Reading Area Water Authority

Source of Water The sources of water (both tap water and bottled water) consist of rivers, lakes, channels, ponds, reservoirs, suspension springs, and wells. Because the water travels within the surface of the get or through the floor, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some instances, radioactive material, and may pick up substances caused by the presence of animals or perhaps from human activity. Pollutants that may be present in supply water include • Microbial contaminants, including viruses and bacterias, which may come from sewerage treatment plants, solid waste systems, agricultural animal operations, and animals. • Inorganic pollutants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from city stormwater run-off, commercial or domestic sewage discharges, oil and gas creation, mining, or harvesting. • Pesticides and weed killers, which may come from several sources such as farming, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses. • Organic chemical substance contaminants, including man-made and volatile organic and natural chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and may also come from gasoline stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic devices. • Radioactive pollutants, which can be naturally occurring or perhaps be the result of gas and oil production and exploration activities. Where Can We Get Our Water? The water supply intended for the Reading Region Water Authority (RAWA) service area is usually obtained from Lake Ontelaunee, located six kilometers north of the Associated with Reading. Lake Ontelaunee is a 1, 082-acre manmade lake having a drainage (watershed) part of approximately 216 block miles. RAWA settings and maintains a few, 142. 5 miles around the lake which can be owned by the Associated with Reading. A minimum 500-foot sanitary strip of land surrounds the periphery of the pond in all but 1 section of the pond at the dam breasts. This strip of land was obtained to minimize the potential of air pollution entering the pond from the shoreline. Surface area water enters the lake primarily coming from Maiden Creek, as well as main tributary Saucony Creek, with advice from numerous additional streams, including some small tributaries that flow directly into the lake. They ravage, which is located on Course 73, was built in 1926 and raised to the present height in 1935. The ravage height creates a great impoundment capacity of three. 88 billion gallons in Lake Ontelaunee. Water from the pond is then delivered to the Maiden Creek Filtration system Plant by the law of gravity. The Reading Region Water Authority also offers the capability of pulling water directly from First Creek. The consumption is located at the Filtration system Plant. All Water May Contain Pollutants To ensure that plain tap water is safe to drink, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and DEP prescribe regulations which limit the number of certain pollutants in water given by public water devices. FDA and DEP regulations establish limitations for contaminants found in bottled water which need to provide the same safety for public health. Water, including bottled water, might reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of a few contaminants. The presence of pollutants does not necessarily show that water positions a health risk. More information about pollutants and potential wellness effects can be obtained simply by calling the Environmental Safety Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Servicenummer (800-426-4791). Required Extra Health Information for Business lead If present, high levels of lead may cause serious health problems, specifically for pregnant women and young kids. Lead in water is primarily coming from materials and parts associated with service lines and home domestic plumbing. Reading Area Drinking water Authority is responsible for offering high-quality drinking water yet cannot control the range of materials used in domestic plumbing components. When your drinking water has been sitting for many hours, you can reduce the potential for lead publicity by flushing the tap for half a minute to 2 moments before using drinking water for drinking or perhaps cooking. If you are worried about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have the water tested. Information about lead in water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize publicity is available from the A safe drinking water supply Hotline (800-426-4791) or perhaps at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. People that May Be More Vulnerable to Contaminants Some people might be more vulnerable to pollutants in drinking water compared to the general population. Immunocompromised persons such as individuals with cancer going through chemotherapy, persons that have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or perhaps other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be especially at risk from attacks. These people should look for advice about water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on suitable means to lessen the chance of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial pollutants are available from the A safe drinking water supply Hotline (800-426-4791). Supply Water Protection The Reading Area Drinking water Authority is an innovator in protecting their particular drinking water sources. Reading’s original watershed evaluation was conducted more than a decade ago, which found that potential contaminants towards the Lake included infections, sediment, and dirt growth. This research prompted RAWA to build up and implement an extensive Source Water Safety Plan, which was given the green light by the PA Division of Environmental Safety in 2007. Since that time, RAWA has been extremely active in supply water protection inside Berks County and received the country wide Exemplary Source Drinking water Protection award from your American Water Functions Association in 2013. In 2016, RAWA revised its potential contaminants inventory and time-of-travel studies. and 2017 developed a 10-year update for their source water safety plan. Sediment and nutrients from farming runoff continue to be the greatest potential contamination associated risk to Lake Ontelaunee and the Maiden Creek. RAWA continues to carry out water quality monitoring throughout the watershed. Additionally RAWA staff vegetation trees annually throughout the lake property to keep the natural condition of the watershed and minimize the siltation of the pond. The 1998 watershed study, 2007 Resource Water Protection Strategy, its 10-year upgrade (2017), and other drinking water protection information are available on the RAWA site at http://www.readingareawater.com/ source-water/ Although the Reading Region Water Authority is involved with protecting the sources of water, current treatment processes are equipped for transforming raw drinking water from the lake, in to finished water that meets all federal government and state water standards. The water is usually treated at the filtration system plant by a standard treatment method. The process includes flocculation, sedimentation, purification, and disinfection, along with sequenced chemical substance additions to optimize remedying of the water..

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