Analies Dyjak  |  Policy Nerd
Updated 12/8/23 to include EPA's new Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements 

Since 1991, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) has aimed to regulate public drinking water systems by specifically targeting lead and copper contamination. It was created by Congress to protect human health, but there are several exemptions and loopholes that compromise its overall mission. Additionally, it’s still considered to be one of the most complicated environmental statues. This article discusses the major insufficiencies of the Lead and Copper Rule, as well as recommendations to protect your family from drinking water contamination.

How Does Lead Enter Tap Water?

Lead enters tap water through old lead service pipes and plumbing including fixtures and fittings that contain lead. Water that leaves a treatment plant may be in compliance with current EPA standards, but can become contaminated once it enters older infrastructure including an estimated 9.2 million lead service lines that serve water to properties in communities across the United States. Houses built before 1986 were most likely built with lead pipes and lead plumbing.

What are the Health Effects of Lead Contamination in Drinking Water?

The EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that there is no known safe level of lead in a child's blood. Even though an action level of 15 parts per billion is currently in place, that is not considered a safe level for children. The regulatory and medical organizations all agree that the only safe level of lead is zero. The scientific community and most regulatory agencies have acknowledged this, but municipalities still follow an extremely high threshold of lead in drinking water. A dose of lead that would have little to no impact on adults can have a significant and lifelong impact on an infant or child. They are the most sensitive population in the case of lead because it’s a neurotoxin and healthy brain development between the years of 0-5 is crucial. Learning disabilities, shorter stature, hearing impairment, and impairment of the formation and function of blood cells are just some of the health effects in children. Pregnant Women are also sensitive to lead contamination in drinking water. Lead accumulates in bones where it’s stored with calcium. Lead is released from bones in the form of maternal calcium which is used to help develop the fetus. Lead can also enter the placenta and have serious developmental effects on the fetus.

What is the Lead and Copper Rule?

The EPA's Lead and Copper Rule (40 CFR Part 141 Subpart 1) is part of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The rule governs 68,000 public water systems across the United States, and has created provisions to help reduce lead and copper throughout community water systems. While the goals of this statute are in good faith, there are several loopholes, exemptions, and regulatory flaws that don’t necessarily prioritize human health. The most obvious and deceptive flaw is the 90th percentile rule. Only the 90th percentile of users must meet the EPA threshold of 15 parts per billion ( 0.015mg/L ) for lead and 1.3mg/L 1.3 parts per billion (1.3mg/L) for copper. This means that 10% of users can be in exceedance of the threshold and still be in compliance with the law.

What are the Sampling Requirements Under the Lead and Copper Rule?

There are many other components of the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule that leave users confused about what’s in their water. The most profoundly disappointing part of the Lead and Copper Rule is the municipal sampling requirements. The sampling protocol requires municipalities to collect a set number of residential samples, rather than a percentage of households within a community. For example, if a public water system services 100,000 people, they are only required to collect 100 samples, rather than a percentage of the total population. Municipalities that have 10,000-100,000 residents are required to collect 60 samples and municipalities with 3,301-10,000 residents are only required to collect 40 samples. Houses built before 1986, (when the use of household lead pipes became illegal), were most likely built with lead infrastructure. The bottom line is, very few households are made aware of lead contamination. In addition, a public water system servicing less than 50,000 people can be eligible for “reduced monitoring” which decreases the number of samples they are required to collect. Reduced monitoring means that municipalities are only required to collect residential tap water samples once every 3 years. Systems that service 3,300 or fewer people can receive a waiver from the state allowing them to test for lead and copper once every 9 years. 9 years is an unreasonably long time between tests for drinking water quality. Lead concentrations can change overnight, especially if source water or corrosion control measures change.

Who Regulates Lead In Drinking Water?

