Water Quality InformationWritten By Actual Experts

Analies Dyjak, M.A.  |  Policy Nerd
Updated August 2, 2019 to include current data

For Hydroviv’s assessment of Portland, Oregon drinking water quality, our Water Nerds collected test data from the Portland Water Bureau, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other available data. We cross referenced these 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 Portland’s drinking water.

Where Does Portland, Oregon Source Its Drinking Water?

Portland sources its drinking water from the Bull Run River which is located in Mt. Hood National Forest. Portland also draws drinking water from the Columbia South Shore Well Field, which is made up of 26 groundwater wells. The wells draw water from three different aquifers located on the perimeter of the Columbia River.

Lead In Portland’s Drinking Water

Lead contamination is by far of biggest concern in Portland, Oregon drinking water. Not only are the city wide lead levels among the highest in the country, lead contamination has been getting worse in recent years. According to the most recent data, the 90th percentile for lead in Portland drinking water is 11.9 parts per billion. This is just under the outdated Federal Action Level of 15 parts per billion. In recent years, the 90th percentile in Portland has exceeded the Federal Action Level. Additionally, to put things in perspective, EPA, CDC, and American Academy of Pediatrics all recognize that there is no safe level of lead for children.

The goal of annual Consumer Confidence Reports is to be as transparent as possible so that residents can be informed about problems with their drinking water. Unfortunately, Portland’s report was written in a way that leaves consumers confused when it comes to lead. When reading through the report, lead levels for the treated source water are displayed prominently. Of course, these lead levels are very low, because lead contaminates water as it flows through lead containing pipes found in the distribution system and the home’s plumbing. The relevant data for samples collected at the tap are buried in a small table on the next to last page, separate from the other contaminants.

Disinfection Byproducts In Portland’s Drinking Water

Portland’s municipal water also had high concentrations of Disinfection Byproducts or DBPs. Concentrations were detected as high as 44.5 parts per billion, and averaged 37.7 parts per billion for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Haloacetic Acids-5 (HAA5) concentrations were as high as 51.2 parts per billion and averaged 37.7 parts per billion. For a bit of perspective, EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level for TTHMs is 80 parts per billion and 60 parts per billion for HAA5. While Portland's water quality chemical concentrations are technically in compliance, these levels are definitely high. Disinfection Byproducts are a category of emerging contaminants which means they have been detected in drinking water but the risk to human health is unknown. DBPs are formed when chlorine-based disinfectants are routinely added to the water supply to kill bacteria. EPA has stated that they have been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. Some disinfection byproducts have almost no toxicity, but others have been associated with cancer, reproductive problems, and developmental issues in laboratory animals. 

Chloramine In Portland’s Drinking Water

While most municipalities use chlorine as the primary drinking water disinfectant, Portland’s drinking 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 Portland's water problems 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 Portland’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.

Other Articles We Think You Might Enjoy:
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*Updated May 19, 2020 to include current data*

Analies Dyjak  |  Policy Nerd

For Hydroviv’s assessment of Providence, Rhode Island’s drinking water, we collected water quality test data from Providence Water and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We cross referenced the city’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 Providence drinking water.

Lead In Providence’s Drinking Water

Providence, Rhode Island has been in exceedance of the federal lead Action Level since 2005. The water quality report released in 2020 found that lead levels in Providence are currently 18 parts per billion, and 38/295 samples tested exceeded the EPA Action level of 15 ppb.  Lead enters tap water through old lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control, and American Academy of Pediatrics all recognize that there is no safe level of lead for children. The data provided by the city may not be representative of the actual scope of the lead problem in Providence, RI because only 295 homes were tested for lead. Hydroviv strongly encourages Providence residents to take advantage of the city’s free lead testing program. Under this program, residents can pick up a free kit to test for lead in their drinking water at the Providence Water customer service location. For more information call 401-521-6303.

Year	90th Percentile Lead 2nd Period (parts per billion/ppb)	EPA Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (parts per billion/ppb)
2006	23 ppb	0 ppb
2007	21 ppb	0 ppb
2008	21 ppb	0 ppb
2009	30 ppb	0 ppb
2010	20 ppb	0 ppb
2011	21 ppb	0 ppb
2012	25 ppb	0 ppb
2013	30 ppb	0 ppb
2014	16 ppb	0 ppb
2015	15 ppb	0 ppb
2016	16 ppb	0 ppb
2017	17 ppb	0 ppb
2018	22 ppb	0 ppb
2019	16 ppb	0 ppb

Disinfection Byproducts In Providence's Water

Providence Water also has elevated levels of Disinfection Byproducts or DBPs. EPA regulates two categories of DBPs: Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Acids-5 (HAA5). The average concentration of TTHMs was 71.8 parts per billion which is just under EPA's standard of 80 parts per billion for drinking water. DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants which means they have been detected in drinking water but the risk to human health is unknown. DBPs are formed when when chlorine based disinfectants are routinely added to the water supply to kill bacteria. Regulatory agencies have very little knowledge about the adverse health effects of DBPs and their toxicity. EPA has stated that they have been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. Some disinfection byproducts have almost no toxicity, but others have been associated with cancer, reproductive problems, and developmental issues in laboratory animals. 200 million people in the United States use chlorinated tap water as their primary drinking source, so we take understanding their full health effects very seriously, even if federal agencies fail to regulate all categories.

Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) In Providence Drinking Water

PFAS are a category of emerging contaminants that have been detected in a growing number of water supplies across the United States. PFAS have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, an increased risk of miscarriages, and other adverse health effects. PFAS have been detected in water supplies throughout the state of Rhode Island. Because they are not regulated, cities like Providence are not required to test, monitor, or remove them from drinking water.Not all water filters are able to remove PFAS from tap water.

Where Does Providence Source Its Drinking Water?

Providence sources its drinking water from the Scituate Reservoir, which is located 15 miles east of the city. The Scituate Reservoir has tributaries that flow in and out of several other reservoirs including the Regulating, Barden, Ponaganset, Westconnaug, and Moswansicut reservoirs. The Providence Water system has approximately 1,040 miles of transmission and distribution mains.

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 Providence’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.

Other Articles We Think You Might Enjoy:
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Disinfection Byproducts: What You Need To Know
Chloramine In Drinking Water

Eric Roy, Ph.D.  |  Scientific Founder 

Today the City of Corpus Christi, TX alerted residents not to drink or bathe using tap water because a "backflow incident" had potentially contaminated the city's drinking water with Indulin AA-86, an emulsifier commonly used in the asphalt industry. As a result, we are getting a lot of questions about back-flow and Indulin AA-86 contamination from people in Corpus Christi, as well as the rest of the US.

What Is Backflow?

Backflow is a pretty simple concept. It simply means that the liquid in a plumbing line went in the opposite direction that it supposed to. In a residential setting, this happens if the pressure within the residential plumbing goes higher than the city's water pressure. This can happen if a water pump malfunctions, or if the city's water pressure unexpectedly drops (for example when a water main breaks). In an industrial setting, this typically happens as a result of operator error or when backflow devices are not installed properly.

When Is Backflow A Problem For Drinking Water?

Backflow becomes a problem when pipes used to transport drinkable water are connected to pipes that are carrying a solid, liquid, or gas that is not drinkable (also called a "cross-connection"). When backflow occurs, the non-drinkable substance flows into backwards into the potable water pipe, where it mixes with and contaminates the drinking water.

Difference between normal flow and backflow over a cross connection

What Is Indulin AA-86?

Indulin AA-86 is a trade name for an emulsifier commonly used in the asphalt industry. Because Indulin AA-86 is proprietary, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is not required to disclose the chemical composition, so we can only look at clues. The MSDS does categorize the formulation as having fatty amine derivatives, and another MSDS for Indulin AA-86 discloses that several state regulatory agencies (including California Prop. 65) list ethyl acrylate as an ingredient. From this information, and other parts of the MSDS, we can assume that the substance as a whole is relatively insoluble in water, but because the specific formulation is disclosed, we do not know how soluble (if at all) the different components of Indulin AA-86 are.

