City of Portsmouth, Virginia - Public Utilities

Water Quality Table - 1998 Data
Regulated Parameters	Concentration Units	EPA Goal MCLG	EPA Limit MCL	Portsmouth’s Concentration Level	Typical Sources	Notes/Health Effects
Microbiological Contaminants
Total Coliform Bacteria	--	0	Presence of coliform bacteria in > 5% of monthly samples	3%	Naturally present in the environment	This value represents the highest monthly positive samples during 1998.
Fecal Coliform	--	0	A routine sample and a repeat sample are total coliform positive, and one is also fecal coliform or E. coli positive	1	Human and animal fecal waste	This value represents a total number of positive samples taken during 1998. A minimum of 100 samples are taken per month.
Turbidity	NTU	N/A	TT	0.49	Soil runoff	100% of the samples taken met turbidity limits.
Radioactive Contaminants
Alpha emitters	pCi/L	0	15	1	Erosion of natural deposits
Beta/photon emitters	pCi/L	0	50	3	Decay of natural and man-made deposits	The MCL for Beta particles is 4 mrem per year. EPA considers 50 pCi/L to be the level of concern for beta particles.
Inorganic Contaminants
Antimony	ppb	6	6	< 2	Discharge from petroleum refineries; fire retardants; ceramics; electronics; solder
Arsenic	ppb	N/A	50	< 2	Erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards; runoff from glass and electronics production wastes
Barium	ppm	2	2	< 0.2	Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Beryllium	ppb	4	4	< 2	Discharge from metal refineries and coal-burning factories; discharge from electrical, aerospace, and defense industries
Cadmium	ppb	5	5	< 2	Corrosion of galvanized pipes; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from metal refineries; runoff from waste batteries and paints
Chromium	ppb	100	100	< 10	Discharge from steel and pulp mills; erosion of natural deposits
Copper	ppm	1.3	AL = 1.3	0.48	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives	Zero of 83 samples taken exceeded Action Level
Cyanide	ppb	200	200	< 10	Discharge from steel/metal factories; discharge from plastic and fertilizer factories	Most recent data in 1996 (see Note 1 below)
Fluoride	ppm	4	4	1	Erosion of natural deposits; water additive that promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
Lead	ppb	0	AL = 15	2	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits	Zero of 83 samples taken exceeded Action Level
Selenium	ppb	50	50	< 10	Discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from mines
Thallium	ppb	0.5	2	< 2	Leaching from ore-processing sites; discharge from electronics, glass, and drug factories
Synthetic Organic Contaminants
2,4-D	ppb	70	70	< 0.3	Runoff from herbicide used on row crops	Most recent data in 1994 (see Note 1 below)
Endrin	ppb	2	2	< 0.4	Residue of banned insecticide	Most recent data in 1994 (see Note 1 below)
Lindane	ppt	200	200	< 100	Runoff/leaching from insecticide used on cattle, lumber, gardens	Most recent data in 1994 (see Note 1 below)
Methoxychlor	ppb	40	40	< 0.2	Runoff/leaching from insecticide used on fruits, vegetables, alfalfa, livestock	Most recent data in 1994 (see Note 1 below)

Regulated Parameters	Concentration Units	EPA Goal MCLG	EPA Limit MCL	Portsmouth’s Concentration Level	Portsmouth’s Concentration Range	Typical Sources	Notes/Health Effects
Volatile Organic Contaminants
TTHMs [Total trihalomethanes] (see Note 2 below)	ppb	0	100	81	41 - 93	By-product of drinking water chlorination	Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Information Collection Rule (ICR) Parameters
Giardia	Total Cysts	NGE	NLE	8	6 - 8	Human and animal fecal waste	Only two occurences above the analytical detection limit were observed in the source water prior to treatment.
THM4	ug/L	NGE	NLE	46	19 - 46	By-product of drinking water chlorination
HAA5	ug/L	NGE	NLE	81	37 -81	By-product of drinking water chlorination
HAN	ug/L	NGE	NLE	7	5 - 7	By-product of drinking water chlorination
HK	ug/L	NGE	NLE	7	3 - 7	By-product of drinking water chlorination
CP	ug/L	NGE	NLE	1	0 - 1	By-product of drinking water chlorination
CH	ug/L	NGE	NLE	11	2 - 11	By-product of drinking water chlorination
TOX	ug/L	NGE	NLE	284	123 -284	By-product of drinking water chlorination
Residual Chlorine	mg/L	NGE	NLE	6	2 - 6	By-product of drinking water chlorination

Non-regulated Parameters	Concentration Units	Portsmouth’s Concentration Level	Typical Sources
Additional Water Quality Parameters
Aluminum	ppb	< 200
Iron	ppb	< 200	Erosion of natural deposits; leaching from pipes; residual of drinking water treatment process
Manganese	ppb	40	Erosion of natural deposits; by-product of drinking water treatment process
Sodium	ppm	64
pH	--	7.6
Alkalinity - Total	ppm	100	Erosion of natural deposits
Chloride	ppm	12	Erosion of natural deposits
Color	PCU	6	Leaching from vegetation
Corrosion Index	--	11
Calcium Hardness	ppm	14
Hardness - Total	ppm	27	Erosion of natural deposits
Ammonia	ppb	< 40	Runoff from fertilizer use; by-product of drinking water chloramination

Note 1: The Virginia Department of Health has waived requirements to test for the following elements because they are not expected to occur in drinking water in this area: Synthetic Organic Pesticides, Carbamates, Volatile Fumigants, Chlorinated Herbicides, cyanide, diquat, dioxin, endothall, glyphosate, and asbestos.
Note 2: The City of Portsmouth has enhanced coagulation, and Chloramines will be added to the filtration system in the fall of 2000. The addition of Chloramines will reduce TTHM levels in the future.

Water Quality Table - 1998 Data