Municipalities must disclose information about lead and copper in their drinking water to State officials and residents in the form of annual Consumer Confidence Reports. In 2007, revisions were made to the statute that sought to improve transparency between local, state, and federal agencies. The 2007 revisions to the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule require municipalities to notify either state or federal agencies if they have plans to change their treatment methods/source water, or anything else that might in any way increase the corrosion potential of lead. The lead agency is then required to approve these changes before they are implemented. Through this revision, municipal water providers must also notify residents about changes that may affect lead levels. The 2015 lead crisis in Flint, Michigan often comes to mind in this context. It’s important to note that the crisis in Flint occurred after this revision. Protocols were in place, yet regulatory agencies still failed to communicate. 

How Are Water Samples Collected and Tested For Lead?

The Lead and Copper Rule developed a sampling protocol for both pre-selected and voluntary households. Municipalities initially pre-select “Tier 1” sites, which are older homes that most likely contain lead lines. However, homeowners can deny testing or fail to submit a sample if they choose to do so. If an inadequate number of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 samples are collected, the municipality will then draw samples from “representative sites.” At these sites, local officials are in complete control of how samples are collected. The Lead and Copper Rule requires a 1 liter “first draw” sample, which is water that has been stagnant in plumbing for at least six hours. Samples should be taken from a tap that’s typically used for consumption of drinking water.

Invalidating Lead-Containing Water Samples

A state agency has the authority to invalidate sampling if; the laboratory establishes improper sample analysis causing erroneous results, the state determines that the sample was taken from a site that did not meet the site selection criteria, the sample was damaged in transit or if “there is substantial reason to believe that the sample was subject to tampering.” Essentially, state laboratories can omit samples for a whole breadth of reasons. Several municipalities have been caught cheating the system by discarding samples with high lead levels. Some municipalities instruct residents to “pre-flush” and allow their taps to run for five minutes the night before sampling. This helps to clear stagnant water which completely defeats the purpose because “pre-flushing” has been cited as an effective way to reduce lead levels in drinking water. Other municipalities have told residents to wait until their water “runs cold” before testing, which accomplishes the same thing as pre-flushing.

Are Municipalities Required to Replace Lead Service Lines?

If 10% of water samples exceed the 15 part per billion action level after corrosion control and source water treatment requirements have been met, a municipality must replace 7% of lead service lines per year. Line replacements stop whenever new samples meet the lead action level for two consecutive monitoring periods. Monitoring periods can be anywhere from 6 months, 1 year, 6 years, or even up to 9 years is smaller communities. Once samples exceeding the action level are detected, the system has 12 months after the end of the monitoring period, to submit documents to the state that lay out an action plan. 

Current Efforts to Update the Lead and Copper Rule

On November 30, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. 

Key provisions in the proposal include:

• 100% Lead Pipe Replacement within 10 years. 
• Locating Legacy Lead Pipes. Water systems are currently required to provide an initial inventory of their lead service lines by October 16, 2024. Under the proposal, all water systems would be required to regularly update their inventories, create a publicly available service line replacement plan, and identify the materials of all service lines of unknown material.
• Improving Tap Sampling. The proposal would make key changes to protocols that water systems must use for tap sampling informed by best practices.
• Lowering the Lead Action Level. EPA is proposing to lower the lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L. When a water system’s lead sampling exceeds the action level, the system would be required to inform the public and take action to reduce lead exposure while concurrently working to replace all lead pipes. For example, the system would install or adjust corrosion control treatment to reduce lead that leaches into drinking water.
• Strengthening Protections to Reduce Exposure. Water systems with multiple lead action level exceedances would be required to conduct additional outreach to consumers and make filters certified to reduce lead available to all consumers. 

EPA anticipates finalizing the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements prior to October 16, 2024.

Our Take

We need ways to incentivize voluntary lead testing for homeowners as well as at the municipal level. Right now many municipalities may be unaware of lead problems within a community, or overlook these concerns due to the cost of mitigation, because some municipalities legitimately don’t have the funding to properly address longstanding infrastructure issues. In a regulatory sense, the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule has been a convoluted mess. There are so many exemptions and loopholes, and the regulated sampling techniques offer little to no accuracy to what’s in people’s tap water. While the updates to the Lead and Copper Rule are a step in the right direction, actual improvements in water quality in many communities could still be decades away. Here are some recommendations on how to reduce lead exposure from our Water Nerds:

1. Allow your faucet to run for 2 minutes prior to drinking tap water.

2. See if your city or town has a free lead testing program. Washington D.C., New York City, and several other cities have a free lead testing program. If you live in an area that doesn’t have free lead testing, you can pay to send your sample to get laboratory tested.

