Testing for Unregulated Contaminants

Testing for Unregulated Contaminants
Posted on 12/09/2019

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA issues a new list of unregulated contaminants to public water systems serving populations of 10,000 people or more.  These public water systems are required to obtain water samples and submit lab results to their respective States and the EPA via certified laboratories. The EPA uses the UCMR process to acquire data on emerging contaminants that do not currently have an established health-based standard. 

The City of Fountain Water Department recently completed the first round of UCMR #4 sampling. The samples focused on Cyanotoxins, which are produced by bacteria most commonly found on lakes and reservoirs (observable as blue-green algae).  All samples obtained during the testing period resulted in non-detectable levels according to EPA established thresholds.  Additional sampling and testing for other currently unregulated contaminants listed in the UCMR #4 will continue through the year 2021. 

For more information regarding the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, visit www.epa.gov/dwucmr.