City of Ocala

Water sources for municipal supplies (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land surfaces or through underground layers, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and sometimes radioactive materials, while also potentially collecting substances from animal presence or human activities.

Potential contaminants in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria) from sewage facilities, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants (salts, metals) that may occur naturally or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial/domestic wastewater discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential usage
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile compounds from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive elements that occur naturally or result from oil/gas production and mining

To ensure tap water safety, the EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems. Similarly, FDA regulations set limits for bottled water, providing comparable public health protection. All water, including bottled varieties, can reasonably be expected to contain at least trace amounts of certain contaminants, though their presence doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health impacts, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Maximum Contaminant Levels are established with very conservative safety margins. To understand the context: a person would need to consume two liters of water daily for a lifetime at the MCL level to have a one-in-a-million chance of experiencing the described health effect.

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