Annual Report
Ector County Utility District
2020 Water Quality Report PWS No. TX0680235
This annual report provides information on the Ector County Utility District’s drinking water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that all drinking water suppliers in the country provide a water quality report to their customers on an annual basis.
Ector County Utility District receives all of its water by contract from the City of Odessa.
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 EPAs Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.TCEQ completed a Source Water Susceptibility for all drinking water systems that own their sources. This report describes the susceptibility and types of constituents that may come into contact with the drinking water source based on human activities and natural conditions. The system(s) from which we purchase our water received the assessment report. For more information regarding this report, contact Tommy Ervin at 432-381-5525.
En español: Este informe incluye información importante sobre el agua potable. Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este informe en español, favor de llamar al tel. (432) 381-5525 – para hablar con una persona bilingüe en español.
The Ector County Utility District is currently in the construction phase of the TCEQ Compliance Projects. These include a new 42nd St. Pump Station with 4 MG ground storage, two elevated storage tanks located on Knox Ave. and Tripp Ave. for a combined storage capacity of 2.5 MG, and 30”, 24”, and 16” water transmission lines designed to improve our water system.
Where Do We Get Our Drinking Water? The City purchases all of its water, untreated, from the Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD). The majority of the water is surface water from Lake Ivie (Runnels County), Lake Thomas (Scurry County), and Lake Spence (Coke County). Groundwater or wells are also sources for our drinking water supply. The City may receive water from Ward and Martin Counties' wells as needed to meet water system demands. The TCEQ completed an assessment of our source water, and results indicate that some of our sources are susceptible to certain contaminants. The sampling requirements for our water system are based on this susceptibility and previous sample data. Any detection of these contaminants may be found in this Consumer Confidence Report. For more information on source water assessments and protection efforts at our system, please contact us.
Water Sources: The drinking water sources (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, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of Contaminants that may be present in the source:
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations.
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, can naturally occur or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from various sources such as agriculture & urban stormwater runoff.
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production activities. Contaminants may be found in drinking water that may cause taste, color, or odor problems. These types of problems are not necessarily cause for health concerns. Please get in touch with the system's business office for more information on the taste, odor, or color of drinking water.
Special Notice for the ELDERLY, INFANTS, CANCER PATIENTS, and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune problems: You may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly, or immunocompromised persons such as those undergoing treatment with steroids; and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders can be particularly at risk from infections. You should seek advice about drinking water from your physician or health care provider. Additional guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
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 Ector County Utility District is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water but cannot control the various 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 are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
About the Tables Contained In This Report.
The tables in this report list all of the federally regulated or monitored constituents, which have been found in Odessa’s water.
The EPA requires testing of up to 97 constituents. The EPA sets the concentrations (MCL and MCLG) of these standards based on the potential health effects of the regulated constituent in the public water supply. The data presented in the report is from the most recent testing done in accordance with regulations. The following abbreviations/definitions are used in the tables:
Action level – The concentration of a contaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Action Level Goal (ALG) – The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no knowledge or expected risk to health. ALGs allow for a margin of safety.
Avg – Regulatory compliance with some MCLs is based on running an annual average of monthly samples.
Level 1 Assessment – a Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.
Level 2 Assessment – a Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasion.
MFL – million fibers per liter (a measure of asbestos)
Mrem – millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body
NTU - Nephelometric Turbidity Units (a measure of turbidity)
ppb - parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (µg/L).
pCi/L - picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity).
ppt – parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter.
ppm - parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L)
ppq – parts per quadrillion, or pictograms per liter
na – not applicable
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected health risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The highest level of containment that is allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) – The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected health risk. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contamination.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) – The highest level of disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that the addition of a disinfectant is necessary for the control of microbial contaminants.
The table below lists all the federally regulated or monitored constituent which have been found in the drinking water.
Nitrate Advisory – Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.
Turbidity is a measurement of the cloudiness of the water caused by suspended particles. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of water quality and the effectiveness of our filtration.
Total Coliform bacteria are used as indicators of microbial contamination of drinking water because testing for them is easy. While not disease-causing organisms themselves, they are often found in association with other microbes capable of causing disease. Coliform bacteria are hardier than many disease-causing organisms; therefore, their absence from water is a good indication that the water is microbiologically safe for human consumption.
Lead and Copper - Lead and copper are analyzed once every three years by rule. Samples are collected from 50 sites in the system based on the age of the area associated with plumbing codes of the time.
Radioactive Contaminants *EPA considers 50 pCi/L to be the level of concern for beta particles.
Disinfection Residuals
Disinfection Byproducts
Water Loss
Water loss and accountability are reported annually to the Texas Water Development Board. Water loss is based on the amount of water metered for delivery exiting the Water Treatment Plant less the amount of water accounted for as metered to the customers throughout the system. Numerous factors account for the ‘loss’ of water including line breaks, filter backwash, weeping mains, theft, water quality flushing, and meter inaccuracy
Violations
Questions or Comments?
The Ector County Utility District values your comments on the Water Quality Report as well as on other issues relating to water quality or provision of water service. No meetings concerning this report are scheduled. If you have any comments or questions or would like additional conservation information, please contact us by calling 432-381-5525, email us at info@ecudwestodessatx.org.