What's in your water?
Learn more about the quality of the water in your area. Click the icons on the map to find out.
Serving New Hampshire, Maine & Massachusetts!
Arsenic
Radon
Bacteria
Lead
How much of these toxic substances are in your water?
Arsenic in
New England
Throughout New England, many municipalities and individuals rely on groundwater for drinking. Most of this groundwater contains arsenic concentrations less than the federal limit of 10 ppb, however, in some areas up to 30% of wells contain >10 ppb arsenic. These areas are primarily defined by the source of the groundwater which originates in particular geological formations (metasedimentary bedrock, which is sediment moderately metamorphosed by heat and pressure).
Locations of wells and concentrations of arsenic in water from bedrock aquifer wells in New England. The concentration data are shown with circles sized by concentration ranges. Number of samples = 2470.
Ayotte, J. D., D. L. Montgomery, et al. (2003). “Arsenic in Groundwater in Eastern New England: Occurence, Controls, and Human Health Implications.” Environmental Science & Technology 37(10): 2075-2083. (used with permission from the American Chemical Society)
Truth About Our Water
The truth? Most tap and well water in the United States is not safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution.
A recent national report revealed 45% of assessed stream miles, 47% lake acres, and 32% of bays square miles in the United States were classified as polluted waters. And we’re now at the point where all of our drinking water sources—municipal water, wells, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers—contain some level of contamination from naturally-occurring minerals or man-made chemicals and by-products.
Although tap water is treated to reduce pollution, some contaminants may still remain, such as heavy metals, chemicals, microbes, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and pharmaceutical drugs.
Ground and well water sources can also become contaminated due to industrial dumping, hydraulic fracking, and agricultural byproducts.
While not all contaminants are found at harmful levels, low-level exposure over time can cause liver damage, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Even the chemicals commonly used to treat municipal water, such as Chlorine and Fluoride, are toxic and known to have adverse effects on the body.
Everyone who uses tap or well water will be exposed to some level of these contaminants every day.
What About City Water?
Most city water systems need replacing from damage and wear and tear over the years, but local and state governments don’t always have the financial resources to fix them.
And although we don’t often think about it, contamination to municipal water can occur at almost any point during the flow from its source to your faucet. Lead could leach from corroded pipe solder, bacteria could enter the system from breaks in the water main, and gardening chemicals could back-siphon from a careless neighbor. Issues such as these and more expose us to serious health risks.
Not only that, but the EPA has limited standards for drinking water. An investigation by the Associated Press revealed pharmaceuticals were found in the drinking water supplies of 41 million Americans, including antibiotics, mood stabilizers and hormones.
Although the EPA treats water with Chlorine to kill some bacteria, it doesn’t effectively remove these other contaminants. Even worse, Chlorine is the #1 cause for intestinal cancer.
The quality of tap water in the US will most likely continue to decline in the coming years. The best way to protect you and your family from the increasingly wide range of contaminants found in today’s tap water is by installing a filter such as a reverse osmosis drinking water system.
