2013 Annual Water Quality Report

Newport MUD

PWS ID # 1010362

Newport Municipal Utility District

281-328-3573

PWS ID # 1010362

Este reporteincluyeinformacionimportantesobre el aguaparatomar. Si tienepreguntas o' discussionessobreestereporteenespanol, favor de liamar al tel. 281-328-3573 par hablar con una persona bilingue en espanol.

What’s the Quality of My Water?

The Newport Municipal Utility District (MUD) is pleased to share this water quality report with you. It describes to you, the customer, the quality of your drinking water. This report covers January 1 through December 31, 2013. The Newport MUD’s drinking water supply surpassed the strict regulations of both the State of Texas and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires all water suppliers to prepare reports like this every year.

Our water source is surface water obtained from the San Jacinto River Authority Canal and ground water drawn by two wells which is obtainedfrom the Evangeline Aquifer. A Source Water Susceptibility Assessment for your drinking water source(s) is currently being updated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This information describes thesusceptibility and types of constituents that may come into contact with your drinking water source based on human activities and natural conditions. The information contained in theassessment allows us to focus source water protection strategies. For more information on source water assessments and protectionefforts at our system, please refer to the Source Water Assessment Viewer available at the following URL: Further details about source and source-water assessments are available in Drinking Water Watch at the following URL:

Newport MUD treats your water through coagulation which is a two step process involving flocculation (a process that removes dirt and otherparticles) and sedimentation (allows particles to settle naturally out of the water). Then it goes through a filtration process and finally chloramines disinfectant is added to remove or reduce harmful contaminants that may come from the source water.

Our utility district is operated by Professional Utility Services, Inc. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility,please contact Jeremy Cochran by calling 281-328-3573. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. You can attendregular Board meetings on the 4th Wednesday of each month, at 1:00 pm, at 16703A Golf Club Drive.

Board members:

Wayne Scott, President

Don Cox, Vice-President

Robert Archer, Secretary

Dale Glazner, Assistant Secretary

Jim Hembree, Director

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants you to know:

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided bypublic water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the sameprotection for public health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence ofcontaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effectscan 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 watertravels 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.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestockoperations, and wildlife.Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm waterrunoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses. Organic chemical contaminants, including syntheticand volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations,urban storm water runoff, and septic systems. Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil andgas production and mining activities.

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. Newport MUD is responsible for providing highquality 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 Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at

2013 Monitoring Results for Newport MUD

You may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly, or immuno-compromised persons such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer those who have undergone organ transplants those who are 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 (1-800-426-4791).

Contaminant / Unit / MCLG Health Goal / MCL EPA's Limits / Highest Detected Level / Range Detected / Violation / Year 1 / Potential Source of Contamination
(Yes/No) / Sampled
Microbiological Contaminants
Total Organic Carbon / ppm3 / NA / TT / 3.36 - 10.37 (range of source water ppm) 3.03 - 5.70 (range of finished water ppm) / NO / 2013 / Naturally present in the environment.
Turbidity / NTU / NA / <0.3 NTU in 95% of samples and never more than 1.0 NTU / 0.19 / 100% met limits / NO / 2013 / Soil runoff.
Inorganic Contaminants
Barium / ppm / 2 / 2 / 0.0687 / 0.0687 - 0.0687 / NO / 2013 / Discharge from drilling wastes. Discharge from metal refineries. Erosion of natural deposits.
Copper / ppm / 1.3 / 1.3 = AL / 0.266 / All sites below AL / NO / 2013 / Corrosion of household plumbing systems. Erosion of natural deposits. Leaching from wood preservatives.
Fluoride / ppm / 4 / 4 / 0.2 / 0.17 - 0.17 / NO / 2013 / Erosion of natural deposits. Water additive to promote strong teeth. Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Lead / ppb / 0 / 15 = AL / 1.37 / All sites below AL / NO / 2013 / Corrosion of household plumbing systems. Erosion of natural deposits.
Nitrate / ppm / 10 / 10 / 1 / 0.06 - 0.9 / NO / 2013 / Runoff from fertilizer use. Leaching from septic tanks, sewage. Erosion of natural deposits.
Nitrite / ppm / 1 / 1 / 0.02 / 0.02 - 0.02 / NO / 2012
Synthetic Organic Contaminant
Atrazine / ppb / 3 / 3 / 0.23 / 0 - 0.23 / NO / 2013 / Runoff from herbicide use on row crops.
2,4-D / ppb / 70 / 70 / 0.1 / 0-0.1 / NO / 2013 / Runoff from herbicide use on row crops.
Simazine / ppb / 4 / 4 / 0.09 / 0 - 0.09 / NO / 2013 / Herbicide runoff.
Volatile Organic Contaminants, Disinfectants and Disinfectant Byproducts
Chloramines / ppm / MRDLG = 4 / MRDL = 4 / 1.40 average / 1.01 - 1.89 / NO / 2013 / Water additive used to control microbes.
Haloacetic Acid / ppb / No Goal for Total / 60 / 16 / 12.6 - 18.3 / NO / 2013 / By-products of drinking water chlorination
Total Trihalomethanes / ppb / No Goal for Total / 80 / 25 / 23.1 - 38.1 / NO / 2013

Many constituents (such as calcium, sodium, or iron) which are often found in drinking water, can cause taste, color, and odor problems. The taste and odor constituents are called secondary constituents and are regulated by the State of Texas, not the EPA. These constituents are not causes for health concern. Therefore, secondaries are not required to be reported in this document but they may greatly affect the appearance and taste of your water.

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. Newport MUD 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 Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at

In the water loss audit submitted to the Texas Water Development Board for the time period of January thru December 2013, our water system lost an estimated 30,698,000 gallons of water. If you have any questions about the water loss audit, please contact Jeremy Cochran at 281-328-3573 for further information.

Definitions

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): 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 (MCLG): 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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below whichthere is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGsdo not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants tocontrol microbial contaminants.

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.

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water. 90th Percentile: 90% of samples are equal to or less than the number in the chart.

NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units): A measure of clarity.

NA: Not applicable.

ND: Not detectable at testing limits.

PPB (parts per billion): micrograms per liter (ug/l).

PPM (parts per million): milligrams per liter (mg/l).

CDC: Centers for Disease Control.

EPA: Environmental Protection Agency

NOTES:

1 The state allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently.

Some of our data, though accurate, is more than one year old.

2 Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system

3 The value reported under "Level Found" for Total Organic Carbon (TOC) is the average ratio between percentage of TOC actually removed to the percentageof TOC required to be removed. Our goal is to achieve a removal ratio value of 1.0.

4 While your drinking water meets EPA’s standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’spossible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which isa mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems