Salt Lake City Water Quality Analysis
- 01 | Who Regulates Salt Lake City’s Drinking Water?
- 02 | Where Does Salt Lake City Get Its Water?
- 03 | Salt Lake City’s Annual Water Quality Report
- 04 | Environmental Working Group Water Quality Report
- 05 | Contaminants Threatening Salt Lake City Water Quality
- 06 | Shocking Statistics of Lead Contamination In Utah Schools
- 07 | Treating Salt Lake City Drinking Water
- 08 | Testing and Monitoring Salt Lake City Water Quality
- 09 | Should Salt Lake City Residents Use In-home Water Filters?
Salt Lake City sits super high (4,327 ft to be exact).
Are their water contaminants high too?
Keep reading to get the down-low on Salt Lake City water quality…
Salt Lake City Public Utilities is responsible for providing drinking water to the greater Salt Lake City area, including parts of Millcreek, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, and several other communities.
They follow contaminant standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Utah Division of Drinking Water.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality routinely tests and monitors the area’s source water for bacteria, chemical, and radioactive pollutants.
Salt Lake City’s main sources of water are the mountain streams in the Wasatch Mountains, including City Creek, Parleys Creek, Big Cottonwood Creek, and Little Cottonwood Creek.
They also supplement with a network of groundwater springs, especially during summer months to meet high demands.
When demands are extremely high, Salt Lake City gets extra treated water from the nearby Provo River watershed.
Every year, Salt Lake City Public Utilities releases a Consumer Confidence Report.
The report provides a snapshot of the water quality data for that year.
In their most recent report, Salt Lake City water quality met all federal health-based drinking water standards.
However, not all organizations agree that this means your water’s safe…
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit watchdog group that pools test results on city water across the country.
Their health standards are based on the most current medical research and are much stricter than the federal government’s.
They gather Salt Lake City’s water quality info from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database.
14 substances exceeded the EWG’s recommended health guidelines by the following amounts:
- Arsenic: 109x
- Bromochloroacetic acid: 170x
- Bromodichloromethane: 72x
- Chloroform: 36x
- Chromium (hexavalent): 22x
- Dibromochloromethane: 12x
- Dichloroacetic acid: 84x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5): 324x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9): 582x
- Nitrate: 12x
- Radium: 6.6x
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs): 224x
- Trichloroacetic acid: 122x
Other contaminants detected at lower levels include:
- 1-butanol
- Aluminum
- Bromoform
- Chlorate
- Cyanide
- Fluoride
- Germanium
- Manganese
- Mercury
- Molybdenum
- Monochloroacetic acid
- Nitrite
- Selenium
- Silver
- Strontium
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Thallium
- Vanadium
Next, let’s take a closer look at the contaminants threatening Salt Lake City water quality…
Salt Lake City’s high elevation means that their water has fewer opportunities to pick up contaminants, but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
The streams and springs in the Wasatch watershed can still be exposed to dangerous substances, including:
- 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
Here’s some of the main pollutants currently affecting Salt Lake City water quality:
Arsenic is a natural compound in the earth’s crust and it’s highly toxic in its inorganic form.
Inorganic arsenic enters the water supply from commercial activities like coal ash disposal, pressure treated wood, and apple orchard spraying.
Arsenic has no smell, taste, or color, and the only way to know if it’s in your water is through lab analysis.
Long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water can cause side effects:
- Cancer
- Thickening and discoloration of the skin
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Nerve effects including numbness and pain
Some evidence suggests that chronic arsenic exposure may lower IQ scores in children.
Salt Lake City tested 109x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for arsenic in tap water.
Chromium is a highly toxic metal, and chromium-6 (hexavalent chromium) is its most toxic form.
The federal government doesn’t regulate for chromium-6 independently,
Instead, they have a maximum limit for total chromium, which includes chromium-6 and the less toxic chromium-3.
The current federal limit for total chromium is 0.1 mg/L.
Unfortunately, they set this limit in 1991 when the only known side effect was allergic skin reactions.
We now know that chromium-6 exposure can increase the risk of cancer, especially stomach cancer.
Salt Lake City tested 22x the Environmental Working Group’s health guidelines for chromium-6.
Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are toxic compounds that form when chlorine mixes with organic matter in water.
Chronic exposure to DBPs may increase the risk of bladder cancer.
Humans exposed to high levels of DBPs in drinking water may also experience liver damage and decreased nervous system activity.
Other studies indicate that DBPs may cause low birth weight in infants.
