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/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791).

Groundwater from the Rio Grande Alluvial aquifer is the primary source of drinking water for the Santo Domingo Pueblo. A second well was drilled in 2013 and connected to the water system in 2014. Both wells are approximately 1000 feet deep and are east of I-25. These wells connect to one pumphouse for treatment and distribution. The disinfectant sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) is injected into the water prior to entering the distribution system.

Then Environmental Protection Agency performed an assessment of our source water in January of 2010. A source water assessment identifies potential sources of contamination to the drinking water. The assessment was unable to find any potential sources of contamination, but our aquifer is considered highly susceptible to contamination because it’s composed of unconsolidated sand and gravel, buried alluvial valleys, alluvial terraces, and is active. Please contact us at 505-465-0055 for more information on the assessment.

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 (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

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: microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that 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, urban 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; and 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, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

The Santo Domingo Tribal Utilities Department participates in the resource fairs throughout the year and advertises meetings and provides information via mailings and the tribal newsletter.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.

Water Quality Data Table

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water. All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old.  In this table you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you.  To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions below the table.

Contaminants

MRDLG

MRDL

Water

Low

High

Date

Violation

Typical Source

Disinfectants & Disinfectant By-Products

(There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants)

Chlorine (as Cl2) (ppm)

4

4

1.73

0.04

1.73

2014

No

Water additive used to control microbes

TTHMs [Total Trihalomethanes] (ppb)

NA

80

6.39

ND

6.39

2014

No

By-product of drinking water disinfection

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (ppb)

NA

60

1.74

ND

1.74

2014

No

By-product of drinking water chlorination

Inorganic Contaminants

Copper – source water (mg/L)

0.08

0.08(MPL)

NA

2014

No

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits

Lead – source water (ug/L)

2

2(MPL)

NA

2014

No

Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits

Microbiological Contaminants

Total Coliform (positive samples/month)

0

1

0

NA

2014

No

Naturally present in the environment

Undetected Contaminants

The following contaminants were monitored for, but not detected, in your water.

MCLG

MCL

or

or

Your

Contaminants

MRDLG

MRDL

Water

Violation

Typical Source

Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen] (ppm)

10

10

ND

No

Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits

Unit Descriptions

Term

Definition

ppm

ppm: parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L)

ppb

ppb: parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (µg/L)

positive samples/month

positive samples/month: Number of samples taken monthly that were found to be positive

NA

NA: not applicable

ND

ND: Not detected

NR

NR: Monitoring not required, but recommended.

Important Drinking Water Definitions

Term

Definition

MCLG

MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 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.

MCL

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level: 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.

TT

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

AL

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

Variances and Exemptions

Variances and Exemptions: State or EPA permission not to meet an MCL or a treatment technique under certain conditions.

MRDLG

MRDLG: Maximum residual disinfection level goal. 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.

MRDL

MRDL: Maximum residual disinfectant level. 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.

MNR

MNR: Monitored Not Regulated

MPL

MPL: State Assigned Maximum Permissible Level