Quality on Tap Report
GARDNERVILLE RANCHOS
GENERAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

The Gardnerville Ranchos GID is pleased to present to you its' January 1 through December 31, 2007 Tenth Annual Quality on Tap Water Report.  This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water the District delivers to you every day.

Ground water is the only source of drinking water the District uses.  The District operates six wells, with 2 held in reserve..  The wells are located on Riverview Dr., Wyatt Ln., Fairway Drive, Putter Ln., West Kimmerling Rd., Dresslerville Rd., Bluerock Rd. and Rocky Terrace Way.  The District keeps the wells on W. Kimmerling Rd. and Bluerock Rd. in ready reserve.  The District maintains over 40 miles of pipeline

The District completed a Well Head Protection Program in 1997, and updated it in 2001. The original Wellhead Protection Program utilized RSVP volunteers to help identify vulnerabilities within the District. A survey was mailed to all GRIGD residents asking about hazards around the home (over 40% return was received). Lumos and Associates, Inc., the District's consulting engineering firm, identified the direction our water comes from and the area of influence for one half mile around the wells. Periodic meetings were held with groups representing Government, a GRGID Board Member and other interested parties.  Another aspect of the program is education.  The District has put together materials for school age children to help them understand about water quality and conservation and has put together a comprehensive packet for adults with similar materials. The Wellhead Protection Program was funded through volunteer work, District user fees and a grant through the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection.  Subsequent to the completion of the Wellhead Protection Report, the State of Nevada Department of Environmental Protection established criteria for State endorsement of Wellhead Protection Programs. On July 28, 2000 the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection certified the District’s wellhead Protection Program..

If you have any questions about the Wellhead Protection Program or concerning your water utility, please contact Bob Spellberg, District Manager at 265-2048, or drop by the District Office at 931 Mitch Dr. The District wants its residents to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of the District's regularly scheduled Board Meetings. They are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at District Office, 931 Mitch Dr.

The Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water in accordance with Federal and State regulations. Tests for lead, copper, nitrates, nitrites, asbestos, arsenic and monthly coliform bacteria tests meet all state and federal guidelines. Well 5 and Well 8 are now being tested quarterly to show their individual averages meet the current arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion.  Tests for gross alpha/beta have come back at less than 3 pecuries; SOC and VOC have come back as undetected in GRGID's water system.  Please understand that drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. 

The EPA has lowered the standard for the allowable amount of arsenic in the United States water supplies.  The old standard was 50 parts per billion.  The new standard is 10 parts per billion.  The rule went into affect in January 2006. With the exception of the District’s Well 5 and Well 8 all other District wells are under the 10 parts per billion.  The District has started a State approved project of testing arsenic levels quarterly for the two wells.  To date both wells averages are below 10 ppb.  The District drilled a new well next to Well 2 on Riverview Dr. in 2005.  The original Well 2 has an output of 550 gpm.  The new Well 2A has an output of 1,800 gpm.  The District accepted a new well from the Developers of the Rocky Terrace Subdivision in September 2006.  The District has an extra 300 gpm to help offset the loss of Well 5.  This addition has allowed the District to put Well 5 into a semi retired status.  Well 5 will not be used unless an emergency requires it.   Well 1 has been switched to the high pressure side of the water system to replace Well 5.  In 2007 Well 5 was used for two weeks in the peak season only. The EPA’s standards, balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the cost of removing arsenic from drinking water.  The EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems. 

The following are definitions of terms used for identifying testing criteria:

Action Level - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Maximum Contaminant Level - The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is 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.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - The “Goal”(MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Action Level: the concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique(TT): a treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): the highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.  There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): the level of drinking water disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Non-Detects: laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

Parts per Million (ppm):  or milligrams per liter (mg/l)

Parts per Billion (ppb): or micrograms per liter (ug/l)

Pico curies per Liter (pCi/L): Pico curie per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Millirems per Year (mrem/yr): measure of radiation absorbed by the body

Million Fibers per Liter (MFL): million fibers per liter is a measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water.  Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person

The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) included 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, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Containments 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 and herbicides, may come from a variety of sources such as storm water run-off, agriculture, and residential users.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of mining activity.

Organic contaminates, including synthetics and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulation which limits the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  We treat our water according to EPA’s regulations, Food and Drub administration regulations establish limits for contaminates in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Our water system is required to test a minimum of 10 samples each month for E-coli and Coli form microbiological contaminants.  Coli form bacteria are usually harmless, but their presences in water can be an indication of disease-causing bacteria.  When e coli form bacteria are found, special follow-up tests are done to determine if harmful bacteria are present in the water supply.  If this limit is exceeded, the water supplier must notify the public by newspaper, television or radio.

Testing Results for GARDNERVILLE RANCHOS GID

*Arsenic levels in wells 1,2,4,6 are all less than 10 parts per billion.  Well 5’s last test showed an arsenic level of 11 as did Well 8.  Both wells are being tested quarterly in accordance with state regulations.  The District is confident the yearly average for the two wells will be less than 10 parts per billion.

Please understand that the presence of contaminants in your drinking water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. 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.

Violations:

For the 2007 calendar year, the GARDNERVILLE RANCHOS GID is required to include an explanation of the violation(s) in the above table and the steps taken to resolve the violation(s) with this report.

The District did not test Well 01 for nitrates during the calendar year 2007, which resulted in a violation of State regulations. As this was a Failure to Monitor violation, no known health effects are believed to have occurred. The District will return to compliance by sampling for Nitrate at all wells in 2008.

The Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District is proud to be able to provide your family with clean, quality water. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply, improvements that will benefit all of our customers have been made. The District secured two loans from the State of Nevada Revolving Loan Fund for a total of $4.4 million dollars to replace steel water main and upgrading of District fire hydrants in those areas where water main has been replaced.  This project has been completed and has allowed for the movement of Well 1 water supply to the high pressure side. 

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). 

We at the Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap.  The District asks that all our residents help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.

Bob Spellberg
District Manager