Cleveland Water Quality Analysis
- 01 | Who Regulates Cleveland’s Drinking Water?
- 02 | Where Does Cleveland Get Its Water?
- 03 | Challenges Facing Lake Erie
- 04 | Cleveland’s Annual Water Quality Report
- 05 | Environmental Working Group Water Quality Report
- 06 | Contaminants Threatening Cleveland Water Quality
- 07 | Treating Cleveland Drinking Water
- 08 | Testing and Monitoring Cleveland Water Quality
- 09 | Should Cleveland Residents Use In-home Water Filters?
Care for a glass of green water?
Let's face it, Cleveland’s algae-infested source water looks gross.
That’s how it starts, but how does it end?
Is Cleveland’s drinking water safe and clean by the time it reaches your tap?
Keep reading to get the 411 on Cleveland water quality, including how to keep your family safe.
The Cleveland Water Department treats and delivers up to 300 million gallons of water to 1.45 million people every day.
It’s their job to provide clean drinking water that meets all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations.
The EPA sets maximum contaminant limits for over 100 different substances in water across the country.
Cleveland gets its water from Lake Erie – the smallest of the five Great Lakes.
About 80% of Lake Erie’s water inflow flows in through the Detroit River.
The rest comes from nearby rivers and streams or falls directly into the lake as snow and rainfall.
As water travels from the northern lakes and makes its way through the Detroit River, it has plenty of opportunity to pick up contaminants.
Farming activities in Lake Erie’s 30,149 square miles of watershed have a big impact on Cleveland’s water quality.
And as you’re about to find out in the next section, it’s had some pretty devastating effects…
Lake Erie’s pollution is legendary.
In fact, it was so bad in the 1950s and ‘60s that it helped spark the modern environmental movement.
Back then, lots of industrial and agricultural pollution started pouring into the lake.
The biggest problems were excess nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, from fertilizers.
Another culprit was phosphorus in laundry detergents, but by the 1980s most of the Great Lakes states banned them.
These nutrients triggered massive, toxic algae blooms that consumed the lake.
Although there have been improvements over the years, algae blooms still cover huge sections of the lake in warmer months.
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, and is lined with 17 metropolitan areas, including Buffalo, Toledo, and Cleveland, not to mention the nearby Detroit area connected by the Detroit River.
To make matters worse, nearly a third of the Great Lakes population lives in the Lake Erie watershed area.
Lake Eries is also a major destination for tourists and recreation.
Unfortunately, the toxic algae blooms make it unsafe to use much of the year.
The blooms also deplete the water of oxygen and kill aquatic wildlife.
In 2014, the dangerous cyanobacteria microcystin from algae got into a Toledo water intake, and residents had to avoid drinking from the tap for several days until the water was treated.
Recent years have seen record-setting algal blooms and oxygen-depleted “dead zones.”
Every year, the Cleveland Water Department publishes their annual water quality report.
As of 2021, they’re in compliance with all federal health-based drinking water standards.
There were also no violations of lead or copper action level limits.
Action level limits are different than the maximum contaminant levels set by the EPA.
Although the EPA’s maximum contaminant level for lead is zero, the federal action level is 15 parts per billion (ppb).
This is because lead contamination is so bad that it’s impossible to get to zero.
Later on in this article, we’ll dive deeper into lead contamination and Cleveland’s water quality.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit group that publishes water quality data on locations across the country.
In Cleveland’s latest water quality report, they pooled info from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency - Division of Drinking and Ground Waters and the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database.
Compared to federal regulations, the EWG’s health guidelines are much stricter and are based on more recent medical research.
