Water Quality Reports

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

Our Water Nerds have updated our assessment of St. Louis drinking water to include the most recent available data. To do this, our team looked at water quality test data from the City of St. Louis Water Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. Our Water Nerds then cross-reference these data with toxicity studies in scientific and medical literature, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we sell in St. Louis are optimized with these water problems in mind.

Mississippi River: Source Of St. Louis Tap Water

St. Louis tap water is surface water-sourced. The Howard Bend water treatment facility draws water from the Mississippi River, and the Chain of Rocks treatment plant draws primarily from the Missouri River, though its location south of the confluence of Missouri and Mississippi Rivers means it sources Mississippi River water as well.

Alarming Levels Of Chromium 6 In St. Louis Tap Water

Chromium 6 is a highly toxic metal that, despite its toxicity, is not currently regulated by the EPA. St. Louis tap water has recently averaged a startling 1600 parts per trillion for chromium 6. To better understand why this should be of concern to St. Louis residents, these levels are 63 times higher than the concentration determined to have a negligible impact on cancer risk. Because chromium 6 comes from the water supply (not the pipes), we HIGHLY recommend that all St. Louis residents take steps to filter chromium 6 from their water. Boiling or freezing water does not remove chromium 6.

Lead In St. Louis Tap Water

Lead enters into tap water through aged lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail (as recently happened in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into the drinking water, and can reach toxic levels. Recent analysis for lead in St. Louis found the 90th percentile of sampled concentrations at 1.03 parts per billion. While the city is in compliance with federal regulations, EPA, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics, all acknowledge that there is no safe level of lead for children. In addition to this, federal regulations also cannot take into account levels measured at an individual tap. We encourage St. Louis residents that live in older homes to get their water tested by an accredited laboratory. This article gives homeowners guidance on how to test for lead in the home.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In St. Louis Tap Water

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are a type of emerging contaminants that occur when chlorine-based disinfectants, added to the water supply, react with naturally-occurring organic matter found in the water. While these chemicals are not well-regulated, the EPA has stated that they have been linked to increased risks of bladder cancer, and kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems. St. Louis tap water has recently had moderately high levels of the two regulated classes of DBPs (total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids 5). 

Chloramine Is Used In St. Louis Tap Water Instead of Chlorine

While most cities use chlorine as their primary disinfectant, St. Louis water is disinfected with chloramine (a product of chlorine and ammonia). Chloramine is primarily responsible for what customers often report as the “bad taste”of tap water, and unfortunately does not dissipate if a container of water is left in the fridge overnight. Most one-size-fits-all water filters use filtration media that doesn’t adequately remove chloramine, but the water filters that Hydroviv builds for St. Louis use special filtration media that are purpose-built to remove chloramine as well.

Still Have Questions About St. Louis 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 design and build the best water filter for St. Louis tap water, but all of our water filters provide broad protection against other contaminants commonly found in drinking water (e.g. VOCs, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, solvents, pesticides, mercury).

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Eric Roy, Ph.D.  |  Scientific Founder 
Updated June 25, 2021 to include current data

We've updated our report of Bethesda drinking water to include the most current data. We use data from the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission - the city’s water provider, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we have collected and analyzed. We cross reference these data with toxicity studies in the scientific and medical literature, and look at upcoming regulatory changes. The custom water filters that we sell in Bethesda are optimized with these issues considered to be "points of emphasis."

Source Of Bethesda Drinking Water

Bethesda tap water is pulled directly from the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers. When the Maryland Department of the Environment did a Source Water Assessments for the Potomac River in 2002 and 2004, they determined that the most likely sources of contaminants in the Potomac watershed include runoff from urban and agricultural land uses, and potential spills from highways and petroleum pipelines. The following problems could also extend to Bethesda's neighboring communities of Rockville, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Garrett Park, and Silver Spring.

Chromium 6 In Bethesda Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a toxic heavy metal that was brought into the public eye for the first time by the Erin Brockovich movie. Unfortunately, despite a few public events, it remains unregulated by the EPA on its own. Both the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers are susceptible to contamination from industry associated with chromium 6. While there's no federal standard for chromium 6 in drinking water, but the State of California has determined at levels about 20 parts per trillion may cause a negligible impact on cancer risk.

Synthetic Organic Pollutants Detected In Bethesda's Drinking Water

The State of Maryland assessed the Potomac River Watershed a little over a decade ago, and found to identify potential sources of contamination. WSSC detected dalapon (an herbicide), Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (a plasticzer, endocrine disruptor), testosterone (pharmaceutical horomonel), and 1,4 dioxane (an industrial chemical) in finished water that came from the Potomac supply.

Lead In Bethesda Drinking Water

Unlike chromium 6 and synthetic organic pollutants, which come from source water contamination, lead is introduced into tap water when water comes into contact with older lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures fail, such as the country witnessed most recently in Flint (but also happened in Washington, DC in the early 2000's), lead leaches into the drinking water and reaches toxic levels. Recent sampling for lead in Bethesda found that the 90th percentile concentration for lead was roughly 1 parts per billion. While these concentrations do not trigger a violation of EPA's Lead and Copper Rule, the EPA, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics all acknowledge that here is no safe level of lead for children.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Bethesda Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic matter. These chemicals are not well regulated by EPA, although they have been associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems, and the EPA acknowledges this. The levels of disinfection byproducts in Bethesda drinking water are near (and sometimes over the upper threshold) of allowable limits.

Still Have Questions About Bethesda'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 Bethesda 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 Bethesda 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.

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Kezia Snipe  |  Research Analyst  

Updated June 25, 2021 to include updated data

For Hydroviv’s assessment of Fort Worth's drinking water, we aggregated water quality test data from City of Fort Worth Water Department, the city’s water provider and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. We cross reference these data with toxicity studies in the scientific and medical literature, and delve into upcoming regulatory changes. The water filters that we offer our users in Forth Worth are optimized with these figures in mind.

Source Of Fort Worth Drinking Water

Fort Worth uses surface water from Lake Worth, Eagle Mountain Lake, Lake Bridgeport, Richland Chambers Reservoir, Cedar Creek Lake, Lake Benbrook and the Clear Fork Trinity River. Fort Worth owns Lake Worth.

Arsenic In Fort Worth Drinking Water

Arsenic is a toxic metal that is known to cause cancer and other health issues. Unlike lead, which leaches into water from plumbing, arsenic comes from the source water itself. Fort Worth's water quality is in compliance with the EPA’s loose water quality standards but it is very important to point out that EPA’s standard balances the toxicity against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water at the municipal level. The most recent Fort Worth water quality report reported an arsenic concentration up to 1.5 parts per billion for the city. Hydroviv recommends that anyone with more than 1 part per billion take steps to remove arsenic from their water, especially if children are in the home. 

Lead In Fort Worth 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 recently happened in Flint, Michigan), lead leaches into the drinking water, and can reach dangerous levels. Currently, 10% of Ft. Worth water samples analyzed for lead revealed concentrations of 7.7 parts per billion. Though Fort Worth's water quality is in compliance with federal regulations, EPA and CDC both acknowledge that there is no safe level of lead, and federal regulations do not take into account levels measured at an individual tap.

Chromium 6 In Fort Worth Drinking Water

Chromium 6 (also known as hexavalent chromium) is a highly toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA. In recent years, Fort Worth’s drinking water has averaged 54 parts per trillion for Chromium 6. For a bit of perspective, these levels are 2.7 times higher than the concentration determined to have negligible impact on cancer risk. 

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Fort Worth Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic matter. Although these chemicals are not currently regulated very well, the EPA website discusses the association between high levels of disinfection byproducts and an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems.

Chloramine Used To Disinfect Fort Worth Drinking Water

While most cities use chlorine as the primary disinfectant, Ft. Worth's water is disinfected with chloramine (produced by mixing chlorine and ammonia). Chloramine is primarily responsible for what many customers report as the “bad taste” of tap water, and unlike chlorine 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 Fort Worth uses special filtration media that is purposefully designed to remove chloramine as well.

Still Have Questions About Fort Worth Tap 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 Fort Worth, but our filters provide broad protection against a wide range of contaminants.

If you’re interested in learning more about water filters that have been optimized for Fort Worth 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 Fort Worth Water Quality Article On Social Media With Anyone You Think Would Benefit From The Information!

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