Water Treatment Facilities

Phone: 478-988-2777
Fax:     478-988-2778
skelly@esginc.net

To report a water leak
For an emergency call 911
For non-emergency call 478-338-2846

Water Treatment Plant No. 1
700 Main St.
Perry, GA 31069

Water Treatment Plant No. 2
110 Woodlawn Dr.
Perry, GA 31069

City of Perry 2010 Water Quality Report

Your water meets all state and federal regulations

Last year we conducted more than 1,217 tests for over 78 drinking water contaminants. We only detected three (3) contaminants. This brochure is an overview of the quality of the water we provided last year. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. We are committed to providing you with the information because we want you to be informed. For more information about your water call: 478-988-2875 and ask for the Water Treatment Manager, Chad McMurrian.

Special population advisory

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immune compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIVIAIDS 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/Center For Disease Control guidelines on how to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791.

Drinking water sources

Your water comes from wells which draw from the Cretaceous Sand Aquifer. These wells are protected from potential sources of contamination. Presence of certain constituents does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. Source water assessment information and Wellhead Protection Plan may be obtained from City Hall. You may view this plan or request a copy by calling 1-478-988-2700.

Public participation opportunities

Perry City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 P.M. at City Hall. Your participation or comments are welcome at these meetings as well.

Contaminants in water

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water before we treat it include: 

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
• Pesticides & herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential use.
• Radioactive contaminants, which are naturally occurring.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also can come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems. 

Water quality monitoring

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. We treat our water according to EPA's regulations. Your water met all the regulations set by EPA. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Water quality data

The table in this report lists all the drinking water contaminants we detected during the 2010 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted; the data presented in this table are from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2010.The state requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old. 

Terms & Abbreviations

• AL: Action Level- the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

• MRDLG: level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.
• MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
• MRDL:Maximum residual disinfectant level- highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbiological contaminants.

• MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level- the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• MFL: million fibers per liter
• mremf year: millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body)
• NA: not applicable
• ND: not detectable at testing limit
• NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units
• pCijl: picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity)
• ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter - (corresponds to one minute in two years)
• ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter -(corresponds to one minute in 2,000years)

Detected Contaminants

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  The City of Perry is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.  When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.  If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.  Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. 

Our Water Treatment Plant Operators are on duty 24 hours to ensure your water is safe and provided in adequate supply. All Operators are licensed by the State of Georgia and receive continuing education to maintain a high level of proficiency and expertise. A series of tests are preformed three (3) times daily to ensure consistent quality. These tests include; pH, Fluoride, Iron and Phosphate (corrosion inhibitor) and Chlorine residual. You can view this report online at www.perry-ga.gov or if you have any questions about your water quality you can visit these other informative sources.

www.epa.gov     www.gaepd.org     www.awwa.org     www.gawp.org

This report was prepared by ESG Operations INC. as a service to the City of Perry, Ga.

Water Supply and Production

The City of Perry water system (" the System ") currently has a total permitted production capacity of 6.15 million gallons per day (MGD). This capacity includes the 1.0 MGD at the Main St. Water Plant Facility and an additional 5.15 MGD from the Woodlawn Water Treatment Plant Facility. These water plants receive raw water for treatment from five wells at various locations around the city. The System currently has five elevated potable water tanks which serve as a1.75 million gallon emergency water storage reservoirs and also assist in the production of water pressure within the distribution system.

Distribution

The Water System includes more than 148.5 miles of water mains in various diameters and materials. All water lines are constructed by the Water System's own crews, contracted for with the construction monitored and approved by the Water System's engineer, or are constructed by sub-dividers and contributed to the Water System upon approval of the construction by the Public Works Director.

Water Restrictions

Most Recent Water Restriction Information:

The Georgia Water Stewardship Act went into effect statewide on June 2, 2010.  It allows daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants only between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. by anyone whose water is supplied by a water system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division. 

Outdoor water use for any purposes other than watering of plants, such as power washing or washing cars, is still restricted to the current odd/even watering schedule.

• Odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. 
• Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses are allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

More information about the outdoor water use schedules can be found on the EPD web site at http://www.georgiaepd.com/.

To learn more about water conservation and answers to frequently asked questions please go to the EPD Water Conservation web site at http://www.conservewatergeorgia.net/

Groundwater Wells