Big Oak Rehab

Monitoring Violation: 3 violations, Apr 2024 to Aug 2024. The system did not complete required monitoring. This does not show that a contaminant was found.

Reporting Violation: 3 violations, May 2024 to Aug 2024. The system did not report required information on time.

What the rule requires: The 2013 RTCR (effective 2016) replaced the original TCR. It triggers automatic E. coli testing whenever total coliform is found. A single E. coli-positive sample is an acute MCL violation. It also requires systems exceeding 5% total coliform-positive samples to conduct a formal assessment and correct any deficiencies, helping prevent contamination before it escalates.

Monitoring and Reporting: 1 violation, Jul 2024 to Aug 2024. The system did not complete required monitoring, or did not report the results on time. This does not show that a contaminant was found.

Contaminant on the record: Chlorine (MRDL).

Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, health-based: 3 violations, Jul 2023 to Sep 2024. A sample exceeded the maximum contaminant level EPA allows in drinking water.

What the rule requires: Nitrate (NO₃) is the most common chemical contaminant in US groundwater, entering from fertilizers, septic systems, and animal waste. It is odorless and tasteless — the only way to know if it's present is to test.

Health effects: Methemoglobinemia in infants under 6 months: gut bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite, which blocks oxygen transport in blood. Pregnant women should also take precautions. Chronic adult exposure at elevated levels may increase cancer risk. Limit: 10 mg/L as nitrogen (NO₃-N)

Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, health-based: 3 violations, Oct 2025 to Jun 2026. A sample exceeded the maximum contaminant level EPA allows in drinking water.

Monitoring and Reporting: 5 violations, Jul 2024 to Nov 2024. The system did not complete required monitoring, or did not report the results on time. This does not show that a contaminant was found.

Contaminants on the record: Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U, Combined Uranium, Combined Radium (-226 and -228), Radium-226, Radium-228.

Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U, health effects: Alpha-emitting radionuclides accumulate in bone and soft tissue, delivering sustained internal radiation doses that increase lifetime cancer risk. There is no established safe threshold for ionizing radiation. Individual contributors such as radium-226 and polonium-210 have their own MCLs; gross alpha serves as a cost-effective screening tool that triggers more specific radionuclide analysis when exceeded. Limit: 15 pCi/L (excluding radon and uranium)

Combined Uranium, health effects: Uranium poses both radiological and chemical health risks. Chronic exposure is primarily associated with kidney damage due to its chemical toxicity as a heavy metal. The radiological risk — increased cancer probability — is also present but secondary to the nephrotoxic concern at drinking water concentrations. There is no safe threshold for radiation exposure. Limit: 0.030 mg/L (30 µg/L)

Combined Radium (-226 and -228), health effects: Radium is a bone-seeking radionuclide that accumulates in skeletal tissue after ingestion. Long-term exposure increases the risk of bone cancer and leukemia. There is no safe threshold for ionizing radiation — the MCL is set at a level balancing risk reduction with treatment feasibility. Children are particularly vulnerable due to higher rates of bone growth and calcium uptake. Limit: 5 pCi/L (combined Ra-226 and Ra-228)

Treatment Technique Violation, health-based: 3 violations, Jan 2024 to Jun 2026. The system did not carry out a required treatment process or corrective action.

Monitoring and Reporting: 1 violation, Jan 2024 to Nov 2024. The system did not complete required monitoring, or did not report the results on time. This does not show that a contaminant was found.

What the rule requires: The 1991 LCR uses action levels rather than MCLs: if the 90th percentile of high-risk tap samples exceeds 15 ppb lead or 1.3 mg/L copper, the system must take escalating corrective actions. Violations typically indicate failure to maintain adequate corrosion control — the treatment that keeps lead from leaching out of pipes, solder, and fixtures.

Health effects: Lead: no safe level for children. Causes irreversible neurological damage, impaired cognitive development, behavioral problems, and reduced IQ in children under 6. In adults: hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage. Copper: acute gastrointestinal distress at high levels; liver/kidney damage at very high chronic levels. Limit: Action levels: lead 15 ppb, copper 1.3 mg/L — 90th percentile of tap samples at high-risk sites