Water Quality Report

2022 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR WELLINGTON WATER UTILITIES

The Village of Wellington is pleased to present you with our 2022 Drinking Water Report. The Report is designed to inform you about the quality of our drinking water and provides an overview of the Utility and the efforts we take to safeguard public health and safety. We are glad to report that our drinking water meets all Federal, State and local regulations, and continues to meet our water quality standards. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) set both primary and secondary drinking water standards to ensure public water is safe to drink. Primary Standards protect public health against substances that may be harmful to humans if consumed for long periods. Secondary Standards control the esthetic qualities of the water such as taste, odor, and clarity, but do not impact public health. This Report meets the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirement for “Consumer Confidence Reports” and contains information on the source and quality of our water. We make every effort to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. The Village of Wellington has an ongoing commitment to provide our customers with the highest quality drinking water and routinely monitors for contaminants according to Federal, State and local laws, rules and regulations. This Report is based on the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2022, except where otherwise indicated. Data obtained before January 1, 2022, and presented in this report, is from the most recent testing done in accordance with the applicable laws, rules and regulations governing public drinking water quality. Reported results are for contaminants detected in samples collected from the Village’s water treatment plant, the distribution system and private homes.

See the 2022 Water Quality Report. 

If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Laurie Hand, Regulatory Compliance Manager, at (561) 791-4149 or lhand@wellingtonfl.gov.

Where does our water come from?

The Village of Wellington’s goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. 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.

Wellington gets its ground water source from the surficial aquifer exclusively.  There are three (3) separate well fields (18 wells total) located in different geographical areas within and adjacent to the Village.  These well fields are strategically located and designed to provide a safe and dependable source of water.

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, 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.

Water Treatment Process 

The Village of Wellington uses a dual treatment process of conventional lime softening and membrane treatment to treat surficial aquifer water supplied by eighteen (18) wells, with a total treatment capacity of 12.3 MGD. The water from these two (2) treatment processes are blended to create high quality drinking water for our customers. The lime softening plant reduces hardness, color, and alkalinity through monitored chemical additions.

The membrane treatment plants are considered state-of-the-art drinking water treatment technologies. These plants operate by forcing pressurized, raw water through a semi-permeable membrane that separates contaminants from the water. The chemical and physical properties of the membrane, combined with the pressure, remove unwanted substances from the groundwater. Membrane treatment also provides a barrier against viruses, bacteria, and chemical contaminants.

Lead Information

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.  Wellington 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 drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hot-line 1-800-426-4791 or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

The EPA passed revisions to Lead and Copper Rule in 2021. The new rule requires all Utilities to inventory the material of all water service lines in the system and report findings to the state by October 2024. Customers found to have lead service lines or other material of concern will be provided written notification.

Special Health Conditions

Some people may be more vulnerable to  contaminants   in  drinking  water   than  the  general   population.  Immuno-compromised persons, such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, those who have undergone organ transplants, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk. If you are concerned, please seek advice about drinking water from your health care provider. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hot-line 1-800-426-4791.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires monitoring of over 80 drinking water contaminants.  Those contaminants listed in the tables above are the only contaminants detected in your drinking water. Our water system had no violations. Wellington Water Utilities routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations. Except where otherwise indicated, this report is based on the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2022. Data presented in this report prior to January 2022 was obtained from the most recent testing in accordance with laws, rules, and regulations.

Glossary of Terms

• Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow, as established by the EPA. 
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water, as established by the EPA. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• Maximum Contaminant Level 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, and are established by the EPA.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water, as established by the EPA. 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 as established by the EPA. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
• ND:Means not detected and indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.Parts Per Trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (ng/l): One part by weight of analyte to one trillion parts by weight of the water sample.
• Parts Per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (µg/l): One part by weight of analyte to one billion parts by weight of the water sample.
• Parts Per Million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l): One part by weight of analyte to one million parts by weight of the water sample.
• Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Contaminants in Tap and Bottled Water

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protections Agency (USEPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 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 the 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 Hot-line at 1-800-426-4791.

Cross Connection & Backflow Prevention

The Village of Wellington’s Cross Connection Program is designed to protect public health through protection of the public drinking water distribution system from contamination. The Village enacted Ordinances (2000-01 & 2002-09) which prohibit certain connections to the public drinking water system without adequate backflow prevention devices. All backflow prevention devices are required to be tested annually to ensure protection from cross-connections and backflow of contaminants into the distribution system.

Distribution Systems Maintenance

The Village of Wellington prides itself in properly maintaining our water distribution system to ensure that we are providing the highest quality water to our customers. Additionally, we assist with public safety by ensuring that all of our fire hydrants are operable and there is adequate distribution pressure in the event of a fire. By properly maintaining the distribution system, we also extend the life of our Utility assets and minimize problems related to minor or major equipment failures. The water distribution system consists of over 300 miles of pipe, over 4,000 valves and over 2,300 fire hydrants. The Village takes a proactive approach to maintaining these systems through routine hydrant maintenance, valve exercising and pipeline flushing. Flushing involves opening fire hydrants and allowing them to flow freely for a short time.