Water Quality Fact Sheets

It is unreasonable to expect zero contamination in drinking water -- one would have to distill every drop under sterile laboratory conditions. So the EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants that may exist in public drinking water supplies. Fact sheets concerning these standards, along with their likely sources and possible effects upon human health, are available at www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html.

More detailed fact sheets about specific contaminants are at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/hfacts.html. These contaminants of broad concern include microbes, radionuclides, inorganic compounds, volatile organic compounds,synthetic organics, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, and MTBE (a fuel additive widely used to reduce carbon monoxide and ozone levels caused by car emissions).

Microbes covered by EPA fact sheets include fecal coliform and E. Coli bacteria, which may cause gastrointestinal illnesses (cramping, diarrhea, etc.), Cryptosporidium, an intestinal parasite that may be life-threatening to people with severely weakened immune systems, and Giardia lamblia, a parasite transmitted via sewage and animal droppings.

Inorganic compounds regulated by the EPA include Antimony, Asbestos, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Cyanide, Mercury, Nitrates, Nitrites, Selenium, and Thallium. Technical fact sheets about these contaminants can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/t-ioc.html.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) include a host of compounds generated mainly from industrial activity and car emissions. A few examples of VOCs are benzene, styrene, trichloroethylene, and toluene. Technical fact sheets on these and many more VOCs can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/t-voc.html.

Synthetic Organic Contaminants include pesticides and herbicides. These contaminants are manmade, and can cause cancer in sufficiently high concentrations. Technical fact sheets about synthetic organic contaminants can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/t-soc.html.

The EPA publishes Health Advisories fact sheets on certain contaminants that may pose health problems other than cancer. These fact sheets may be found at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/drinking/standards/.

Each public water supplier in the U. S. is required to compile annual water quality fact sheets called Consumer Confidence Reports. A CCR tells you where your local water supply comes from and what is in it. Only water suppliers who serve communities of the same customers are required to publish CCRs. If you live in a community of transients, such as a mobile home park or campground, you should contact your water supplier to obtain a CCR. The latest CCR fact sheets for many communities are at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccr/whereyoulive.html.

In addition to EPA fact sheets, state and local water quality departments provide even more detailed information about water supply origins and contents, and about governmental and private sector initiatives that may affect water quality. Consult your state government’s Web site to find these fact sheets.

Water quality fact sheets provide hard data that consumers can use to understand exactly what is in their drinking water, who put it there, and what needs to be removed. While technical fact sheets may be difficult for laymen to understand, they are the basis for effective water quality activism.