Salt Lake City tested for levels well above the EWG’s health guidelines for several DBPs, including:
- Bromochloroacetic acid: 170x
- Bromodichloromethane: 72x
- Chloroform: 36x
- Dibromochloromethane: 12x
- Dichloroacetic acid: 84x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5): 324x
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9): 582x
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs): 224x
- Trichloroacetic acid: 122x
Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element in the rocks and soil.
Small amounts of radium are found in groundwater supplies all over the country.
It can be released into the water by human activities like mining and other operations that disturb the ground.
Shallow wells aren’t usually exposed to radium, but deeper wells and aquifers are more at risk.
Chronic exposure to radium in tap water can cause health effects like:
- Weakened immunity
- Anemia
- Cataracts
- Fractured teeth
- Increased risk of bone, liver and breast cancer
There is no safe level of radium in drinking water.
However, the Environmental Protection Association’s maximum contaminant limit for radium is 5 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L).
The Environmental Working Group, however, thinks this is far too high.
Salt Lake City tested 6.6x the EWG’s health guidelines for radium in tap water.
Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound and a main ingredient in fertilizers.
It’s also present in high amounts in human and animal feces.
The primary sources of nitrate contamination in drinking water is agricultural runoff, stormwater overflow, and leaky septic tanks.
Babies who drink formula made with nitrate-contaminated water can develop a condition called methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome.
Infants under six months are the most at risk.
The nitrates inhibit the blood from carrying oxygen, causing the skin to turn blue.
Nitrate poisoning in young children and vulnerable adults can cause death.
People with lung disease, cardiovascular disease, anemia, and metabolic problems are especially at risk.
Common symptoms of methemoglobinemia include:
- Headaches
- Increased heart rate
- Decreased blood pressure
- Stomach cramps
- Vomiting
Some studies also suggest that consuming nitrates may increase the risk of cancer.
Salt Lake City water quality tested 12x the EWG’s health guidelines for nitrates.
Lead is a toxic heavy metal and it’s one of the biggest water contaminants nationwide.
Unfortunately, Salt Lake City is no exception.
The main source of lead pollution in tap water is old distribution pipes, household plumbing, and fixtures that contain lead.
Prior to 1986, lead-based pipes were common.
As the pipes corrode, they release lead into the water.
Since 1990 more than 6,000 studies have revealed the side effects on lead on human health and the environment.
Worst of all, even low levels can have devastating effects on children.
Side effects of lead poisoning on children include:
- Lowered IQ
- Behavioral problems
- Hyperactivity
- Learning disabilities
- Memory and attention span problems
Adults can also experience health effects like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and impaired immune systems.
According to a recent study by the Utah Environmental Quality Division of Drinking Water, the water in many Utah schools and daycare centers may be polluted with lead.
They tested 75% of Utah schools and found that 90% of them tested positive for lead.
They also ran blood tests on the children and found that 2% of them were above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Under a new state law called the Lead-free Learning Initiative, public and private schools are now required to test all drinking water fixtures for lead.
In 2021, the EPA added a regulation to identify and replace all lead service lines.
SLC Public Utilities operates three treatment plants in the Salt Lake City area.
The water undergoes a multi-step process, including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection.
Here’s what the process looks like in action:
- Intake: Water from creeks, reservoirs, and aquifers are pumped to the treatment plants for processing.
- Flocculation and Coagulation: They add ferric chloride to the water as a coagulant, which causes small articles to clump together so they’re easier to remove.
- Sedimentation: The large clumps sink to the bottom of the basins and the clearer water on top flows to the next stage.
- Filtration: The water passes through sand and anthracite filters to remove any remaining small particles.
- Disinfection and Fluoridation: They add chlorine as a primary disinfectant and fluoride to reduce cavities.
After that, the treated water sits in storage tanks before traveling through more than 1,300 miles to your tap.
SLC Public Utilities collects samples throughout the treatment and distribution process.
They test for more than 170 individual contaminants to ensure they meet all state and federal standards.
Every year, they run roughly 18,000 tests.
SLC Public Utilities also monitors stormwater discharges to ensure the stormwater is as clean as possible before entering the creeks and rivers.
Salt Lake City tested positive for a variety of dangerous substances, including arsenic, nitrate, and eight different disinfection byproducts.
Besides, no matter how clean your water is when it leaves the treatment center, it still has the opportunity to pick up lead from contaminated pipes.
When it comes down to it, the only way to keep your family safe is to install a treatment system in your home.
High-quality reverse osmosis (RO) systems can remove up to 99.9% of all harmful contaminants.
Cloud Water Filters also include a final remineralization stage to balance pH with a healthy ratio of magnesium and calcium.
Plus, they use built-in software to track and monitor your water quality 24/7 through an app on your phone.