3. Purchase a filter that is optimized and certified to remove lead from water.

Other Articles We Think You Might Enjoy:

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We get a lot of questions from people about Whole House Filters. Because Hydroviv has a “Help No Matter What” mindset when it comes to technical support, we sometimes find ourselves helping our website's visitors evaluate products that we don’t sell!

What Is a Whole House Water Filter?

As the name suggests, whole house filters are installed on a home’s main water supply, so they process all water that comes into the house, including water used to flush toilets, do laundry, and water the lawn.

How Much Should I Expect To Pay For A Whole House Water Filter?

Systems marketed as whole home water filter systems can range in price from less than $100 to $10,000. Because the system is installed on the main water supply line, these systems typically require a licensed plumber for installation, which can add considerably to the overall system cost. Replacement cartridges can also be a significant cost for whole house filter systems. Because ALL incoming water is filtered by whole house systems, cartridges need to be replaced more frequently than if the same cartridge is used in a point of use application.

How Effective Are Whole House Water Filters?

Chemical Removal

With whole home water filters, you typically get what you pay for. Most whole house systems are designed to process large volumes of water for water softening and chlorine removal, and are not designed to remove things like chloramine, arsenic, disinfection byproducts, or lead. If you spend several thousand dollars on a high-end whole house system, pay to have it installed by a plumber, and replace the filtration media as prescribed, the system will probably perform as advertised. Just make sure that the system is designed to filter the chemicals you want removed... we have talked to people that have spent thousands on a whole house filter only to learn after the fact that it does not filter lead! On the other end of the price spectrum, most of the low cost whole house filters are only good for removing sediment from the water, and don't do a good job removing dissolved chemicals.  The other thing to keep in mind is that if you remove chlorine from your home's water at the point where it enters the home, you introduce the risk of bacteria growing in all pipes downstream of the filter, because the filter removes the disinfectant.

Flow Rate & Impact On Water Pressure

Another performance aspect to consider is the impact on your home's water pressure, because a whole house filter can act as a "choke point" for water delivery. You don't want to run into a situation where there isn't enough water pressure to take a shower because the dishwasher is running and someone is brushing their teeth. Be sure to take into account that the cartridges used in single stage whole house filters become clogged over time, and the water pressure can drop dramatically throughout the filter's lifetime. A good plumber is a very good resource for helping you calculate your home's water demand and thus plan for the right water filter for your main water supply.

How Good Are "General Purpose" Whole House Water Filters?

Simply put, it's not possible to build a whole home water filter that "filters everything bad" from your water on a whole house scale. For that level of filtration, you need to filter at the point of use (e.g. individual faucets- more on this below). However, there are some applications where whole house filtration makes sense. For example, water with a very high particulate load can clog up your point of use filters very quickly, so a whole house prefilter to address particles and sediment could be useful in this instance. 

Hydroviv’s point of use filtration systems are designed to filter the water in your home used for drinking, washing food, cooking, and showering. By remaining focused on these applications (and ignoring the water used in toilets & washing machines), we are able offer consumers high-performance water filtration systems that cost less than the competition, and don’t require a plumber to install.

Where Can You Go For Advice On Whole House Water Filters?

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**Updated July 11, 2022 to include most recent water quality data

Analies Dyjak, M.A. | Hydroviv Research Analyst

Hydroviv's Water Nerds have updated our assessment of Las Vegas drinking water to include data from the latest Consumer Confidence Report. We looked at data from the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Environmental Working Group, and the US Geological Survey. Our Water Nerds then cross referenced these data with toxicity studies in the scientific and medical literature, as well as upcoming regulatory changes. The custom water filters that we build for our customers in Las Vegas are optimized with this research in mind.

