We are pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the water and services we deliver to you every day. Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. In 2002 the system produce over 45 million gallons of water to supply our 2,200 residents. Our water source is a surface water supply known as The Still Pond Reservoir with an auxiliary ground water source referred to as Well #1, (formerly the Renda Well). Water from the Still Pond Reservoir is filtered and disinfected. The Well supply is treated with an ion exchange unit and then disinfected. Well Number 1 is put into service whenever the Still Pond Reservoir cannot meet the system demand for water. The Water District has a five hundred thousand gallon water storage tank which provides fire protection to sixty percent of the District's residents and it also provides a 3 to 4 day reserve in case of a supply failure. Both the Still Pond Filter Plant and The Well Treatment Facility have emergency power supplies to enable the systems to operate in the event of a prolonged power failure. In 2002 we began construction of a 50, 000 gallon tank on Mountain Road. This tank will provide much needed fire protection and storage for the homes on Mountain Road and in the Elting Road area. It will also make the system operation more efficient.

The Still Pond Filter Plant began operation in February of 1993. After water is drawn from the Reservoir, it is treated with additives. The chemically enhanced water is then put through a contact clarifier where the tiny particles come together to form larger particles called floc. Following the floc formation, the water is sent to a multi-media filter. The filter removes the floc and the other particulates from the water. After the water has been filtered, it is disinfected and sent to a contact tank where it is in contact with the disinfectant for 30 to 45 minutes before being delivered to the distribution system. The filters and clarifiers are routinely back washed and cleaned to keep them at peak operating capacity. The filter plant consistently delivers superior quality water well below the New York State performance standard of 0.20 turbidity units.

I'm pleased to report that our drinking water meets federal and state requirements. This report shows our water quality and what it means. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Terry Johnson at (845)658-8718. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held on the fourth Monday of each month at the Town of Rosendale Town Hall at 424 Main St. at 7:00 PM.

The Rosendale Water District routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. In 2002 we tested for bacteria, turbidity , and 123 organic, inorganic, and radiological contaminants. There were no positive results for Total Coliform. While some compounds were detected, they were below the New York State maximum contaminant levels. There were 2 reportable violations of the NYS Code. They occurred when the system operator of the day failed to collect the required monitoring sample for Turbidity on January 18 and June 14, 2002. The attached table shows the results of the contaminants detected for the period of January 1^st to December 31^st, 2002. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It's important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. In the table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided definitions with the table. Copies of the lab results are on file with the Water Clerk at the Town Hall and are available upon request.

Health Effects

While some contaminants have been detected, the EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are man-made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. MCLs are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect. Nitrates: As a precaution we always notify physicians and health care providers in this area if there is ever a higher than normal level of nitrates in the water supply. Lead: Lead in drinking water is rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, but it can add to a person's total lead exposure. All potential sources of lead in the household should be identified and removed, replaced or reduced. Sodium: Water containing more than 20 ppm of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on severely restricted sodium diets. Water containing more than 270 ppm of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on moderately restricted sodium diets.

In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments. Thank you for understanding.

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 system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Please call our office if you have questions. We at The Rosendale Water Department work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.

Please review the attached table. If you would like to see all of the laboratory results, they are on file at the Town of Rosendale Town Hall at 424 Main Street.

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