Kitts Hummock Drinking Water

Consumer confidence Report for Calendar Year 2018

State # DE0000545 for:
Kitts Hummock Improvement Association
3076 Kitts Hummock Road
Dover, DE 19901
July 6, 2019

For the year of 2018 the state conducted monthly testing for water contaminants.
Included in this report, are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, the
results of these tests, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state
standards. We are committed to providing you with information because informed customers are
our best allies. For more information about your water, call 674-0676 and ask for Dick Rodgers.

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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-
426-4791).

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 call in the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Your drinking water comes from four of the six local wells: well #2, well #5 and well
#6. Well #2 is about 345 to 350 feet deep in an underground source of water called the Piney
Point Aquifer. Well #3 collapsed in 2007 and was totally closed in 2008. In 2007 we drilled our
#4 well and it is in Cheswold Aquifer and at this time is off line. Well #5 was drilled and put on
line in 2008. It is in the Cheswold Aquifer also. Well #6 was put online in 2012. It is 420 feet
and is also in the Piney Point Aquifer. Well #1 I known as the fire well and is off line. These
wells are located on the south side of the intersection of Kitts Hummock Road and South Bay
Drive. The Association, during 2016, also drilled and installed a new well (Well #7) on KHIA
owned property located at 2820 Kitts Hummock Road. This new well is at a depth of
approximately 420 feet into the Piney Point Aquifer. Although Well #7 was inspected, tested and
approved by the State it was not placed online until May of 2017. Kitts Hummock Improvement
Association owns all the lands that the wells and pump house are sitting upon. Security for the
wellheads and pump house are provided by a chain link fence with several strands of barbed wire
at the top.

The Association’s General Meeting is held once a year in August. The date is printed on your
annual water dues. Please be encouraged to participate in this meeting. The Board of Directors
meet quarterly and will present to the board any written statements about the water system that

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they receive from any member of the association. The quarterly meetings are set by the residing
President each year. For the dates of these meetings please contact Michael F. Costello, at 302-
678-2302 after the annual election of the Board of Directors. This year that will be August 10,
2019.

DNREC Division of Water Resources has completed the Source Water Assessment
for the community of Kitts Hummock. You can obtain a complete copy of the SWAP book for
review. We have three copies that we can loan out. Please contact Dick Rodgers at 674-0676 to
make arrangements to see a copy. You may also review this at
http://www.wr.udel.edu/swaphome/swassessments.html

The Sources of drinking water (both tap 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 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 livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as slats 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, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban
storm water runoff, and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
byproducts 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 and gas
production and mining activities.

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

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. Kitts Hummock Improvement Association is
not responsible for or can 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

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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 of at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Again, we are glad to report that in 2018 your tap water tested within EPA and State drinking
water health standards at the times of the normal testing schedule.

Terms and abbreviations used below:

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): the level of a contaminant in drinking
water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow
for a margin of safety.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): the highest level of a contaminant that is

allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set close to the MCLG’s as feasible using
the best available treatment technology.

ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter

ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter
n/a: not applicable
pCi/l: picocuries per liter (a measure of radiation)

Action Level (AL): the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers

treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Regulated contaminants
EPA Limits
Inorganic Highest Range of
contaminates Units Date level level MCLG MCL Violation Likely Source
detected detected
Fluoride ppm 2018 0.90 0.9071 – 2 2 No Erosion of natural
0.9071 deposits, Water additive;
Discharge from fertilizer
and aluminum factories
deposits

Radioactive Units Collec Highest Range of MCLG MCL Violation

Contaminants tion Level level
Date detected detected
Combined 2018 0.67 0.67 - 0 5 Erosion of natural
Radium pCi/ 0.67 No deposits.
226/228 L

* For your information: ppm is the same as 1 drop in 13 gallons

ppb is the same as 1 drop in 13,000 gallons
About Fluoride: Fluoride promotes strong teeth. Some people who drink water containing
fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and
tenderness of the bones. Children may get mottled teeth.

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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
representative, are more than one year. The Association chooses to report the following
contaminants as they were recorded within the previous five (6) years.

Action #
Lead & Date MCLG Level 90th Sites Units Violation Likely Source of
Copper Sampled (AL) Percentile over Contamination
AL
Copper 2012 1.3 1.3 0.454 0 ppm No Erosion of natural leaching
from wood preservatives;
Corrosion of household
plumbing systems.

Lead 2012 15 3.55 0 ppb No Corrosion of household

plumbing systems;
Erosion of natural deposits.

Our significant source of contamination is from flooding. Because we are a coastal community,
we have a potential for severe storm flooding which can put our water supply in jeopardy for a
short time. Those of us who lived through the 2008 Mother’s Day flood experienced this first
hand. The Office of Drinking Water worked hand and hand with us and together we were up and
running in a couple of days. They even arranged for us to have a large tank of water in the
interim.

These are a list of unregulated contaminants that have no regulated standards that are enforced
by the EPA. They recommend secondary standards to water systems but do not require them to
comply. These are the national Secondary Drinking Water Regulations. These are the statistics
for 2017 testing unless marked otherwise.

Contaminants Date Average detect Range of detection MCL

Iron (ppm) 10/11/2017 0 1 sample
Sodium (ppm) 10/11/2017 141.8 1 sample 200
Alkalinity (ppm) 10/11/2017 289 1 sample
Chloride (ppm) 10/11/2017 22.5 1 sample 250
pH (ppm) 10/11/2017 6.4 1 sample 6.5 – 8.5
Sulfate (ppm) 10/11/2017 18.9 1 sample 250

Because our water passes all EPA standards, we do NOT treat it in any way. The EPA passed a
new rule that systems have to be tested for disinfectant by products. We were tested on 1-06-07
and no detections were found.

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