The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published a summary of public information about water quality in Utah. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles. The EWG compiles research and lobbies for policy change concerning health and environmental issues.
The data in their report was gathered via publicly available information from the associated local, state, and federal agencies. I’ve never seen such a clear and comprehensive collection of the data presented anywhere else, and I’m really pleased that the EWG has taken the initiative to compile this for all to read.
While Utah’s water generally meets the minimum standards, it is interesting to notice the large number of violations, failures to test and failures to report, which are concerning.
The report can be accessed here, and I’ve pasted the contents below for your reading convenience:
Utah
434 systems serving 3,802,780 people
This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in Utah, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. It is part of EWG’s national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.
The state water agency did not respond to requests for water quality tests conducted after 2006. Results from earlier data requests are shown below
|
Chemicals
|
Water Utilities
|
Population Served
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Detected Chemicals |
50
|
434
|
3,731,947
|
| Exceed health guidelines* |
33
|
356
|
3,696,280
|
| Exceed Legal Limits* |
15
|
60
|
702,035
|
| Unregulated chemicals detected |
3
|
3
|
8,129
|
| * Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance. | |||
33 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits
Contaminants detected in Utah drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities
| Contaminant |
Population
|
Number of Systems
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Any Level | Above Health Limits | At Any Level | Above Health Limits | |
| Bromodichloromethane | 3,374,004 | 3,374,004 | 180 | 180 |
| Total haloacetic acids (HAAs) | 3,373,447 | 3,309,597 | 164 | 159 |
| Dibromochloromethane | 3,308,504 | 3,306,454 | 175 | 174 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 3,495,143 | 2,999,417 | 220 | 112 |
| Chloroform | 3,370,794 | 2,936,531 | 172 | 79 |
| Dichloroacetic acid | 2,789,306 | 2,789,306 | 118 | 118 |
| Arsenic (total) | 2,379,492 | 2,379,492 | 220 | 220 |
| Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium) | 2,242,727 | 2,242,727 | 201 | 201 |
| Bromoform | 1,392,064 | 1,392,064 | 104 | 104 |
| Thallium (total) | 1,081,623 | 1,081,623 | 29 | 29 |
Water Utilities in Utah Reporting Chemicals Exceeding Health Guidelines
Water utilities in Utah reporting chemicals exceeding health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities, include:
| System |
Population
|
Chemicals tested
|
Chemicals found
|
Chemicals exceeding
health guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. George City | 70,000 | 121 | 21 | 12 |
| Park City | 7,500 | 114 | 22 | 12 |
| Sandy City Water System | 99,750 | 112 | 21 | 12 |
| Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District | 82,500 | 127 | 26 | 12 |
| Hill Air Force Base | 21,000 | 88 | 17 | 12 |
| Taylorsville-Bennion Wid | 67,000 | 117 | 21 | 11 |
| Kearns Improvement District | 46,000 | 111 | 17 | 11 |
| Draper Irrigation Company | 28,000 | 113 | 18 | 11 |
| Weber Basin Water Conservancy District | 298,000 | 113 | 21 | 10 |
| Rockville Pipeline Co | 195 | 117 | 19 | 10 |
| Mountain Regional Water Ssd | 6,400 | 119 | 22 | 10 |
| Herriman City | 17,000 | 113 | 18 | 10 |
| Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities | 312,000 | 113 | 22 | 10 |
| Riverton City Water System | 30,000 | 117 | 18 | 10 |
| Granger-Hunter Impr Distr | 106,000 | 110 | 17 | 10 |
| Green River | 973 | 113 | 17 | 10 |
| North Salt Lake | 6,474 | 118 | 20 | 10 |
| Farmington City | 12,800 | 112 | 17 | 10 |
| Centerville City | 16,000 | 118 | 21 | 10 |
| Angell Springs Ssd | 210 | 59 | 15 | 9 |
Sources of Utah Drinking Water Contaminants
The contaminants identified in Utah drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.
Testing Summary for Utah
The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.
| Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in Utah | 132 | |
| Contaminants tested due to federal law: | 86 | |
| Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: | 46 | |
Violation Summary for Utah
Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in Utah since 2004
| Violation Type | Number of Violations |
|---|---|
| Failure to monitor regularly | 3,644 |
| Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) | 223 |
| Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) | 220 |
| Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule | 139 |
| Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) | 118 |
| Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling | 107 |
| Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) | 62 |
| Failure to notify public of violation | 20 |
| Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) | 14 |
| Public Notification Violation for National Primary Drinking Water Regulations | 9 |
| Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) | 9 |
| Treatment Technique Precursor Removal | 5 |
| Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper | 3 |
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