How Did Indulin AA-86 Contamination Get Into Corpus Christi's Water?

At the time that this article was published, the details are pretty scarce. Corpus Christi estimates that between 3 and 24 gallons of Indulin AA-86 were flowed into the drinking water system, and that's about it. We'll keep you posted as more is learned.

***Update On 12/16: The disclosure that hydrochloric acid was backflowed gives us a huge clue into what happened. The presence of hydrochloric acid strongly suggests that already mixed emulsion solution, not the pure Indulin AA-86 chemical was backflowed. Indulin AA-86 is prepared in a 0.3% solution to form an emulsion. Therefore, for 24 gallons of Indulin AA-86 would be diluted with water into to 8,000 gallons, a volume that is a standard storage/mixing tank size in the industry. If I had to speculate, someone backflowed a full 8,000 gallon tank of prepared emulsion into the freshwater line that is used to fill the tank.

If this is what happened, it's a bad thing, because prepared emulsion will more readily mix with drinking water than the relatively insoluble Indulin AA-86 pure product.

What Now For Corpus Christi Residents?

As of the time of the publication, Corpus Christi is urging residents to drink, cook, and bathe with bottled water, while they learn more about the extent that the water supply has been contaminated.

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Analies Dyjak  |  Hydroviv Policy Analyst

While there’s a lot of debate on what should and shouldn’t be regulated in terms of chemical discharge by companies, we thought that it would be interesting to show how regulations are used in the real-world.  In this article, we talk about the permits that allow entities to discharge chemicals into sewers and waterways.

What Is An NPDES Permit?

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Permits disclose which chemicals companies are allowed to discharge into waterways, and at what concentrations. The overall goal of a NPDES permit is to provide transparency between the polluter, the federal government and the public.

Who Needs To Get An NPDES Permit?

Any company, organization of private entity that has plans to discharge pollution from a point source into a United States waterway.

How Are NPDES Permits Granted & Distributed?

Technology-based and water quality based limitations are two criteria that are considered when issuing a permit. Technology-based limitations take into consideration the technology and economic ability of the polluters to control the discharge of pollutants from their facilities. Water quality-based limitations are meant to protect the body of water that the effluent is being discharged into.
Once a permitting authority or company completes a Notice of Intent (NOI) for a NPDES permit, it becomes available to the public via the Federal Register. Often local newspapers will publish a notice of the application and provide information regarding public comments.

Where Can I Find an Existing NPDES Permit?

Existing NPDES permits can be found in the General Permit Web Inventory section of the EPA’s website. Required information to search for a NPDES permit includes either the name of a state, permit number, or permitting authority.

What Should A NPDES Permit Include?

• Information on each known contaminant must be included in a NPDES permit, whether it is regulated by the EPA or not.

• Clear, concise, and consistent units. When a regulatory agency signs off on a NPDES permit without units, they’re essentially allowing a company to discharge a contaminant at any concentration.

• Pertinent information that might affect concentration levels.

• For example seasonal variance or increased turbidity.

• A NPDES permit should also have information on monitoring such as location and frequency of sampling.

Why You Should Care About NPDES Permitting

Public participation has the ability to prolong the issuing process and can cause a company to alter their plans for dealing with chemical discharge. If you have questions regarding a NPDES permit in your area, don’t hesitate to address your concerns during the required public comment period. Be vigilant in assessing every component of the water discharge permit!

Want To Learn More About NPDES Permits And Water Policy?

Feel free to reach out to our Water Nerds through live chat or email (hello@hydroviv.com).  We're happy to help you out!

