2024 Water Quality Report

2024 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Town of Jay

The Town of Jay is committed to inspecting the quality of our drinking water to provide you quality water every day. Our water system utilizes ground water from a total of two wells that draw water from the Sand and Gravel Aquifer. The only treatments the Town of Jay provide are chlorine for disinfection purposes and lime for pH adjustment. Granular Activated Carbon filters are used for Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) removal. Over the last three years we have recharged our two carbon filters to ensure they are operating at the highest effectiveness.

You can now pay your bill online! Go to www.townofjayfl.com and at the top of the page select the electronic check or credit card option. Additionally, if you would like to set up an automatic payment, please call the Town of Jay at (850) 675-4556. We encourage our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regular scheduled Town Council meetings. They are held on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:00 pm at Jay City Hall, 3695 Highway 4.

The Town of Jay routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations. Except where indicated otherwise, this report is based on the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. Data obtained before January 1, 2024 and presented in this report are from the most recent testing done in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations.

In 2024 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection performed a Source Water Assessment on our system. The assessment was conducted to provide information about any potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of our wells. There are three potential sources of contamination identified for the Jay System with low susceptibility levels. The assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water Assessment and Protection Program website at www.dep.state.fl.us/swapp or they can be obtained from the Town of Jay at (850) 675-4556.

In the table below, you may find unfamiliar terms and abbreviations. To help you better understand these terms we’ve provided the following definitions:
Maximum Contaminant Level or 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.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or 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.
Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
Maximum residual disinfectant level or 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 or 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.
Not Detected (ND): Indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (µg/l): One part by weight of analyte to 1 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 1 million parts by weight of the water sample.
Picocurie per liter (pCi/L): Measure of the radioactivity in water.

 
2024 CONTAMINANTS TABLE

Inorganic Contaminants

Contaminant and Unit of Measurement Dates of sampling (mo. /yr.) MCL Violation Y/N Level Detected
Range of Results MCLG MCL Likely Source of Contamination
Antinomy (ppb) Oct 24 N 0.1 ND-0.1 6 6 This inorganic chemical is used in the flame retardant industry. It is also used in ceramics, glass, batteries, fireworks and explosives.
Arsenic (ppb) Oct 24 N 0.7 ND-0.7 10 10 Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.
Barium (ppm) Oct 24-Dec 24 N 0.044 0.043-0.044 2 2 Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Cyanide (ppb) Dec 24 N 6.6 ND-6.6 200 200 Discharge from steel/metal factories; discharge from plastic and fertilizer factories
Lead (point of entry) (ppb) Oct 24-Dec 24 N 0.3 0.1-0.3 0 15 Residue from man-made pollution such as auto emissions and paint; lead pipe, casing, and solder
Nitrate (as Nitrogen) (ppm) Mar 24-Dec 24 N 5.5 0.018-5.5 10 10 Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; erosion of natural deposits
Sodium (ppm) Oct 24-Dec 24 N 3.3 3.2-3.3 NA 160 Salt water intrusion, leaching from soil
Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products
Disinfectant or Contaminant and Unit of Measurement Dates of sampling (mo. /yr.) MCL or MRDL Violation Y/N Level Detected Range of Results MCLG or MRDLG MCL or MRDL Likely Source of Contamination
Chlorine (ppm) (Stage 1) Jan – Dec 24 N 0.66 0.47-0.85 MRDLG = 4 MRDL = 4.0 Water additive used to control microbes
Trihalomethanes Jul 24 N 1.4 N/A NA 80 By-product of drinking water disinfection
Lead and Copper (Tap Water)
Contaminant and Unit of Measurement Dates of sampling (mo. /yr.) AL Exceeded
Y/N 90th Percentile Result No. of sampling sites exceeding the AL MCLG Range of Tap Sample Results AL (Action Level) Likely Source of Contamination
Copper (tap water) (ppm) Sep 24 N 0.068 0 of 10 1.3
0.0039-.0.072 1.3 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; erosion of natural deposits; leaching from wood preservatives
.Lead (tap water) (ppb) Sep 24 N 0.5 0 of 10 0
ND-0.64 15 Corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits

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 Jay is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components in your home. You share the responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from the lead in your home plumbing. You can take responsibility by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family’s risk. Before drinking tap water, flush your pipes for several minutes by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. You can also use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead in drinking water. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact the Town of Jay at (850) 675-4556. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
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:
(A) Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
(B) Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
(C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
(D) 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 storm water runoff, and septic systems.
(E) 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, the EPA 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 Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has revised the Lead and Copper rule for all public drinking water systems. They have mandated that drinking water systems produce an inventory list of all service line material. The service line is the piping that extends from our water main to the customer’s meter as well as the piping that extends from the meter to the customer’s home. The Town of Jay has prepared this inventory in accordance with federal regulations. To view this service line inventory, log onto www.townofjayfl.com, call (850) 675-4556 and ask for Eric Seib, or visit Jay Town Hall at 3695 Highway 4, Jay, Fl 32565.

Corrosion of pipes, plumbing fittings and fixtures may cause metals, including lead and copper, to enter drinking water. To assess corrosion of lead and copper, the Town of Jay conducts tap sampling for lead and copper at selected sites every three years. The most recent set of lead and copper tap sampling is available for review at Jay Town Hall, 3695 Highway 4, Jay, Fl 32565. To view the lead and copper tap sampling data, contact Eric Seib or visit https://depedms.dep.state.fl.us/.

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).

We at the Town of Jay would like you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. If you have any questions or concerns about the information provided, please feel free to call any of the numbers listed.