City of Colonial Heights

Why might contaminants appear in my tap water? All municipal water, including bottled varieties, typically contains at least trace amounts of various contaminants. Their presence doesn't automatically indicate a health risk. For more detailed information about contaminants and potential health impacts, contact the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Water sources include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water flows across land surfaces or through soil layers, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, while also potentially collecting substances from animal activity or human practices.

Common contaminant categories include:

• Microbial contaminants like viruses and bacteria from sewage facilities, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants including salts and metals occurring naturally or resulting from urban runoff, wastewater discharge, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential use
• Organic chemical contaminants, both synthetic and volatile organics, from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, stormwater runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants occurring naturally or resulting from energy production and mining activities

EPA regulations limit contaminant levels in public water systems to ensure safety, while FDA establishes similar protections for bottled water. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are set very stringently, typically assuming a 70-year exposure period with daily consumption of 2 liters, with risk factors ranging from one-in-ten-thousand to one-in-a-million depending on the contaminant.

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