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Health Services. An ion chromatograph instrument is being
added to bring more analysis in-house. This will greatly
improve the efficiency and speed of monitoring your water
quality. Instead of waiting up to two weeks, results will be
available in a matter of hours.
Safe
– Drinking water safety is the primary concern of the
Utilities Department. Safety is achieved by coordinating
technology and qualified staff members to monitor production
systems, sample the distribution system, and evaluate
opportunities to continually enhance the program while
minimizing cost to our customers.
Water is treated and tested
at groundwater wells and treatment plants and then monitored
to ensure it remains safe on the way to your tap. Numerous
chemical and biological analyses are conducted daily. A wide
variety of compounds are monitored and tested for in your
drinking water, in accordance with federal and state laws
and local water quality guidelines.
 The
City of Peoria Utilities Department supports a committee of
the Arizona Water and Pollution Control Association called
Tap Into Quality (TIQ). TIQ provides educational materials
to schools and the public on tap water safety and quality.
For more information on TIQ please visit
www.tapintoquality.com.
Arsenic
Arsenic is an element found
naturally in rocks, water, plants, and animals. It is also
used by industries as a wood preservative and in the
manufacturing process of paints, drugs, dyes, soaps, metals,
and semi-conductors. In 2005, the federal and state maximum
contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water was 0.050 milligrams per liter (mg/L). As of January 23, 2006, |
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the EPA has lowered the MCL from
0.050 mg/L to 0.010 mg/L. In 2003, the Utilities Department
determined that seven of the city’s groundwater wells had
arsenic concentrations above the future MCL of 0.010 mg/L.
Since then, two of those wells have been brought into
compliance. The remaining five wells have been shut down,
and various options to meet the new MCL are being
investigated.
Arsenic treatment
technologies are rapidly changing. Compliance options for
arsenic mitigation include blending, on-site treatment, and
modification to current operations. Capital investment costs
for on-site treatment may exceed one million dollars per
site. In an attempt to reduce costly capital investments,
the Utilities Department is evaluating how we operate the
water system. The goal is to apply effective technology
while minimizing the cost to City of Peoria customers. This
new approach will allow the Utilities Department to make a
well-informed decision about arsenic mitigation.
Source
Water Assessment
The Source Water Assessment
Program (SWAP) report for the City of Peoria is available
for review. Based on a mandate set forth in the
1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) evaluated each
water source used by public water systems in Arizona. ADEQ
looked at the quality of groundwater being drawn into wells,
the watersheds supplying surface water, and land use
activities occurring near drinking water sources. This
information is used to determine the degree to which a
public drinking water source is protected from, or at risk
of, contamination. It is also used to assist local
communities in implementing source water protection measures
to preserve drinking water quality.
When preparing Peoria’s SWAP,
ADEQ evaluated 24 wells. One of these wells was found to have
a high risk of contamination due to its proximity to an old
gas station. While contamination is not occurring or even
imminent, ADEQ must list the whole Peoria |