The EWG found 13 contaminants exceeding their health guidelines by the following amounts:
- Bromochloroacetic acid: 161x
- Bromodichloromethane: 132x
- Chloroform: 33x
- Chromium (hexavalent): 5.1x
- Dibromoacetic acid: 35x
- Dibromochloromethane: 37x
- Dichloroacetic acid: 42x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5): 181x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9): 342x
- Nitrate: 2.4x
- Total trihalomethanes: 169x
Several other contaminants were detected at lower levels:
- Bromoform
- Bromomethane
- Chlorate
- Fluoride
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Monobromoacetic acid
- Monochloroacetic acid
- Strontium
- Testosterone
- Vanadium
Next, let’s take a closer look at the contaminants threatening Cleveland water quality…
Substances that may be lurking in Cleveland’s water include:
- Microbial contaminants like viruses and bacteria that can leak from sewage treatment plants and septic systems
- Inorganic contaminants like salts and metals that can be naturally occuring or from stormwater runoff and industrial production
- Pesticides and herbicides from home use and agriculture
- Chemical contaminants from gas stations and petroleum production
- Radioactive contaminants from oil and gas production and mining activities
Exposure to these substances can have dangerous health effects.
Some people are more vulnerable than others.
People with compromised immune systems from cancer, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, recent surgeries, the elderly, and infants are most at risk.
Here’s an in-depth look at the health risks of Cleveland’s most common contaminants:
Chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, is a highly toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA.
Other types of chromium exist, but #6 is the most dangerous.
Studies link chromium-6 to an increased risk of cancer when ingested, especially stomach cancer.
You may have already heard about chromium and not even know it…
Chromium-6 is the contaminant that the movie Erin Brockovich centers around, which is based on the true story of Hinkley, California.
Brockovich became an advocate for the town after its residents suffered serious health effects due to chromium-6 poisoning.
The current federal limit for total chromium (chromium-6 & chromium-3) is 0.1 mg/L.
However, chromium-6 is not regulated independently.
To make matters worse, the current regulations on total chromium haven’t been updated since in 1991, when the best available science was only aware of allergic skin reactions to chromium.
It still hasn’t been updated for the latest research!
Chromium-6 levels in Cleveland’s water were over 5x the EWG’s recommended health guidelines.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMS) are a group of disinfection byproducts (DBPs).
DBPs form when chlorine mixes with organic matter in water, and they can have dangerous health effects like:
- Impaired fetal growth in pregnant women
- Liver damage
- Decreased nervous system activity
- Increased risk of cancer
Cleveland’s water tested at 169x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for TTHMs.
Chloroform is a type of total trihalomethane that enters the environment as a waste byproduct from chemical companies and paper mills.
Animal studies show that exposure to chloroform may increase the risk of birth defects in offspring.
Chloroform may also cause progressive central nervous system depression.
Cleveland’s water quality levels were 33x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for chloroform.
Dibromochloromethane is in the total trihalomethane class of disinfection byproducts.
It used to be common in spray can propellants, pesticides, refrigerator fluid, and fire extinguisher fluids, but today it’s only used on a small scale in laboratories.
Animal studies show that ingesting dibromochloromethane can cause liver and kidney damage.
Cleveland’s water scored 37x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for dibromochloromethane.
Dichloroacetic acid is a common disinfection byproduct produced during the water chlorination process at treatment plants.
It also enters the water supply as waste from pharmaceutical factories.
In several animal studies, exposure to dichloroacetic acid caused cancer.
Drinking dichloroacetic acid in water may increase the risk of reproductive issues, eye and nerve problems, and affect childhood development.
Cleveland’s water tested 42x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for dichloroacetic acid.
Trichloroacetic acid is another common disinfection byproduct produced during the water chlorination process.
It’s one of five haloacetic acids regulated by the federal government.
Long-term exposure to trichloroacetic acid in drinking water may increase the risk of cancer and complications during pregnancy.
Cleveland’s water tested 60x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for trichloroacetic acid.
Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound that’s commonly used in fertilizers to promote plant growth.
Unfortunately, it can also have devastating effects on the environment and human health.
When high levels of nitrates enter lakes and rivers, it contributes to toxic algae growth by increasing levels of nitrogen in the water.
Consuming water that contains nitrate is especially dangerous for humans and animals.
Pets and livestock that drink nitrate-contaminated water can die.
The biggest danger, however, is with infants 6 months and younger.
Babies who drink formula made with nitrate-contaminated water can develop a condition called methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome.
Nitrates prevent the blood from carrying oxygen, starve the cells of oxygen, and turn the skin blue.
