Water Quality Reports

Emma Schultz M.S. | Scientific Contributor
Updated June 11, 2021 to include current data

For our assessment of Pittsburgh's water quality, our Water Nerds aggregated water quality test data from the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. Our team then cross references these data with toxicity studies in scientific and medical literature. The water filters that we sell in Pittsburgh are optimized with these issues in mind.

Source Of Pittsburgh Drinking Water

Pittsburgh tap water originates from surface water. Water is drawn from the Allegheny River before being treated at various treatment facilities. Pittsburgh Water typically treats and distributes 70 million gallons of water every day. 

Lead In Pittsburgh Drinking Water

Pittsburgh has a problem with lead in drinking water. Lead enters into home tap water through old lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail (such as the recent crisis in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into drinking water, and can reach toxic levels. Recent analysis for lead in Pittsburgh found a 90th percentile concentration of 5.13 parts per billion. In addition, 2 of the 158 samples exceeded the Federal Action Level of 15 parts per billion.

It should be noted that Pittsburgh is still in compliance with federal regulations, because “an action level exceedance is not a violation”. EPA, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics all acknowledge that there is no safe level of lead for children. In addition, federal regulations cannot take into account levels measured at an individual tap. Check out this 2016 article for more information on lead contamination in the Pittsburgh water supply.

Chromium 6 In Pittsburgh Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a highly toxic metal that is not currently regulated by the EPA. Pittsburgh’s tap water has recently averaged 535 parts per trillion for chromium 6. For a bit of context, these levels are over 28 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Pittsburgh Drinking Water

DBPs are a type of halogenated emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants are added to the water supply, and subsequently combine with naturally-occurring organic matter. These chemicals are not yet well-regulated, but the EPA has stated that they have been linked to increased risk of bladder cancer, and kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. EPA regulates two types of DBPs: Total Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic Acids 5). Pittsburgh’s tap water has recently had moderately high levels of DBPs, and the highest concentration of Trihalomethanes was 70 parts per billion,.

Use Of Chloramine In Pittsburgh Tap Water

While most cities use chlorine as the primary disinfectant, Pittsburgh’s water is disinfected with chloramine (which is formed by mixing chlorine and ammonia). Chloramine is the primary culprit for what many customers report as the “bad taste”of tap water, and unlike chlorine will not dissipate if left in the fridge overnight. Most one-size-fits-all water filters use filtration media that successfully removing chloramine, but the filters that Hydroviv builds for Pittsburgh's water problems use special filtration media that are designed to remove chloramine as well.

Still Have Questions About Pittsburgh's Tap Water?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each city’s water. The chemicals that we list above are what we consider to be “points of emphasis” so we can build the best water filter for Pittsburgh tap water, but all of our home filtration water systems provide broad protection against other contaminants commonly found in drinking water (e.g. VOCs, heavy metals [including lead], pharmaceuticals, solvents, pesticides, mercury).

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for Pittsburgh tap water, feel free to visit www.hydroviv.com, reach out by email (hello@hydroviv.com) or through our live chat.  We also frequently post water-related news on Twitter or Facebook.

Please Share This Pittsburgh Water Quality Article On Social Media With Anyone You Think Would Benefit From The Information!

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For our assessment of the City of St. Paul's tap and drinking water, we aggregated water quality test data from the Saint Paul Regional Water Services, the water provider for St. Paul, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. We cross reference our Saint Paul water data with toxicity studies in the scientific and medical literature, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we sell in St. Paul are optimized with these issues in mind.

Source Of St. Paul's Drinking Water

The city of St. Paul's water comes from both surface and groundwater sources. Much of the water comes from the Mississippi River, but prior to treatment is run through a chain of lakes in the suburbs north of downtown St. Paul. Additional water as needed comes from 10 wells that pump from the deep Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer.

Lead In St. Paul Drinking Water

Lead enters the city of St. Paul's water through aged lead service pipes and through lead plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail, such as recently seen in Flint, Michigan, lead leaches into the drinking water, and reaches toxic levels. Recent analysis for lead in St. Paul found 90% of sampled concentrations below 9.8 parts per billion. In addition, 3 of the 50 sites sampled exceeded the set Action Level of 15 ppb. The city of St. Paul's water quality is technically in compliance with federal regulations with no further actions required (since no more than 10% of samples exceeded the Action Level). However, both the EPA and CDC have recognized that there is no such thing as safe levels of lead. In addition, federal regulations can of course not account for levels measured at an individual’s tap.