Source Of Las Vegas's Drinking Water

90% of Las Vegas drinking water comes from Lake Mead. Lake Mead is supplied by snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains, which flows into the Colorado River. The remaining 10% comes from a groundwater aquifer under the Las Vegas Valley. This aquifer is naturally replenished by precipitation in the Spring Mountains and the Sheep Range.

What are the concerns in Las Vegas Drinking Water?

Contaminants of concern in Las Vegas’ drinking water include Lead, PFAS, Arsenic, Disinfection Byproducts, Uranium, and Chromium 6.  

Lead In Las Vegas Drinking Water

Lead enters tap water through older lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures put in place by the municipality fail (like what happened in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into the drinking water, and can reach dangerous levels. Homes built before 1986 are most susceptible to lead contamination.  According to the 2022 report, 10% of drinking water samples analyzed for lead in Las Vegas are over 3.9 parts per billion, with samples measuring as high as 5.6 parts per billion. Though Las Vegas water quality is currently in compliance with federal regulations,the EPA, CDC, and American Academy of Pediatrics have all made clear that there is no such thing as a safe level of lead, and of course, federal regulations cannot take into account levels measured at an individual tap. Hydroviv Drinking Water filters are NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified to remove lead from drinking water.

PFAS in Las Vegas Drinking Water

Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a category of emerging contaminants commonly used in firefighting foam, Teflon, non-stick surfaces, stain-resistant surfaces, and food packaging. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has determined that PFAS exposure is associated with various adverse health effects, including an increased risk of cancer, lowered fertility rates, and developmental issues in infants and young children. 

Testing that was done by the Environmental Working Group detected PFAS in groundwater at military bases in and near Las Vegas, including Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, where groundwater on base had PFOA + PFOS levels as high as 47,400 parts per trillion (ppt), and Creech Air Force base in Clark County, NV, which had PFAS levels as high as 21,066 ppt. On April 10, 2024, the US EPA has announced drinking water standards to limit exposure to 6 types of PFAS chemicals, including 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS.  Not all water filters are designed to remove PFAS from tap water. If you'd like to find water filters that remove PFAS from tap water, check out this Duke/NC State PFAS study. Hydroviv filters are NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified for PFOA/PFOS removal.

Arsenic in Las Vegas Drinking Water

Arsenic is a hazardous heavy metal that can cause cancer and other health problems. Arsenic originates in source water naturally. In the Las Vegas Valley Water District,  varying amounts of arsenic were detected in the different distribution areas, ranging from 0.7 ppb to 4.0 ppb.  While Las Vegas’ Arsenic levels were not in violation of EPA water quality standards, consumers should know that the U.S. EPA's standard balances toxicity against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. We strongly suggest that tap water with levels higher than 1 part per billion be treated to remove arsenic, especially in homes with children.

 

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Las Vegas Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants (added to the water supply to protect consumers) react with naturally-occurring organic matter. EPA regulates two categories of DBPs: Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). The EPA has stated that DBPs have been associated with increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. Haloacetic Acid levels in Las Vegas water ranged between 35 - 45 parts per billion. Total Trihalomethane levels ranged between 68 to 82 parts per billion, which exceeds the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level of 80 parts per billion.

Uranium in Las Vegas Drinking Water

Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive substance normally found in rocks, soil, air and water. Uranium enters water by leaching from soil and rocks, or in releases from processing plants. Uranium has demonstrated toxic effects on human kidneys leading to their inflammation and changes in urine composition. Uranium can decay into other radioactive substances, such as radium, which can cause cancer with extensive exposure over a long period of time.  Uranium levels in Las Vegas water ranged from 2 to 4 parts per billion.  

High Chromium 6 Levels In Las Vegas Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA. Las Vegas tap water had Chromium 6 levels ranging from 54 parts per trillion to 850 parts per trillion.  California has determined that 20 parts per trillion is the contaminant level below which there is minimal health risk.  The Chromium 6 levels in the Las Vegas water system range from nearly 3 to over 40 times the level generally accepted as safe.  

