CITY OF YOUNGSTOWN

Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report for 2012

Based on Data from 2011

The City of Youngstown has prepared the following report to provide information to you, the consumer, on the quality of our drinking water. This report is required as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act Re-authorization of 1996.

The City of Youngstown obtains its drinking water from the Meander Reservoir. The Meander Reservoir is operated by the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District and is considered a surface water source which requires treatment prior to use as drinking water. The City of Youngstown purchases a finished product from the M.V.S.D. and operates a water distribution system only. The City of Youngstown is licensed to operate as a public water system as ID OH5002303.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial Contaminants: such as viruses and bacteria, which 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 storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.

Pesticides & Herbicides: may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm runoff and residential uses.

Organic Chemical Contaminants: include synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, can also come from gas stations, urban storm runoff and septic systems.

Radioactive Contaminants: can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production or mining activities.

Who needs to take special precautions?

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 infection. 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 microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Definitions of some terms contained within this report

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.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): the highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level goal (MRDLG): the level of 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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (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.

Parts per Million (ppm) or Milligrams per Liter (mg/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contaminant. A part per million corresponds to one second in a little over 11.5 days.

Parts per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms per Liter (ug/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contaminant. A part per billion corresponds to one second in 31.7 years.

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

The "<" symbol: A symbol which means less than. A result of <5 means that the lowest level that could be detected was 5 and the contaminate in that sample was less than 5.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): Nephelometric Turbidity Unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable by the average person.

N/A – not applicable, does not apply

BDL – Below Detection Limits

How is Your Drinking Water Treated?

The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District treats approximately 24 million gallons per day of raw water from Meander Creek Reservoir and pumps it to Youngstown, Niles and McDonald. These communities distribute the water to residents and surrounding areas. Treatment includes chemical addition for softening, disinfection, fluoridation, taste and odor control, mixing, settling, filtration and pumping. Youngstown distributes approximately 18 million gallons per day through 750 miles of pipelines to residents of Youngstown, Austintown, Boardman, Canfield Twp. and Liberty; and sells bulk to Mineral Ridge, Mahoning County (Jackson & Milton Townships.), and the Cities of Girard and Canfield.

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 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.

Table of Detected Contaminants for 2011

Contamination Unit	MCLG	MCL	Level Found	Detection Range	Violation	Sample Year	Typical Sources
Bacteriological
**Turbidity (NTU)	N/A	TT	0.30	0.07-0.30	NO	2011	Soil Runoff
Turbidity (% sampling meeting standard)	N/A	TT	100%		NO	2011	Soil Runoff
Inorganics
Nitrate (mg/l)	10.0	10.0	0.642	<.10-.642	NO	2011	Runoff from fertilizer & leachate from septic tanks
Fluoride (mg/l)	4	4	1.51	0.85-1.51	NO	2011	Additive for strong teeth
Barium (ug/l)	2000	2000	7.7	5.0-7.7	NO	2011	Discharge from drilling & metal refineries, erosion of natural deposits
Lead (ug/l)	0.0	15	<2.21	<2-6.8	NO	2011	Household Plumbing Corrosion
Copper (ug/l)	0.0	1300	<43.98	<10-93	NO	2011	Household Plumbing & Corrosion & Leaching from Wood Preservatives
Organics
*TTHM's (ug/l) Total Trihalomethanes	0	80	41.61AVG	29.12-50.36	NO	2011	By-Product of Drinking Water Chlorination
*HAA5's (ug/l) Total Haloacetic Acids	0	60	34.11AVG	24.13-44.54	NO	2011	By-Product of Drinking Water Chlorination
Chloroform (ug/l)	N/A	N/A	48.0	0.5-48.0	NO	2011	Water Purification by-product
Total Organic Carbon (mg/l)	N/A	TT	1.80	1.10-1.80	NO	2011	From something that has lived

* Disinfection byproducts are the result of providing continuous disinfection of your drinking water and form when disinfectants combine with organic matter naturally occurring in the source water. Disinfection byproducts are grouped into two categories, Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). USEPA sets standards for controlling the levels of disinfectants and disinfectant byproducts in the drinking water, including both THMs and HAAs.

**Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water and is an indication of the effectiveness of the filtration system. The turbidity limit set by the EPA is .3 NTU in 95% of the daily samples and shall not exceed 5 NTU at any time.

***The 15 and 1,300 ug/l listed under the heading of maximum contaminant level (MCL) for lead and copper respectively, are action levels. Action levels are the thresholds of sampling at the 90^th percentile.

Lead Testing: 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. Youngstown Water 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 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 for the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

The City of Youngstown tests sites on a regular basis. The lead concentration at the 90^th percentile was below the 15 microgram per liter action level prescribed by the USEPA. At the 90^th percentile the sample was found to contain <5 micrograms per liter.

How do I participate in decisions concerning my drinking water?

Public participation and comments regarding water are encouraged at regular City Council meetings scheduled on the first and third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 P.M. on the sixth floor of Youngstown City Hall at 26 S. Phelps St. To request permission to address City Council please contact City Council Chambers at (330) 742-8708. For technical water quality information contact the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (MVSD) at (330) 799-6315. For information regarding water distribution, pressure, discolored water, or lead and copper sampling contact the Chief Engineer's Office at (330) 743-5338. This information is also available at our website www.youngstownwater.com.

Your Water Supply

The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District public water system uses surface water drawn from the Meander Creek Reservoir. For the purpose of source water assessments in Ohio, all surface waters are susceptible to contamination. By nature, surface waters are accessible and can be contaminated by chemicals and disease-causing organisms which may rapidly arrive at the public drinking water intake with little warning or time to prepare.

The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District’s drinking water source protection area is susceptible to runoff from row crop agriculture and animal feedlot operations, oil and gas wells, failing home and commercial septic systems, road/rail crossings, and new housing and commercial development that could raise runoff from roads and parking lots.

The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District water system and the City of Youngstown treat the water to meet drinking water supply quality standards, but no single treatment technique can address all potential contaminants. The potential for water quality impacts can further be decreased by measures to protect Meander Creek Reservoir and its watershed. More detailed information is provided in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District’s Drinking Water Source Assessment Report, which can be obtained by calling Joe Paris at (330)652-3614. The MVSD Meander Creek Reservoir Drinking Water Source Protection Plan is available at the meanderwater.org website by clicking on the link for Administration Public Records.

Tap and bottled drinking water sources 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 human activity.