Water Quality Report

BOROUGH OF SOMERSET
2024 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

PWSID #: 4560042

WATER SYSTEM INFORMATION:

This report shows our water quality and what it means. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact Brad Lorence, Superintendent and Chief Operator at (814) 445‐2111. We want you to be informed about your water supply. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings.They are held at the Somerset Borough Municipal Building.  

• Somerset Borough Council meetings are held the fourth Monday of every month at 5:00 PM.
• Somerset Municipal Water Authority meetings are held the fourth Monday of every month at 6:30 PM.

Call (814) 443-2661 for more information.

SOURCE(S) OF WATER:

Our water source(s) is/are: (Name-Type-Location)

• Well #1 and Well #2        Well water          Shafer Run Road, Somerset, PA 15501 
• Well #  3                            Well water           278 Beck Road, Somerset, PA 15501
• Well #7, #8, #9                 Well water          3518 Coxes Creek Road, Somerset, PA 15501

The Borough of Somerset purchases water from the Somerset County General Authority Water System, please review their “Annual Drinking Water Quality Report” for additional information (Attached).

A Source Water Assessment of our source(s) was completed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (Pa. DEP). The Assessment has found that our source(s) of is/are potentially most susceptible to Transportation Corridors, Junk Yard / Auto Repair Shop and Dairy Farms. A summary report of the Assessment is available on the Source Water Assessment & Protection web page.

On review of the document, note that the Source Water Assessment includes surface water from the Laurel Hill Creek. The Borough of Somerset no longer has a permit to use the Laurel Hill Creek’s surface water as a source. Also, Somerset Borough’s water production is limited to only six well water sources not eight. Complete reports were distributed to municipalities, water supplier, local planning agencies and PADEP offices. Copies of the complete report are available for review at the Pa. DEP Ebensburg Regional Office, Records Management Unit at (814) 472-1921.

 

We routinely monitor for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws. The following tables show the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2024. The State allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data is from prior years in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The date has been noted on the sampling results table.

DEFINITIONS:

• Action Level (AL) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
• EP – Entry point from treatment plant to the distribution system. EP 101 = Laurel Hill Filtration Plant EP 103 = Coxes Creek Treatment Plant
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• MaximumContaminantLevel Goal (MCLG) - The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
• MinimumResidual Disinfectant Level (MinRDL) - The minimum level of residual disinfectant required at the entry point to the distribution system.
• Plant 300 – Laurel Hill Filtration Plant
• TreatmentTechnique (TT) - A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
  
• Mrem/year = millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body)
• pCi/L  =  picocuries  per  liter  (a  measure  of radioactivity)
• ppb = parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (μg/L)
• ppm = parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L)
• ppq = parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter
• ppt = parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter

DETECTED SAMPLE RESULTS:

*EPA’s MCL for fluoride is 4 ppm. However, Pennsylvania has set a lower MCL to better protect human health.

 

 

 

 

 

DETECTED CONTAMINANTS HEALTH EFFECTS LANGUAGE AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS:

None   “No MCL’s or Treatment Techniques were exceeded” in any location of the CCR.

OTHER VIOLATIONS:

The Borough of Somerset had one violation for 2024. In December there was a clerical error where one of the routine chlorine residual samples was not reported to D.E.P. This was corrected immediately after it was discovered.

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION:

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 run-off, 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.
• 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 and DEP prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA and DEP regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

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).

Information about Lead
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 Borough of Somerset 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 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

OTHER INFORMATION:

The Borough of Somerset prepared a service line inventory that includes the type of materials contained in each service line in our distribution system. This inventory can be accessed online at www.somersetborough.com or by contacting our office at (814) 443-2661.

Posted March 18th, 2025

Click on the appropriate link below to view previous years.

• 2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2022 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2021 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2020 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2019 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2018 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2017 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2016 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2015 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2014 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2013 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2012 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2011 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2010 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2009 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
• 2008 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report