Our water system recently violated a water standard. Although this is not an emergency as our customers, you have the right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct the situation.

    The City of Vineland Water-Sewer Utility routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants. The average of the samples taken quarterly during 2005-2006, indicated that this water exceeded the standards or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Gross Alpha Activity and Combined Radium 226/228. The MCL Gross Alpha Activity is set at 15 pCi/l as an annual average. Test results from these samples indicated an annual average between 6.88-19.42 pCi/l for Gross Alpha. The standard for Combined Radium 226/228 is 5 pCi/l. The running average of Combined Radium 226/228 was between 3.55 and 6.58 pCi/l.

    You do not need to use an alternative (e.g.: bottled) water supply. However, if you have a specific health concern, consult your doctor.

    This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. However certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known ass alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of MCL, over many years, may have an increased risk of getting cancer. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets drinking water standards and has determined that Gross Alpha emissions pose a health concern at certain levels of exposure. The EPA has estimated that the additional lifetime risk associated with drinking water that contains the MCL level for Gross Alpha emissions is about 1 in 10,000. This means that if 10,000 people were to consume two liters of this water per day for 70 years, we would expect to see one additional concern in the 10,000 people exposed. Man has always been exposed to natural radiation from water, food and air, and the quantity of radiation a person is exposed to varies with the background radioactivity. Water of high radioactivity is unusual: nevertheless it is known to exist in certain areas from natural sources.

    The EPA has set an enforceable drinking water standard for Radium to reduce the risk of these adverse health effects. The City of Vineland Water-Sewer Utility has installed Radium Remove Treatment Systems on the three Wells that had the highest Gross Alpha and Combined Radium 226/228 previously sampled. The City Water-Sewer Utility is in the design phase of two more Radium Removal systems that should be completed and on line in 2007. The Wells in Vineland are not run on a continuous basis, which reduces the risk factors even more. We are continuing to sample and construct additional Radium Removal Systems, until our Wells are all below the MCL.

For more information, please contact:

John A. Snidenbach, CPWM, Superintendent,

City of Vineland, Water Utility

PWSID#0614003

856-94.4056 from 8:30am to 4:00 pm

Please share this information with all other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have

received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses). You

can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

Date Distributed: September 29, 2006

(This letter was retyped for clarity.)