Municipal Authority of the Borough of Bedford (MABB) customers recently received a drinking water notification that indicated treatment technique requirements were not met. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) determines how and what to treat drinking water with. MABB would like to take the opportunity to educate customers on why they are receiving these notifications and what they mean.
- Is the water safe to drink? YES.
- What happened? We routinely monitor for Total Organic Carbon
(TOC). TOC is a material derived from
decaying vegetation, bacterial growth, and metabolic activities of living
organisms or chemicals, i.e. it is naturally occurring. A TOC sample is taken from the raw water and
another from treated water. The
percentage removal is then calculated. MABB’s incoming raw water supply is so
pure that it is difficult to remove naturally occurring substances without
adding more chemicals. Individuals not
on a public water system, e.g. wells, can be exposed to 100% TOC.
- Are there any direct health impacts? No.
TOC has no health effects. If you
have specific health concerns, please contact your doctor.
- What does this mean? There is no immediate risk. If there had been, customers would have been
notified immediately. Tests taken during
this time period did not indicate the presence of bacteria in the water.
- What should customers do? Customers do not need to boil water or take any
corrective actions.
- What is being done? Monthly requirements are being met and
sampling has increased. These
notifications are based on a running annual average. Customers will continue to receive notifications until the
running annual average is acceptable again.
Customers with additional questions are welcome to contact the MABB office at 814.623.8192.