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Eric Roy, Ph.D.  |  Scientific Founder

With water quality in the national spotlight, we get a lot of questions about water quality in major US cities. When Hydroviv optimizes a filter for a city's water, we look at a number of factors. This Chicago drinking water quality report gives a quick look at some of the things that went into our assessment, as well as some advice for people who choose not to use a filter in their home. **** We updated this article in March 2017 to add some information about chromium 6***

Chicago’s Water Source: Lake Michigan

Chicago draws its drinking water from Lake Michigan, a body of water that has been historically plagued with problems caused by industrial polluters. According to the most recent available Source Water Assessment prepared by the Illinois EPA, all 63 miles of shoreline were flagged as “Threatened”, because phenols (associated with industrial wastes from coal distillation and chemical manufacturing) were present at concentrations in excess of the allowable limit. Furthermore, a 2016 report prepared by the Illinois EPA categorizes 10 beach segments and several rivers that flow into Lake Michigan as “impaired” (according to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act), due to high concentrations of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, herbicides, and other industrial chemicals like chromium 6. In addition to direct human inputs that impact water quality of Lake Michigan, biomass decomposition in the sediments often generates chemicals that make the water taste and smell bad.

How High Are Chromium 6 Levels In Chicago?

Between 2013-2015, Chicago reported that chromium 6 concentrations were, on average, 190 parts per trillion. Although chromium 6 is not regulated by EPA, the levels reported in Chicago's tap water are roughly 20 times higher than what is considered to be negligible risk.

Does Chicago’s Aging Infrastructure Contaminate Tap Water With Lead?

As most people are now aware, lead can accumulate in tap water that flows through lead-containing pipes, soldered joints, and plumbing fixtures. In Chicago, about 80% of water service lines city-wide are made of lead, so a large portion of the population should consider taking steps to ensure their family's safety.

Several investigative reports by large media outlets have been highly critical of Chicago’s lead testing program. The Chicago Tribune reported that many of the sites selected for lead testing were strategically selected because they are in areas with low risk for lead contamination, often at the homes of current and former water department. The City argued that recruiting water department employees to collect samples would would ensure that samples were properly collected. However, in a different story, published by The Guardian, Chicago city employees were criticized for using sampling “cheats” that make lead concentration seem lower than they really are.

In Chicago, only about 50 samples every 3 years are collected from homes and tested for lead citywide (most recently in 2015). In the 2015 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) published by the city, 3 out of 50 sampling sites had lead levels that were over the 15 part per billion (ppb) EPA Action Level, and 10 percent of samples had lead concentrations over 9 ppb. While these data indicate that the city as a whole is in compliance with federal regulations, the EPA, CDC, and World Health Organization all agree that there is no such thing as a safe amount of lead exposure for children, so households with children should either get their water tested, or take steps to prevent exposure.

How Chicago Residents Can Minimize Chromium 6 & Lead Exposure 

Chromium 6

Unlike lead, which comes from lead-containing pipes, solder, valves, and fixtures, chromium 6 contamination comes from the water source itself. Therefore the only way to remove it from water is by using a high quality filter.  We are partial to the technology that we use in our system, but reverse osmosis will also work.

Lead

The City of Chicago officially recommends that residents take measures to reduce their exposure to lead in water used for drinking, cooking, and preparing infant formula:

• Allow water to run for at least 5 minutes before using it for drinking or cooking
• Only operate the faucet at moderate flow when collecting water for drinking, cooking, and preparing infant formula. This practice reduces the likelihood that lead-containing particles are swept into the water as it flows through the pipes.
• Never use water from the hot water tap for drinking, cooking or preparing infant formula
• Regularly remove and clean out their faucet aerator, because lead-containing particles can become trapped in the mesh and leach lead into the water as it flow through.

Hydroviv advises Chicago residents who choose not to filter their water for lead to take advantage of the city-sponsored lead testing program, where people can request a free test kit by calling 311.

As always, we encourage everyone to take advantage of Hydroviv's "Help No Matter What" technical support policy, where we answer questions related to Chicago's water pollution, drinking water, and water filtration, even if you have no desire to purchase our products. Drop us a line at support@hydroviv.com

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