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.
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 – 0.001
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.
Barium – 0.106
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)
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- 23.4
mg/L (Total)– no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is
available. (OK) – the value seems low.
Chloride –13.8
mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 250 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific
impact.
Chromium- < 0.002
mg/L (D) and the EPA/ PADEP primary drinking water standard is < 0.100 mg/L
(OK).
Copper – 0.00375
mg/L (OK)- the secondary drinking water standard is 1.0 mg/L and the primary
drinking water standard is 1.3 mg/L. (OK)
Ethane – < 0.0012
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 – < 0.100
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)
Lead – 0.0016
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. Because of the hits for copper and lead, it is
possible that the nuisance bacteria may be causing some corrosion related
problems (MIC) and it may be worth
conducting a first flush analysis of the water. MIC – Microbiologically Induced
Corrosion – Problem recommend inspection of the well, camera survey, shock
disinfection, and retesting. This is a
common problem in NEPA. (OK) = Level below all action limits, but
monitoring recommended.
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 – 0.0043 mg/L (J-actually
below the detection limit for the method)
– No specific drinking water standard. (OK). The well water is not above the new action limit of 7 mg/L.
For more details, go to
http://www.water-research.net/methanegas.htm
Magnesium-4.00
mg/L– no specific drinking water standard drinking water standard is
available. (OK)
Manganese– 0.0013
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 NOT exceed the secondary drinking water standard. (OK)
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)
Sodium –8.48 mg/L (D) – 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)
Sulfate –18. 7
mg/L (OK) – drinking water standard is < 250 mg/L – this does not suggest any specific
impact.
Strontium – < 0.200 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)
Total Dissolved Solids – 110
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.
Total Suspended Solids - < 10
mg/L – no standard, but would recommend retesting to obtain a lower detection
limit.
Uranium –0.0021 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
–0.0206 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 – 2.41 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)
Acetone - the reported value was 0.0031
mg/L (J- actually below the actual water limit of < 0.002 mg/L) and no trigger limit is
reported, but PADEP has a Medium Specific Concentration (MSC) for aquifers with
a TDS of < 2500 mg/L of 33.0 mg/L and Massachusetts appears to have a
drinking water standard of 6.3 mg/L. (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:
New Jersey 0.300 mg/L
(300 ppb)
Arizona 5.5 mg/L (5500
ppb)
New Hampshire 7.0 mg/L
(7000 ppb)
Florida, Massachusetts, and Minnesota14.0 mg/L
(14,000 ppb)
Minnesota
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. No major problems
2. Recommend additional testing for nitrite.
3. Arsenic was detected.
4. Copper, lead, and zinc detected this could suggest a
corrosion related problem. This is a common problem in NEPA
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
