Wadsworth City PWS

Sources of tap water – including both municipal supply and bottled water – include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over land or through soil, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal or human activities.

Potential contaminants in water supplies include:

• Microbial contaminants: Viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment facilities, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants: Salts and metals occurring naturally or resulting from urban runoff, industrial discharge, oil and gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides: From various sources including agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses
• Organic chemical contaminants: Synthetic and volatile compounds from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants: Naturally occurring or resulting from oil/gas production and mining

To ensure public safety, the EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems, while FDA sets similar standards for bottled water. All water sources may reasonably contain small amounts of some contaminants, which doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Special precautions for vulnerable populations: Some individuals may be more susceptible to contaminants than others, including those undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS or immune disorders, some elderly individuals, and infants. These individuals should seek advice from healthcare providers about their water consumption.

Lead awareness: Elevated lead levels can cause serious health problems, particularly for pregnant women and young children. Lead primarily enters water through service lines and household plumbing materials. While Wadsworth provides quality water, we cannot control materials used in plumbing components. If your water has been sitting for several hours, minimize lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.

Water quality monitoring: The Wadsworth Water Treatment Plant conducts daily monitoring for alkalinity, hardness, pH, chlorine, fluoride, and zinc throughout all treatment processes. In 2017, we conducted comprehensive testing for bacteria, TTHMs, HAA5s, SOCs, lead, copper, and nitrates, collecting samples for 17 different contaminants, most of which were not detected in our water supply. That year, we also analyzed 324 routine bacteria samples and 136 special purpose samples following water main breaks, new line installations, or customer concerns.

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