T H E C I T Y O F H I G H P O I N T

WATER

QUALITY

2020 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

The City of High Point has a state and federally certified testing program for your water that met or exceeded all State and Federal (EPA) standards in 2020!

HighPointNC.gov/PublicServices - 336-883-3215

2020

ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT

The City of High Point has a state and federally certified testing program for your water that met or exceeded all State and Federal (EPA) standards in 2020.

The City of High Point is pleased to present the 2020 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This report is designed to provide details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality.

Included in the report are details about your source(s) of water, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and to providing you with this information because informed customers are our best allies. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water, please contact The City of High Point, customer service center at (336) 883-3111, 24 hours a day/seven days a week. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.

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 calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). 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 (800-426-4791).

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. The City of High Point is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot 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 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 or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water 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 salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater 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 stormwater runoff, and residential uses; organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems; and 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. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

HIGH POINT’S

WATER SOURCES

High Point’s water comes from a 62-square mile area known as a watershed. We do not have any large river systems, such as the Yadkin or Neuse Rivers, to rely on. In fact, we are the first to use water from the beginning, or head waters, of the Cape Fear River system.

Our water comes from rainfall and runoff in an area roughly bordered by U.S. Highway 421 to the north (above I-40), Main Street to the southwest, N.C. Highway 66 to the west, Montlieu Avenue to the southeast and Guilford College Road to the east. The water collects in streams that flow together into what becomes the east and west forks of the Deep River. It is then collected and stored in our two lakes, Oak Hollow and Arnold Koonce City Lake. Before we can send the water to consumers, it needs to be treated to remove contaminants it has picked up on its way to our water supply lakes.

GETTING WATER TO YOU

Most of the water consumers use is pumped from Arnold Koonce City Lake and processed into drinking water at the Ward Water Plant on Pendleton Street. We have a state-of-the-art treatment facility where we remove those contaminants the water has picked up as it collects in our watershed.

There are four basic steps to treating water. First, we add alum (aluminum sulfate), speeding the removal of most dirt and other large particulate matter. This step is known as “settling”. Once completed, water is filtered to remove smaller pieces of debris and bacteria. The water is chemically treated to kill any remaining bacteria.

Next, fluoride is added to protect teeth, and chemicals to protect pipes are included. Federal, State and local health laws require these additives during treatment. Then water is stored in elevated storage tanks at the plant. Finally, it is pumped into homes and businesses in High Point and the surrounding areas.

CHANGES IN

PROCESS

On July 25, 2011, High Point, Greensboro, Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, Burlington and Reidsville changed their method of disinfection from free chlorine to a two- stage process. Primary disinfection is still achieved by free chlorine, but we are now using chloramines (combined chlorine and ammonia) as our secondary disinfection. This change is to help us comply with the Stage 2 disinfectant/ disinfectant by-product rule from the EPA.

HOW WATER

GETS TO OUR CONSUMERS

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Public Water Supply (PWS) Section, Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) conducted assessments for all drinking water sources across North Carolina. The purpose of the assessments was to determine the susceptibility of each drinking water source (well or surface water intake) to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs). The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that include maps, background information and a relative susceptibility rating of Higher, Moderate or Lower.

The relative susceptibility rating of each source for the City of High Point was determined by combining the contaminant rating (number and location of PCSs within the assessment area) and the inherent vulnerability rating (i.e., characteristics or existing conditions of the well or watershed and its delineated assessment area). The assessment findings are summarized in the table.

Susceptibility of Sources to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs)

It is important to understand that a susceptibility rating of “higher” does not imply poor water quality, only the system’s potential to become contaminated by PCSs in the assessment area.

The complete SWAP Assessment report for the City of High Point may be viewed on the Web at: https://www.ncwater.org/?page=600 Note that because SWAP results and reports are periodically updated by the PWS Section, the results available on this web site may differ from the results that were available at the time this CCR was prepared. If you are unable to access your SWAP report on the web, you may mail a written request for a printed copy to: Source Water Assessment Program – Report Request, 1634 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1634, or email requests to swap@ncdenr.gov. Please indicate your system name (City of High Point), system number (02-41-020), and provide your name, mailing address and phone number. If you have any questions about the SWAP report, please contact the Source Water Assessment staff by phone at 919-707-9098

• - greater than, both ara applied to numbers to indicate a bounty such as, “The number should not exceed” or “The value cannot be measured below this number”