How Can Hydroviv Help Me?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize water filters for each customer's water. The contaminants that we list above are what we consider to be major “points of emphasis” that we use to build water filters that are built specifically for Las Vegas' water, but all of our filters also include broad protection against a wide range of contaminants.

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

Hydroviv's drinking water filters carry NSF certifications to Standard 42 (aesthetic effects--Chlorine Removal) and Standard 53 (health effects--Lead, VOCs, and PFOA/PFOS removal), and are independently tested to remove hundreds of contaminants.

 

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Analies Dyjak, M.A.  |  Water Nerd

For Hydroviv’s assessment of Omaha, Nebraska drinking water, we collected water quality test data from the city’s Consumer Confidence Report and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We cross referenced Omaha's water quality data with toxicity studies in scientific and medical literature. The water filters that we sell at Hydroviv are optimized to filter out contaminants that are found in Omaha's drinking water.

Where Does Omaha Source Its Drinking Water? 

Omaha draws its tap and drinking water from the Missouri River, Platte River, and the Dakota Sandstone aquifer.

Lead in Omaha’s Drinking Water

Lead enters tap water through older lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing, soldered joints, and fixtures. Based on the 2017 water quality report, lead levels in Omaha ranged from 0.5 to 14.9 parts per billion. 10% of taps had levels over 6.4 parts per billion, which is barely in compliance with the loose EPA standard of 15 parts per billion. However, if you were to ask toxicologists, pediatricians, or the CDC they would all tell you that there is no safe minimum level of lead. Lead is a neurotoxin that can have serious developmental effects on children.

Arsenic in Omaha’s Drinking Water

Arsenic is a heavy metal that typically leaches into groundwater as surrounding bedrock naturally weathers overtime. According to the most recent data, Arsenic concentrations ranged from 1 to 3.93 parts per billion in Omaha drinking water. EPA set a Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 parts per billion for Arsenic, but several health and regulatory agencies believe this level should be reduced to 1 or even 0 parts per billion. Arsenic is a toxic substance that is linked to a long list of health problems in humans. For example, arsenic can cause a number of different cancers (e.g. skin, bladder, lung, liver, prostate), as well as create non-cancerous problems with cardiovascular (heart/blood vessels), pulmonary (lungs), immune, neurological (brain), and endocrine (e.g. diabetes) systems. Hydroviv recommends purchasing a filter that is optimized to remove Arsenic from your drinking water, especially if you’re serviced by a private well.

Disinfection By-Products in Omaha’s Drinking Water

When water treatment facilities sanitize the water with chemicals such as chlorine, different contaminants can be created. These types of contaminants are called Disinfectant by products or DBPs. They are split into two categories: Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Acids-5 (HAA5). Concentrations of TTHMs averaged 40.2 parts per billion but were detected as high as 66.5 parts per billion. HAA5 concentrations averaged 19.6 parts per billion but were detected as high as 37.6 parts per billion. For a bit of perspective, EPA set a Maximum Contamination Level of 80 parts per billion for TTHMs and 60 parts per billion for HAA5.

Chromium 6 In Omaha’s Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is an unregulated toxic metal that's associated with metal processing, tannery facilities, chromate production, stainless steel welding, and pigment production. Concentrations of Chromium 6 were found to be ranging from 130 parts per trillion to 1400 parts per trillion. These levels are nearly 70 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk. EPA has acknowledged that Chromium 6 is a known human carcinogen through inhalation, but is still determining its cancer potential through ingestion of drinking water. Lung, nasal and sinus cancers are associated with Chromium 6 exposure. Ingestion of extremely high doses of chromium 6 compounds can cause acute respiratory disease, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematological, hepatic, renal, and neurological distress which may result in death.

Synthetic Organic Contaminants in Omaha's Drinking Water

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was also detected in Omaha's drinking water. This chemical is known for its ability to make plastic flexible. A toxicology report has shown that this chemical is known to cause reproductive problems in young males, stomach pains, and is labeled as a probable carcinogen. EPA set a Maximum Contaminant Level of 6 parts per billion for this contaminant. The Omaha water quality problem report detected concentrations of these chemicals ranging from less than 2 parts per billion to 3.11 parts per billion.

