Comment
1. Without predrilling data, it is not possible to comment
on the cause for any water quality problems.
2. Where possible, I have noted situations where elevated
levels of a water quality parameter exists in Pennsylvania .
3. If duplicate analysis provided, I attempted to use the
highest reported value.
5. This is not about cause and effect; it is about a review
of the data.
6. A Well by Well - Review of the Data for Dimock, PA collected by EPA
Well – HW-15 (2/7/2012)
With the exception of the following parameters, the
remaining values were reported as NOT Detected (U)
Anionic Surfactants
– < 0.01 mg/L – the secondary drinking water standard for foaming agents is
0.5 mg/L. (OK)
Arsenic – 0.0053
mg/L – drinking water standard is <
0.010 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific impact and arsenic is a
common problem in NEPA – about 6 % of private wells have arsenic above 0.010
mg/L. The treated water level of arsenic
was 0.0033 mg/L and treated and filtered 0.0028 mg/L. (Ok – monitoring recommended)
Barium – 0.582
mg/L – the primary drinking water standard for barium is 2.0 mg/L –– this does
not suggest any specific impact and barium is typically detectable in
non-saline impacted water at a level of less than 1 mg/L. (OK)
It appears the treatment system has reduced the level to
0.0184 mg/L.
Boron –< 0.050
mg/L (Total) – no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is
available. EPA appears to have a long-term health advisory of 2.0 mg/L, but
other states have limits that range from 0.6 to 1 mg/L. Therefore, this does not appear to suggest
any form of impact. (OK)
Calcium- 31.9
mg/L (Total)– no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is
available. (OK) – the value seems low. The treatment system has reduced the level to
1.56 mg/L.
Chloride –15.6
mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 250 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific
impact.
Chromium-0.0022
mg/L (D) and the EPA/ PADEP primary drinking water standard is
< 0.100 mg/L (OK).
Copper – 0.002 mg/L
(Untreated) - the secondary drinking
water standard is 1.0 mg/L and the primary drinking water standard is 1.3 mg/L.
(OK) At the tap the level was 0.0134
mg/L – this suggests there is some level of corrosion and leaching of copper in
the plumbing for the home.
Ethane –0.130
mg/L – No specific drinking water
standard (OK)
Fluoride – < 0.1
mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 2 mg/L- PADEP drinking water
standard is 2 mg/L.
Iron – 0.109 mg/L
(Total)) – Iron is regulated as a secondary drinking water standard in Pennsylvania and the
action limit is 0.3 mg/L. Therefore, the
total iron content does not exceed the secondary drinking water standard. (OK)
After water treatment the level was < 0.100 mg/L.
Lead – < 0.001
mg/L (Total) - Lead is regulated as
a primary standard (EPA and PA) at 0.015 mg/L, but the action level in PA for
source water is 0.005 mg/L. (OK)
Lithium – <
0.200 mg/L (Total) – no specific drinking water standard drinking water
standard is available, but EPA has recommend a level be below 0.7 mg/L (OK)
Methane – 14 mg/L – No specific drinking water standard. (Action
Needed). The well water is above the new action limit of 7 mg/L- The well
should be actively vented, but it may be advisable to evaluate a structural
modification to the well and changing the pumping system. For more details, go
to http://www.water-research.net/methanegas.htm
Note – It appears the
well water is treated and the treated water methane was 0.027 mg/L.
Magnesium-10.3
mg/L– no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is
available. (OK) The treated water level of magnesium was
0.629 mg/L.
Manganese– 0.160
mg/L (Total) – Manganese is regulated as a secondary drinking water standard in
Pennsylvania
and the action limit is 0.05 mg/L. Therefore, the total manganese content does exceed
the secondary drinking water standard.
Some intermittent problems with discolored water may occur – additional
monitoring recommended. (Elevated) After treatment the level is < 0.001
mg/L.
Nickel – 0.0014 mg/L – no specific drinking water standard
drinking water standard
is available, but
the EPA has suggest a MCL of 0.1 mg/L.
(OK) After treatment the
level was not
detectable.
Sodium –16.9 mg/L –
no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is available, but
the EPA has added it to the Candidate List to provide more analysis. The EPA’s initial value of 20 mg/L has been
clearly identified as not realistic. When
chloride (salt is sodium chloride) is present at a concentration of over 250
mg/L, the water can have an “off” taste. At 400+ mg/L chloride, the water will
taste definitely salty. (Source- Dr. Brian Redmond, Professional Geologist).
(OK) After treatment, the level was
66.00 mg/L – this suggests that the treatment system probably includes a water
softener that uses a sodium based salt.
Sulfate –3.95 mg/L
(OK) – drinking water standard is <
250 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific impact.
Strontium – 0.803 mg/L – no specific
drinking water standard drinking water standard is available, but it is on the
EPA Candidate List. The
EPA recommends that drinking water levels of nonradioactive strontium should
not be more than 4 mg/L. The report
limit is consistent with background levels in Northeastern
Pennsylvania . If the
background level was above 4 mg/L, it would be advisable to test for radiological
parameters, especially alpha/beta. (OK) After treatment, the level is < 0.200 mg/L.
Total Dissolved Solids –
158 mg/L – Total Dissolved Solids is
regulated as a secondary drinking water standard by the PADEP in Pennsylvania and the
action limit is 500 mg/L. After
treatment the level was 175 mg/L.
Total Suspended Solids - < 10 mg/L – no standard, but would recommend retesting to obtain a lower detection limit.
Uranium –0.0012 mg/L (Total) – Uranium is regulated as a primary drinking
water standard by the EPA and PADEP in Pennsylvania
and the action limit is 0.030 mg/L. (OK)
Zinc
–< 0.002 mg/L – Zinc is
regulated as a secondary drinking water standard by the PADEP in Pennsylvania and the
action limit is 5.0 mg/L. (OK)
Nitrate+Nitrite-
N – < 0.05 mg/L, this is well below the EPA / PADEP drinking water limit
of 10mg N/L for nitrate-N and would also be below the limit of 1.0 mg N/L for
nitrite-N. (OK)
dimethyl phthalate – the reported value
was 0.00001 mg/L (J- value - actually below the detection limit of < 0.005 mg/L-and the reported trigger
limit is 1.4 mg/L. Florida has a health advisory level of 70 mg/L for dimethyl
phthalate. This hit was reported on the treated
water – this would suggest that it could be related to the plumbing and piping and
not the well water quality (OK)
Ethylene glycol – the reported value is < 10 mg/L – there is
not standard, but the EPA has a guidance limit of < 7 mg/L. Other states have lower and higher standards:
At a minimum, I would recommend retesting for ethylene
glycol other and glycol-type compounds using a method that is more sensitive or
conducting some type of standard additions analysis.
1. Methane was present at a level that is above the action
limit of 7 mg/L and approaching a limit of 20 mg/L. Action is needed. Since the ratio of methane/ethane (C1/C2) is 107
– this would suggest that the gas is of biogenic origin.
2. dimethyl phthalate hits was suggested, but the reported
values were actually below the method detection limit. This suggests that additional monitoring may
be advisable.
3. Detect for dimethyl phthalate after treatment suggest
that this may be related to recent repairs or changes in the plumbing for the
home.
4.The house appears to have a treatment system that is
likely a sodium based water softener that reduces the level of barium,
strontium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Because of the elevated level of manganese in
the raw water, the system was probably installed because of the manganese.
5. The copper is higher after treatment than in the raw water,
this could suggest an internal corrosion related problem in the piping of the
home.
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Document can not be
copied in whole or part without the expressed written permission of Mr. Brian
Oram, B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc. http://www.bfenvironmental.com
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