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<br /> 49 <br /> <br />Drinking Water Quality <br />Contaminants in water and air can have adverse health consequences where both short-term and <br />chronic exposure to pollution can present serious health risks. The National Primary Drinking Water <br />Regulations (NPDWRs or primary standards) are legally enforceable standards that apply to public water <br />systems. 76 <br /> <br />The safety of drinking water can be measured in terms of whether Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) <br />are met for various pollutants present in water that could affect health. MCL standards for drinking <br />water quality are set by EPA. An MCL is the legal threshold limit on the amount of a substance that is <br />allowed in public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. <br /> <br /> A group of survey respondents expressed concern with contaminated drinking water within their <br />apartment complex. <br /> <br /> A group of survey respondents within the northern part of the county experience challenges with <br />drinking water due to storm water runoff. <br />Water Supplies <br /> Citizens living in the municipal areas of Orange County and in some limited unincorporated areas are <br />served by the following community public water systems: <br />o Orange Water and Sewer (OWASA) <br />o Town of Hillsborough <br />o Orange-Alamance Water (OAW) <br />o Town of Mebane <br />o City of Durham <br /> <br /> Of the Orange County populations served by community water systems, approximately 78% are <br />served by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA). <br /> <br />Water Supplies for residents that are not served by either a municipal public water supply or a public <br />water supply well are served by a private drinking water well. Public Water Supplies whether a <br />municipal system or public water supply well are regulated by the North Carolina Department of <br />Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR) and private drinking water wells are regulated by the <br />Orange County Health Department. Well siting, permitting, inspections and water sampling are carried <br />out by the Environmental Health staff and shown in table 14. <br /> <br />Table 14: Number of New Wells and Water Samples Collected Over a 3-Year Period <br />Year New Wells Completed Water Samples Collected for <br />Analysis <br />2013 149 1,100 <br />2014 133 1,219 <br />2015 166 1,176 <br /> <br />Water samples are sent to the NC State Laboratory of Public Health for analysis. The private well owner <br />is provided a Health Risk evaluation of the water by Environmental Health staff after results are <br />received. Recommendations in the Health Risk report are based on EPA MCL and NC Health based <br />standards (2L) standards.