WICHITA, Kansas The water coming out of your tap might meet legal standards, but that doesnt mean that its safe to drink at least according to the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy nonprofit.
EWG found that nearly all of the 870 water utilities in Kansas tested for at least one contaminate above what it considers safe, though most water utilities in the state meet federal standards, which are different than EWGs.
The nonprofits latest update to their tap water database comes from testing data submitted to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Generally, the number of contaminants that EWG considers safe is much lower than EPA standards. EWG bases its limits on independent scientific research and public health goals set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
EWG senior scientist Tasha Stoiber said more than half of the contaminants detected in U.S. tap water arent regulated by the federal government, things like PFAS (a so-called forever chemical that can accumulate in the body and lead to cancer) and cyanotoxins found in harmful algae blooms. Plus, she said, contaminants that are tracked havent been updated in 20 years.
The science that details health impacts of contaminants in drinking water has moved forward during the past two decades, but experts say the political environment has made it difficult to get some policies passed, especially at the EPA.
One contaminant after the other rises up, but it doesnt mean we have a strategic, proactive approach for dealing with it, according to Kristine Kirchoff, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Connecticut.
Each one has its own story
Generally speaking, most water utilities in the state of Kansas meet federal safety standards. Most of the worst offenders those with contaminant levels higher than the legal limits are smaller rural water providers.
Each one has its own story, each one has its own situation that we bring all those tools to bear to try to bring them back into compliance, said Tom Stiles, who is KDHEs director of the Bureau of Water.
KDHE is responsible for enforcing the federal Safe Water Drinking Act. Stiles said when the state discovers a higher-than-legal limit for a contaminant, it offers technical assistance, helps find a new place to put a water well and, when able, provides money to update infrastructure.
Safe water violators
In Kansas, 22 utilities have tested above the legal limit for total trihalomethanes cancer-causing contaminants that are a byproduct of the disinfection process. EWG noted that the small town of Elmdale near Cottonwood Falls, had the fifth-highest levels of the contaminant in the U.S.
Dealing with the issue is a balancing act: If the source water is of poor quality to begin with, more disinfectant is used in the water treatment process. The more disinfectant thats used, the more likely a utility is to exceed the legal and safe levels of trihalomethanes.
The best way, in an ideal world, to improve water quality would be to prevent contaminants from entering source water and needing treatment in the first place, Stoiber said.
