The American Water Works Association designates the first week of May each year as Drinking Water Week. This year’s theme, “There When You Need It”, pays tribute to the importance of water in our daily existence, the infrastructure in place to deliver water to your home and the scores of water professionals who work nonstop to make certain your tap water is readily available. As we kick-off Drinking Water Week, we encourage you to get know your H2O.
Food nutrition labels, required by the United States Food and Drug Administration, provide specific information such as serving size, calories and nutrients contained in the product. The labels offer information about the foods we eat to encourage us to make knowledgeable decisions about what we consume. Similarly, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Water Drinking Act of 1996, among other things, requires all public water systems to provide an annual drinking water quality report, formally known as the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
The annual distribution of the CCR by Middlesex Water Company (MWC) and its Affiliates serves to ensure that our customers know what is in their drinking water and where it comes from, as well as to comply with EPA regulations. It is our commitment that we deliver water that meets and in some cases, is better than, the standards established by the EPA. Within the CCR you will find information such as where your water comes from, a list of regulated contaminants (if applicable) and level detected from your source as well as health effects information. MWC and its affiliates rigorously test and monitor our water supply and distribution systems to help ensure that the water we deliver to your home and/or business meets state and federal drinking water guidelines. The information in the CCR is tailored specifically to your water supply and source, providing transparency about the water being delivered to your premise daily, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Also included in your CCR is general information pertaining to special populations such as pregnant women, children and individuals with compromised immune systems. In addition, you can learn more about what kinds of substances may be found in source water before it is treated. One interesting fact is that some contaminants are not exclusive to tap water, they can also be found in bottled water. Regardless of your drinking water source, the presence of contaminants does not automatically result in a health risk and guidelines for regulated contaminants are established by the EPA. You should keep in mind that for some contaminants, there is no maximum contaminant level defined because the EPA has not yet determined the level that poses a public health risk. And lastly, the EPA is actively analyzing some contaminants to establish benchmarks for public health. MWC actively monitors federal and state regulations and changing standards and is prepared to respond and modify treatment in line with new regulations as they are established.
Water utilities have long been viewed as protectors of public health, ensuring high quality drinking water to meet your daily needs for consumption, cooking, and cleanliness. We view ourselves as more than your drinking water provider, we are your community partner, working to protect your interest and investing in our systems to sustain them for the next generation. In fact, this last year has reinforced our belief that delivering reliable water services is absolutely critical to the health, hygiene and quality of life of those we serve. Just like a nutrition label, the CCR is made available to provide you with knowledge and disclose possible health risks so you can be an informed consumer. In accordance with EPA guidelines, the 2020 CCR will be available to you by July 1, 2021. Until then, we invite you to learn more about your water supply by reading the current CCR, which can be found by visiting https://www.middlesexwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MWC_CCR_2020_E-copy.pdf.
