Drinking water sources, whether from a watershed or aquifer recharge area, are subject to a variety of potential point and nonpoint sources of pollution from natural and human sources. Identifying potential pollutants provides local awareness and assists the community in developing risk reduction measures.
How do I find drinking water standards and health limits?
The Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services administers and enforces drinking water quality standards for public water systems in the state of Oregon. OHA focuses resources in the areas of highest public health benefit and promotes voluntary compliance with state and federal drinking water standards.
Standards and treatment techniques that protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water:
What are contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water sources?
The Safe Drinking Water Act currently regulates over 90 of the most commonly occurring pollutants in drinking water.
There are many pollutants not regulated in treated drinking water - including pharmaceuticals, personal care products and some pesticides used in Oregon. These "emerging contaminants" can be broadly defined as any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects. In some cases, release of emerging chemical or microbial contaminants to the environment has likely occurred for a long time, but may not have been recognized until new detection methods were developed. In other cases, synthesis of new chemicals or changes in use and disposal of existing chemicals can create new sources of emerging contaminants.
Through extensive sampling and analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey and others, we know that many pollutants found in Oregon streams cannot be fully removed through standard drinking water treatment technology commonly used by public water systems (Kolpin et al 2002; Blomquist/USGS 2001). This places even more emphasis in reducing or preventing pollutants in source waters.