- Decreased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Headaches
- Stomach cramps
- Vomiting
This condition can affect vulnerable populations of adults too, especially people with cardiovascular disease, lung disease, sepsis, glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency, and other metabolic problems.
Some studies suggest that nitrate exposure can increase the risk of gastric and bladder cancer, but more work needs to be done to confirm this.
Cleveland’s water tested 2.4x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for nitrates.
Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element and a key nutrient for plant life.
It’s the main ingredient in fertilizers.
Too much of it, however, can wreak havoc on the environment, which is exactly what’s happening to Cleveland’s water in Lake Erie.
High phosphorus levels from agricultural runoff is depleting the lake of oxygen and triggering dangerous algae growths in the summer and fall.
High levels of phosphorus do not occur naturally in lakes.
As a result, excess phosphorus entering the water from fertilizer pollution causes the algae to grow out of control.
Consuming the cyanotoxins produced by algae blooms can cause symptoms like:
- Stomach pain
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Muscle weakness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Liver damage.
Lead is a toxic heavy metal.
It’s also one of the biggest threats facing Cleveland water quality.
No, it was not on the Environmental Working Group’s list of contaminants, but there’s a reason for that…
Lead enters the water supply after it leaves the treatment plant through contaminated lead pipes.
Homes built before 1953 may still have lead-based service lines, and homes built before 1986 may contain lead plumbing components and fixtures.
In fact, about 50% of Cleveland homes built before 1986 used lead solder to join copper pipes.
Lead accumulates in the body over time and can be extremely toxic, even at low levels.
Young children are the most at risk.
Side effects of lead exposure in children include:
- Nervous system damage
- Learning disabilities
- Lower IQ
- Hyperactivity
- Impaired hearing
- Stunted growth
- Impaired function of red blood cells
In pregnant women, lead toxicity can cause reduced fetal growth and premature birth.
Lead can also harm healthy adults and lead to cardiovascular effects, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems in both men and women.
Cleveland’s intake pipes pump water from several miles offshore of Lake Erie to local treatment plants.
There, the water is filtered and disinfected before traveling through 5,375 miles of pipes to your door.
Here’s what the entire process looks like in action:
- Debris removal: The water passes through debris removal screens to filter out fish, shells and other large debris.
- Rapid mix: They add powdered activated carbon to eliminate bad odors and tastes, and Alum to help small particles clump together. They then stir the water with large mechanical paddles.
- Flocculation: The mixing speed gradually slows down to allow the Alum to form clumps so they can be easily removed.
- Sedimentation: The clumps sink to the bottom of the sedimentation basins where they’re trapped. The clearer water at the top flows to the filtration stage.
- Filtration: The water filters through sand and coal filters to remove smaller organic particles.
- Disinfection: They add chlorine to kill bacteria and viruses, as well as orthophosphate to prevent pipe corrosion and fluoride to prevent cavities.
The Cleveland Water Department tests roughly 300 water samples a day before, during and after the treatment process.
They also analyze over 20,000 parameters in the treatment process and take 350 to 900 samples in the distribution system every month.
Each year, they perform a total of 160,000 tests to ensure proper treatment.
Cleveland’s water quality still has issues with lead contamination in household plumbing, toxic disinfection byproducts and nitrates.
Not to mention, the city gets its water from one of the most polluted lakes in the country: Lake Erie.
If you live in the Cleveland area, the only way to ensure safe drinking water for you and your family is to install a water filtration system in your home.
High-quality reverse osmosis (RO) systems can remove up to 99.9% of all harmful contaminants.
They combine several stages of filtration, including:
- Sediment filters to trap dirt, rust, dust, and debris
- Activated carbon filters to remove chlorine and improve the taste and smell of your water
- Ion exchange resins to remove excess hard minerals like calcium and magnesium
- RO membranes to remove all the nastiest, difficult-to-remove pollutants like arsenic and PFAS
- Polishing filters to catch any remaining contaminants
- Remineralization stage to add a healthy ratio of minerals back into the water and balance pH
Cloud Water Filters also use built-in software to track and monitor your water quality 24/7 through an app on your phone.
