Annual Water Report
Phone Numbers
Town Office 301-898-3800
Code Enforcement
301-473-2206
E-Mail: [email protected]
Emergencies 911
Non-Emergency
FC Sheriff Dept 301-600-2071
Woodsboro VFC 301-898-5100
Woodsboro P. O. 301-845-8408
Schools
Woodsboro ES 240-236-3700
New Midway ES 240-236-1500
Walkersville MS 240-236-4400
Walkersville HS 240-236-7200
Walkersville Library
301-845-8880
Town Offices:
Corporation of Woodsboro
Mary E Rice | Town Clerk
Council Drive
P.O. Box 88
Woodsboro
MD,
21798
Phone:
(301) 898-3800
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2024
The Town of Woodsboro, Maryland
PWSID # 0100027
June, 2024
We’re pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the water quality and services we deliver to you every day. 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.
The sources of our drinking water are the Frederick Limestone Aquifer and the Grove Limestone Aquifer. An aquifer is a sort of underground reservoir or deposit of water, which is tapped by drilling wells and pumping the water to the surface for distribution. The earth between surface sources of contamination and this underground river helps to purify the water before it actually reaches the aquifer, making it easier for us to treat before we pump it into your water distribution system. We have 5 wells varying in depth from 200 to 600 feet all located within the corporate limits of the town.
We have a source water assessment plan available from our office that provides more information such as potential sources of contamination. This plan is also available from the Frederick County Public Library or from Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
This report outlines the quality of our finished drinking water and what that quality means.
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 microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
The Town of Woodsboro routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It’s important to remember that the presence of these contaminants does not necessarily pose a health risk.
In this table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we’ve provided the following definitions:
Non-Detects (ND) – laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present.
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter – one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) – picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.
Action Level – the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Maximum Contaminant Level – The “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is 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.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal – The “Goal”(MCLG) is 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.
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 Town of Woodsboro 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 drinking 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 EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen] – Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall.
All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic chemicals and radioactive substances. All 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 Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.
Thank you for allowing us to continue providing your family with clean, quality water this year. In order to maintain a safe and dependable water supply we sometimes need to make improvements that will benefit all of our customers. These improvements are sometimes reflected as rate structure adjustments. Thank you for understanding.