Problems We Found With Drinking Water in Kansas City

Kezia Snipe  |  Hydroviv Research Analyst
**Updated June 18, 2021 to include current data

Our Water Nerds have updated our report of Kansas City drinking water to include current data. Our Water Nerds analyze water quality test data from KC Water, 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, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we offer in Kansas City are optimized with this research data in mind.

Source Of Kansas City Drinking Water

Kansas City gets its drinking water from the Missouri River.

Lead In Kansas City Drinking Water

Lead enters Kansas City tap water through older lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures put in place by the municipality fail (like what recently happened in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into drinking water and can reach dangerous levels. Currently, 10% of samples analyzed for lead in KC's water are over 2.1 parts per billion. Though Kansas City's water quality is in compliance with federal regulations, EPA, CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics all acknowledge that there is no safe level of lead, and federal regulations do not take into account levels measured at an individual tap. Homes built before 1986 are particularly susceptible to high lead levels.

Extremely High Levels Of Chromium 6 In Kansas City Drinking Water

Chromium 6 (also known as hexavalent chromium) is a highly toxic metal and known human carcinogen, that is not regulated by the EPA. In recent years, the chormium 6 levels in Kansas City tap water averaged 2530 parts per trillion. For the sake of perspective, these levels are 125 times HIGHER than the concentration determined to have negligible impact on cancer risk. If you live in Kansas City, we highly recommend purchasing a filter that is rated to remove chromium 6, even if it's not one we sell.

Still Have Questions About Kansas City Drinking Water?

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 Kansas City, but all of our our filters provide broad protection against a wide range of contaminants (including lead).

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for Kansas City 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 also frequently post water-related news on Twitter or Facebook. We pride ourselves in being a reputable source of information on water quality, and your questions will be answered by scientists, not salespeople (we don't have any salespeople).

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