City of Cobbleskill Water Quality Report

DID YOU KNOW water quality reports, also known as “Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs),” are annual documents that all public water systems are required to provide to you via mail and online. These reports are supposed to provide important information about the quality of the drinking water delivered over the previous year.

They can be difficult to read or understand. They are often many pages long and contain complex tables and charts. Culligan Water wants to change this and help you MAKE SENSE OF YOUR WATER.

This easy-to-read report will provide you with the following:

The Town of Cobleskill Water District operates a surface water system supplied by three ponds located near Dow Street. Water is collected, treated, disinfected, and distributed to homes and businesses throughout the service area.

Routine monitoring evaluates microorganisms, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrate, nitrite, lead, copper, volatile organic compounds, disinfection byproducts, and other substances that may be present in drinking water.

Cobleskill’s surface water is drawn from:

These sources are located near 174 Dow Street in the Town of Cobleskill. Surface water can collect sediment, minerals, organic material, and substances carried into the watershed by runoff.

Cobleskill uses several treatment steps before distributing water to customers:

Chlorine helps control microorganisms, but it can also affect taste and odor. When chlorine reacts with organic material in the source water or distribution system, it may form treatment byproducts such as total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.

Routine monitoring reported the following results:

While routine monitoring provides valuable insight into local water quality, many homeowners choose water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, or whole house filtration to reduce treatment byproducts, improve taste, and address contaminants identified during testing.

Cobleskill’s report identified disinfectants, added fluoride, dissolved minerals, and substances that can enter water naturally or through the surrounding environment. These compounds may influence taste, odor, dietary preferences, or the overall quality of water used for drinking and cooking.

Chlorine is used to control microorganisms in Cobleskill’s drinking water. As it reacts with naturally occurring organic material, it can create disinfection byproducts such as total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. These compounds are common in chlorinated municipal water systems. Activated carbon and reverse osmosis filtration can help reduce them before the water is used for drinking and cooking.

Cobleskill also monitors minerals and metals that may occur naturally in source water or enter drinking water through plumbing and service lines. These substances can affect health, taste, staining, or household plumbing depending on their concentration and point of entry.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often referred to as “forever chemicals,” have been detected in water supplies across the state of New York. These man-made compounds are valued for their resistance to heat and oil but are slow to break down in the environment. Recent testing reports from Cobleskill do not report on PFAS in their water supply. However, this does not mean there aren’t PFAS contaminants in Cobleskill drinking water. Learn more about PFAS and how they enter your home’s drinking water.

Cobleskill draws surface water from Dow Pond, Holding Pond, and Smith Pond near Dow Street.

The water is treated with aluminum sulfate, clarification, slow sand filtration, chlorination, and fluoridation before entering the distribution system.

Yes. The report lists fluoride concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 mg/L. Reverse osmosis can reduce fluoride for households that prefer less fluoride in drinking and cooking water.

Yes. Chlorine residual ranged from 0.1 to 4.5 mg/L. Carbon filtration can help reduce chlorine taste and odor throughout the home.

TTHMs and HAA5 are treatment byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic material. Whole-house carbon filtration and reverse osmosis can help reduce these compounds.

The report lists lead at 0.005 mg/L and includes information about lead service lines. Because lead can enter water through household plumbing, testing at the individual tap provides the clearest picture of a home’s exposure.

The annual report does not provide a hardness measurement. An in-home test can determine the water’s hardness and whether a softener would help with scale, soap performance, and appliance protection.

No PFAS concentrations were published in the report. Homeowners concerned about PFAS can request targeted testing.

Reverse osmosis can reduce many dissolved contaminants, including fluoride, lead, sodium, chloride, sulfate, barium, and certain treatment byproducts.

The Town of Cobleskill publishes its annual drinking water report for residents. Homeowners can also schedule an in-home water test with Culligan to learn more about the water coming from their specific tap.