Water quality standards and water testing to protect your health

The State of Alaska and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit amounts of certain contaminates in drinking  water provided by public water systems in order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink.  Our state certified water treatment operators monitor for   contaminates in drinking water in accordance with federal and state drinking water regulations.  Drinking water quality tests are    performed by certified water treatment operators and by an independent ADEC-certified laboratory.

Sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells.  All   drinking water, including bottled water, may be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.  Water is a     universal solvent that naturally picks up material as it falls from the sky as rain or snow, and travels over or through the ground.     As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases   radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.  Contaminants  that may be present in source water include:

· Microbiological contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic    systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

· Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

· Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, storm water runoff, and       residential uses.

· Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

· Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining         activities.