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Analies Dyjak  |  Policy Nerd

For Hydroviv’s assessment of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s drinking water, we collected water quality test data from the city and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We cross referenced their water quality data with toxicity studies in scientific and medical literature. The water filters that we sell at Hydroviv are optimized to filter out contaminants that are found in Milwaukee’s drinking water.

Where Does Milwaukee Source Its Drinking Water?

Milwaukee sources its drinking water from Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan has had a long history of pollution, including a recent lawsuit involving Chromium 6 releases from an abutting steel facility.

Chromium 6 In Milwaukee’s Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a highly toxic metal that is currently unregulated by the EPA. In recent years, the city of Milwaukee's water has had a major problem with this dangerous contaminant. Chromium 6 pollution is associated with metal processing, tannery facilities, chromate production, stainless steel welding, and pigment production. This years water quality report for Milwaukee found levels of Chromium 6 as high as 0.25 parts per billion. These levels are 12.5 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk. EPA has acknowledged that Chromium 6 is a known human carcinogen through inhalation, but is still determining its cancer potential through ingestion of drinking water. Lung, nasal and sinus cancers are associated with Chromium 6 exposure. Ingestion of extremely high doses of chromium 6 compounds can cause acute respiratory disease, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematological, hepatic, renal, and neurological distress which may result in death.

Lead In Milwaukee's Drinking Water 

In recent years, the city of Milwaukee has also had a problem with lead in drinking water. Lead enters Milwaukee's tap water through old lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. 10% of sites that were tested for lead had concentrations over 7.2 parts per billion. The highest concentration detected in 2017 was 130 parts per billion, which is a whopping 8.6 times higher that the Federal Action Level of 15 parts per billion. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics all recognize that there is no safe level of lead for children. These health and regulatory organizations are trying to reduce the allowable limit, so a concentration of 130 parts per billion is of serious concern. Treated water leaving the plant may be in compliance with loose EPA standards, but could become contaminated once it enters older infrastructure. Houses built before 1986 were most likely built with lead plumbing and lead fixtures. Lead exposure can cause developmental issues, lowered IQ, and damages to the kidneys and brain.

Perfluorinated Compounds In Milwaukee's Drinking Water

This years water quality report for Milwaukee included test data from six Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs). Perfluorinated Compounds are associated with firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, Scotchguard and other solvents from manufacturing. The two PFCs that are the most well known and the most researched are Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which was detected at 2.1 parts per trillion and Perfluorooctane-sulfonic acid (PFOS) which was detected at 2 parts per trillion. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recently recommended setting a Minimum Risk Level of 20 parts per trillion for both of these substances. These data are preliminary and the effects to human health are still unknown. This category of chemicals are “emerging contaminants” which means they are thought to pose a potential threat to human health and the environment, but haven't yet been regulated. Perfluorinated Compounds contribute to environmental contamination largely due to the fact that they are highly resistant to degradation processes, and thus persist for many years in water, air and can enter the food chain via bioaccumulation in certain animal species.

Chloramine In Milwaukee’s Drinking Water

While most municipalities use chlorine as the primary drinking water disinfectant, Milwaukee’s drinking and tap water is disinfected with chloramine. Chloramine is primarily responsible for what many customers report as the “bad taste” or “pool smell” of tap water. Unlike chlorine, chloramine does not dissipate if a container of water is left in the refrigerator overnight. Most one-size-fits-all water filters use filtration media that doesn’t do a great job removing chloramine, but the filters that we design and build at Hydroviv for Milwaukee use a special filtration media that is purposefully designed to remove chloramine.

It’s important to note that only a handful of contaminants are required to be included in annual Consumer Confidence Reports, and that there are hundreds of potentially harmful unregulated contaminants that aren’t accounted for. If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for the city of Milwaukee’s tap water quality, feel free to visit www.hydroviv.com to talk to a Water Nerd on our live chat feature or send us an email at hello@hydroviv.com.

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