We are aware of a recent report regarding Chromium and Chromium-6 in the nation's drinking water supply. Maple Shade is one of the systems cited in the report. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a response to this report:
"Ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans is a top priority for EPA. The agency has taken many actions to improve information on chromium and its potential health risks in drinking water. EPA and states are responsible for ensuring that public water systems are in compliance with the current standard for total chromium. The agency has also collected nationally representative data on the occurrence of both total chromium and hexavalent chromium through the third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3). EPA is actively working on the development of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of hexavalent chromium, which will include a comprehensive evaluation of potential health effects associated with hexavalent chromium, and EPA expects that the draft IRIS assessment will be released for public comment in 2017.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, before EPA can decide whether to regulate a contaminant, it must meet three criteria:
The contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health of persons;
is known to occur or there is a substantial likelihood that the contaminant will occur in public water systems with a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and
in the sole judgment of the EPA Administrator, the regulation of the contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reductions for persons served by public water systems.
EPA has a drinking water standard of 0.1 milligrams per liter (mg/l) or 100 parts per billion (ppb) for total chromium. This includes all forms of chromium, including hexavalent chromium. Only one of the almost 5,000 public water systems that monitored total chromium under the UCMR3 reported results that exceeded EPA's standard. The State of California has promulgated an enforceable maximum contaminant level of 0.01 mg/l or 10 ppb for hexavalent chromium. While this standard only applies to water systems in California, less than 2 percent of the UCMR3 systems nationally reported hexavalent chromium at levels exceeding this standard."
Amount Detected for Maple Shade from 2015
Chromium-6 – 0.76 ppb
Chromium – 1.21 ppb
*These results can be found in the 2015 Annual Water Quality Report.
The EPA’s limit for this Unregulated Contaminant is 100 ppb. Our water tests well below the maximum limit and is in fact lower than the California limit of 10 ppb. However, we do understand the concern and as more testing and information is gathered, we will continue to keep the public informed and maintain levels below the acceptable standard for safe drinking water.