Monitoring Violations Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

2007 Water Quality Report

Rockville is required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants according to a schedule provided by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During 2006, we did not complete all testing for the following contaminants in a timely manner. Therefore, we are unable to be sure of the quality of our drinking water during the following times:

• Sampling data for 7 inorganic (metals) compounds were not reported to MDE in 2006, but instead were submitted in February 2007. A cadmium sample also due at this time was not obtained or submitted to MDE until March 2007.
   
• Sampling for lead and copper which should have occurred from June through September 2006 at 30 points of use in homes constructed after 1982 (and due to MDE by October 2006) were actually taken in November and December 2006, and submitted to MDE in February 2007.
   
• Samples and reports on 14 out of 20 synthetic organic compounds for the second and third quarters (April through September of 2006) were not accomplished until May 2007. 
   
• Monthly samples for total organic carbon in the raw and finished water were not taken during the months of September and November 2006.  

The City has subsequently sampled for these contaminants and found that Rockville’s drinking water is far better than the minimum federal health standards. We have also changed our procedures to ensure that all required tests will be done on time in the future.

The monitoring was not completed for the following reasons:

1) The City has contracted with Martel Laboratories Inc. in Baltimore to collect and analyze these samples. In some cases, Martel failed to conduct all of the required analyses required by MDE.

2) During this period, the City hired a new Water Plant Superintendent and the missing or late sampling was not detected in time to prevent the reports from being late.

For additional information, please contact Vernon Simmons, Water Plant Superintendent, by phone at (240) 314-8555, or by email at vsimmons@rockvillemd.gov.

Our primary method of distributing this report is through the “Rockville Reports” monthly newsletter. Please share this information with all the 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.

This report is required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment.