Philadelphia Suburban Water Company Issues 1999 Water Quality Reports

BRYN MAWR, Pa. -- Philadelphia Suburban Water Company (PSW) customers will receive the company's third annual water quality report, known as the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), beginning with their April water bills. The CCRs measure the quality of PSW's water for 1999 against the drinking water standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 1999, PSW had no maximum contaminant level (MCL) violations and outperformed many of the EPA standards. Water companies have until July 1, 2000 to issue the 1999 report to customers. PSW will continue mailing the CCRs through its second quarter billing cycle, which ends in June, to ensure that all customers receive the reports. By that time, the utility expects to have the CCRs posted on its Web site (www.suburbanwater.com) for customers to access online. "We issued our first water quality report in 1998, and are proud to say that we have not had any MCL violations," said Dr. Thomas Yohe, PSW vice president, water quality. "The EPA requires us to test our water for approximately 80 constituents, but we go well beyond that requirement and test for 160 substances to ensure that the highest quality water is delivered to our customers. In addition to testing, we have invested approximately $90 million to improve water treatment at our plants and well systems over the last decade to further ensure that PSW's water meets or outperforms the EPA standards." PSW issued its first water quality report to customers in 1998 -- a year ahead of the EPA regulation -- and was recognized at that time by them Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as being one of Pennsylvania's first water companies to issue a water quality report. Developed as a result of the1996 reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the CCRs provide a way for public water providers to inform customers about regulated substances detected in their water and the fundamental characteristics of their drinking water supply. SOURCE: Philadelphia Suburban Water