City of Sunset Valley (TX2270004)
2022 Drinking Water Quality
Consumer Confidence Report
January 2022 to December 2022

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made by the water system to provide safe drinking water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that all drinking water suppliers in the country provide a water quality report to their customers on an annual basis.

If you would like to participate in public decisions that may affect the quality of water the Sunset Valley City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 pm. Information on these meetings can be found by visiting the City web site at www.sunsetvalley.org, or by calling 512-892-1383. City Hall is located at 3205 Jones Road, Sunset Valley, Texas 78745.

Este reporte incluye información importante sobre el agua para tomar. Para asistencia en español, favor de llamar al telefono (512) 892-1383.

Sources of Drinking Water 

The City of Sunset Valley purchases surface water from the City of Austin. Customers of the City of Sunset Valley receive their drinking water from two water treatment plants that pump surface water from the Colorado River as it flows into Lake Austin.  The Austin Water Utility treats and filters the water according to federal and state standards to remove any possible harmful contaminants. Additional monitoring and testing is provided by the City of Sunset Valley prior to final delivery. Under Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules the City of Sunset Valley is required to provide to you copies of water quality data for both the City of Austin and the City of Sunset Valley. This information is provided in tables at the end of this report.

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.

The Colorado River watershed reaches many miles upstream, passing through agricultural and urban areas. Contaminants that may be in the source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which 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 storm water 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 storm water 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 storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

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 EPAs Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

All drinking water may contain contaminants. When drinking water meets federal standards, there may not be any health based benefits to purchasing bottled water or home treatment devices. 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 EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. Contaminants may be found in drinking water that may cause taste, color, or odor problems. These types of problems are not necessarily causes for health concerns.  For more information on taste, odor, or color of drinking water, please contact the Sunset Valley Public Works Department (512-891-9103).

Special Notice - You may be more vulnerable than the general population to certain microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. Infants, some elderly, or immunocompromised persons such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer; persons who have undergone organ transplants; those who are undergoing treatment with steroids; and people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, can be particularly at risk from infections. You should seek advice about drinking water from your physician or health care providers. Additional guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Chloramine Notification

The City of Sunset Valley purchases water from the City of Austin. Austin uses chloramines for disinfection at their surface water plant. Chloramine is intended to benefit our customers by reducing the levels of disinfection byproducts in the system, while still providing protection from waterborne disease. However, chloramines can cause problems for customer’s dependent on dialysis machines. A condition known as hemolytic anemia can occur if the disinfectant is not completely removed from the water that is used for the dialysate. Consequently, the pretreatment scheme used for the dialysis units must include some means, such as a charcoal filter, for removing the chloramine. Medical facilities should also determine if additional precautions are required for other medical equipment. In addition, water disinfected with chloramines may be toxic to fish. If you have a fish tank, please make sure that the chemicals or filters that you are using are designed for use in water that has been treated with chloramines. You may also need to change the type of filter that you use for the fish tank.

Additional Information for Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. We are responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but we cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Source Water Assessment

The TCEQ completed an assessment of your source water and results indicate that our sources are susceptible to certain contaminants. The sampling requirements for your water system are based on this susceptibility and previous sample data. Any detections of these contaminants may be found in this Consumer Confident Report. For more information on source water assessments and protection efforts at our system contact: Carolyn Meredith, Public Works Director.

For more information about your sources of water, please refer to the Source Water Assessment Viewer available at the following URL: http://www.tceq.texas.gov/gis/swaview

Further details about sources and source-water assessments are available in Drinking Water Watch at the following URL: http://dww2.tceq.texas.gov/DWW/ 

Source Water & ID Number                    Type of Water                            Location

City of Austin TX227000                      Surface Water (SW)                 Colorado River

Definitions and Abbreviations

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

Avg:  Regulatory compliance with some MCLs are based on running annual average of monthly samples.

Level 1 Assessment: A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.

Level 2 Assessment: A Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.

Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: 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.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: 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.

Maximum residual disinfectant level or MRDL: 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.

Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or MRDLG: 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.

MFL:  Million fibers per liter (a measure of asbestos)

mrem: millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body)

na:  not applicable.

NTU: nephelometric turbidity units (a measure of turbidity)

pCi/L:picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity)

Residual Disinfectant Level

Disinfectant Byproducts

   
Inorganic Contaminants

Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulations Reporting (UCMR and UCMR3) – In the Distribution System
Unregulated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted. Any unregulated contaminants detected are reported in the following table. 

Lead and Copper

Definitions: 

Action Level Goal (ALG):  The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.  ALGs allow for a margin of safety.

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

Violation: Lead and Copper Rule
The Lead and Copper Rule protects public health by minimizing lead and copper levels in drinking water, primarily by reducing water corrosivity. Lead and copper enter drinking water mainly from corrosion of lead and copper containing plumbing materials.

Sunset Valley 2022 CCR- PDF Version of the Consumer Confidence Report

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