JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the base water provider, and Terrapin Utility Service, Inc., the base's water infrastructure manager, released the 2013 annual water consumer confidence reports this month. Your tap water met all Environmental Protection Agency and state drinking water health standards.
The reports detail water quality parameters and data collected, verifying water quality. Under the Consumer Confidence Reporting Rule of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, community water systems are required to report water quality information annually to the consuming public. The WSSC and Terrapin reports present information on the water source, its constituents and any health risks associated with contaminant findings. The WSSC report is available at their website: http://www.wsscwater.com/home/jsp/content/wat-qual-report.faces.
To ensure safe drinking water, the EPA prescribes regulations to limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. According to the EPA, 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 EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or by visiting their website: http://water.epa.gov/drink/hotline/.
The Terrapin report is available in pamphlet format and can be obtained at the following locations: Terrapin Joint Base Andrews office at R69 Pennsylvania Avenue, Liberty Park Base Housing Office, Child Development Centers, Youth Center, Imagine Andrews, Base Exchange, Commissary, Base Library, Lodging, and the PAX Terminal. An electronic copy can be accessed at the Joint Base Andrews website: http://www.andrews.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-140618-010.pdf.
Questions about water quality can also be directed to Bioenvironmental Engineering at 240-857-3380. To contact Terrapin, call 301-735-4101. To contact WSSC, call 301-206-8100.