Chromium 6 In St. Paul Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA. St. Paul’s tap water has recently averaged 170 parts per trillion for chromium 6. Despite the lack of regulation, these levels are over 8 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In St. Paul Drinking Water

DBPs are emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants, added to the water supply to keep it ‘safe,’ then combine with naturally-occurring organic matter. These chemicals, while not regulated thoroughly, have been linked by the EPA to an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. St. Paul’s tap water has recently had moderate levels of DBPs, with a 2016 average of 89 parts per billion (more of which comes from trihalomethanes than from haloacetic acids).

Use Of Chloramine In St. Paul Tap Water

The City of St. Paul adds chloramine to its drinking water to protect consumers against waterborne illness. Free chlorine is in contact with the water for a period of time; then ammonia is added to react with the chlorine. This combined chlorine/ammonia compound is called chloramine. Chloramine is more stable than free chlorine, and allows for disinfectant to remain in the water throughout the water distribution system. Chloramine is also less likely to form unwanted disinfection by-products. While chloramine is not considered detrimental to health, people often find that removing it from their drinking water greatly improves the overall taste and odor. However, not all filters that remove chlorine are able to also remove chloramine. Hydroviv is able to specifically formulate filters to remove chloramine from drinking water.

Still Have Questions About St. Paul Tap Water?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each city’s water. The chemicals that we list above are what we consider to be “points of emphasis” so we can build the best water filter for St. Paul's tap water, but all of our water filters provide broad protection against other contaminants commonly found in drinking water (e.g. VOCs, heavy metals [including lead], pharmaceuticals, solvents, pesticides, mercury).

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for St. Paul's tap water, feel free to visit www.hydroviv.com, reach out by email (hello@hydroviv.com) or through our live chat. We also frequently post water-related news on Twitter or Facebook.

Please Share This St. Paul Water Quality Article On Social Media With Anyone You Think Would Benefit From The Information!

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Emma Schultz M.S. | Scientific Contributor 
Updated May 21, 2021 to include current water quality data

For our assessment of Cincinnati's water quality, our team of Water Nerds collected data from the Greater Cincinnati Water Works, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. We then cross reference these data with toxicity studies in the scientific and medical literature, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we sell in Cincinnati are optimized with these issues in mind.

Source Of Cincinnati Drinking Water

Cincinnati’s tap water comes from both surface and groundwater sources. Surface water from the Ohio River is treated at the Miller Treatment Plant, located in eastern Hamilton County. This water accounts for the majority of the city’s tap water. Groundwater comes from one of 13 wells drawing from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, and is treated at the Bolton Treatment Plant in southern Bolton County. Cincinnati water coming from the aquifer has been designated as highly susceptible to contamination because there is no over-topping layer (typically clay) to protect the resource.

Lead In Cincinnati Drinking Water

Lead enters into tap water through old lead service pipes and lead plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail (such as the recent catastrophe in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into drinking water, and can reach toxic levels. Recent analysis for lead in Cincinnati water found 90th percentile concentrations of lead to be 6 parts per billion (ppb). The maximum sampled concentration of lead was a disquieting 40.4 ppb. Of the 110 sites sampled, 5 sites exceeded the Action Level of 15 ppb. While Cincinnati's water quality is in compliance with all federal regulations and no further actions are required (because no more than 10% of samples exceed the Action Level), the EPA, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics have acknowledged that there is no such thing as safe levels of lead. In addition, federal regulations can of course not account for levels measured at an individual tap.

Chromium 6 In Cincinnati Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a very toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA. Cincinnati’s tap water quality has recently averaged 117 parts per trillion for chromium 6. These levels are nearly 6 times higher than the minimum concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Cincinnati Drinking Water

DBPs are emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants are added to the water supply, and then combine with naturally-occurring organic matter. These chemicals are not regulated thoroughly, although the EPA has stated that they are linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. EPA regulates two categories of DBPs: haloacetic acids 5 and total trihalomethanes. According to this year's report, the concentration of total trihalomethanes in Cincinnati tap water was as high as 69.3 parts per billion, which is just below the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level of 80 parts per billion.

Use Of Chlorine In Cincinnati Tap Water

As with many cities in the United States, Cincinnati adds chlorine to its drinking water to protect consumers against waterborne illness. While chlorine is not considered noxious, people often find that removing it from their drinking water greatly improves the overall taste and odor. When you choose to filter your tap water, we believe that you will notice an immediate improvement in taste.

Still Have Questions About Cincinnati Tap Water?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each city’s water. The chemicals that we list above are what we consider to be “points of emphasis” so we can build the best water filter for Cincinnati tap water, but all of our water filters provide broad protection against other contaminants commonly found in drinking water (e.g. VOCs, lead, solvents, pesticides, mercury).