The bottom line: Eatonton-Putnam’s water is safe to drink.
So says the annual report for the quality of water produced by the Sinclair Water Authority plant on Cay Drive and distributed in Eatonton and southeastern Putnam County by the Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority. The report showed no violations of federal and state standards for 11 detected contaminants.
The data and explanations of terms can be seen in the tables within this article. The first two columns are for the standards and goals for each contaminant. The second two columns represent the actual testing measurements, by average and by the range of measurements throughout the year.
For instance, for fluoride, the maximum allowable, as well as the goal, is four parts per million.
The average in local testing fell well under the allowable, at 0.67 parts per million. The range shows the lowest and highest test results during 2022.
Lead and copper have proven to be not much of a problem in the Southeast and are not tested but every third year. The standard (MCL, for maximum contaminant level) for lead is 16 parts per billion. That is per billion, with a “b.”
Putnam’s testing average came in at less than 1/2 ppb (actually, 0.4 ppb), with the best day at 0.2 ppb and the worst at 2.4 ppb.
According to a four-page brochure on the report put out by ESG Operations, which operates both the Sinclair plant and the EPWSA distribution system, both federal and state standards are “very stringent.” “To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated contaminants,” the brochure states, “a person would need to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a million chance of having the described health effect.”
While the 2022 report generally tracks earlier reports, this year’s EPWSA chairman (and Putnam Commission chair) Bill Sharp was excited by the results.
“This is a wonderful report,” he said.
Copies of the brochure are available on the EPWSA website or by calling their office (706485-5252) for a mailed paper copy.