medium susceptibility areas include forests, woodlands, oil and gas wells, and pasture lands.

The complete Source Water Assessment is available for review during regular business hours at our facility. All municipal water, including bottled varieties, may contain at least trace amounts of some contaminants. Their presence doesn't necessarily indicate health risks. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over 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 like viruses and bacteria from sewage plants, septic systems, livestock operations, or wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals (naturally occurring or from stormwater runoff, sewage discharge, oil/gas production, mining, or farming)
• Pesticides and herbicides from stormwater runoff, agriculture, or residential usage
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, stormwater runoff, or septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants that occur naturally or result from oil/gas production and mining

The EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems, while FDA regulations set similar limits for bottled water to protect public health. Some individuals may be more vulnerable to water contaminants than the general population, including immunocompromised persons undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, HIV/AIDS patients, elderly individuals, and infants.

Regarding lead: elevated levels can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in municipal water primarily comes from materials and components in service lines and home plumbing. While we provide quality water, we cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When water sits unused for several hours, you can minimize lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for consumption. If concerned, consider water testing. More information is available through the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

We consistently monitor for contaminants. During monitoring periods, we encountered some coliform bacteria issues that were promptly addressed according to protocols. Public notices were distributed for each occurrence. Please share this information with others who use this water, especially those who may not receive this notice directly (residents in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).

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