Out of the Tap: Can I Drink That?
Presenters:
 Sharon Verzal, MPH, LEHP, REHS/RS
Kane County Health Department
Environmental Health Supervisor
 Kimberly Harris
United States Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 5
Health Effects Specialist/Bacteriologist
Ground Water and Drinking Water Branch
Outline
 Background - Sources of Water
 Sources of Water In Kane County
 How Drinking Water Sources Are Regulated
 Contaminant of Concerns for Kane County Children
What is Groundwater?
 Groundwater is an underground source
of water
 Groundwater statistics
Groundwater vs. Surface Water
 There is a relationship between
groundwater and surface water.
Hydrologic Cycle
Groundwater Supply
 Groundwater is a significant water supply source —
the amount of groundwater storage dwarfs our present
surface water supply.
 Ground water is used for drinking, cooking, bathing,
irrigation, mining and thermoelectric power.
 Groundwater is a renewable resource.
How do we get to Groundwater?
 Groundwater is tapped through wells placed in water-
bearing soils and rocks beneath the surface of the
earth.
 Adequate time is needed to allow replenishment
of underlying groundwater reservoirs (aquifers);
also such areas must be properly managed in
order to prevent water-soluble waste products
stored in these areas from infiltrating and
polluting the underground supply.
How do we get to Groundwater?
Groundwater Myths
 The following myths continue to be perpetuated
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about groundwater:
Groundwater moves rapidly.
Groundwater migrates thousands of miles.
There is no relationship between groundwater and
surface water.
Groundwater removed from the earth is never
returned.
Groundwater is mysterious and occult.
Groundwater is not a significant source of water
supply.
Kane County Drinking Water Sources
 Community Water System s (CWS): A regulated
water system that serves the same population yearround
 CWS s using Surface Water (Fox River)
 CWS s using Ground Water (Wells)
 Examples: Municipalities and Mobile Home Parks
 Regulated by Illinois EPA
 Lots of monitoring requirements
Kane County Drinking Water Sources (cont’d)
Non-Community Water Systems (First Classification)
Non-Transient, Non-Community Water System
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Serves at least 25 of the same people at least 6 months
per year
Examples: schools, factories, office buildings,
hospitals with their own water systems
In Kane County - Well Water Sources Only
Regulated by Illinois EPA, KCHD, IDPH
Less monitoring requirements than CWSs
Kane County Drinking Water Sources (cont’d)
Non-Community Water Systems : (Second Classification)
 Transient, Non-Community Water Systems
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A regulated water system that provides water to a
transient population at least 60 days of the year
Examples: gas stations, restaurants, or
campground where people do not remain for long
periods of time
In Kane County - Well Water Sources Only
Regulated by Illinois EPA, KCHD, IDPH
Total coliform and nitrates/nitrites monitoring
Non-Community Water Well
Regulations
 What does Kane County do for Non-Community Water
Wells:
 Monitoring of sample collections
 Initiating new systems and ensuring old systems are
properly inactivated
 Biennial Inspections
 Enforcement action when needed
Private Water Wells
• Nearly all of unincorporated Kane County
is served by private water wells.
• Wells in Kane County vary in depth and
range from 40 feet to 780 feet deep
depending on the location in the county.
Private Water Wells
 Regulations
 Permit for construction required
 Who can work on a well
 No monitoring requirements
 No testing requirements
 Recommendations
 Test once per year for total coliforms and
nitrates / nitrites
 What are total coliforms and nitrates/ nitrites
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Why are they important
 Kane County Farm Bureau
Private Water Wells
 What does Kane County offer:
 Permits
 Test kits for total coliforms and chemistry
 Homeowner’s Workshop on how the care for a well and
septic system
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Last workshop: September 19, 2012
 Mortgage Surveys for the sale or purchase of a home
Abandoned Water Wells
 The risks: Abandoned wells pose one of the greatest
threats to groundwater.
 It provides a direct, unhindered route for pollutants to reach
an aquifer—an underground water supply.
 Properly abandoned water wells protect aquifers and
drinking water of others.
National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations
Health Risks
Contaminant
Selected
Human Exposure
MCL or
Treatment
Technique
MCLG
Drinking Water Regulations (cont’d.)
 Over 80 regulated standards and TT with Acute and Chronic Health Effects
 Adverse health effects from acute exposure
Pathogens
 Nitrate
 Adverse health effects from chronic exposure
 Carcinogens
 Adverse health effects from exposure during critical periods
 Infants and children
 Elderly people
 Immuno-compromised individuals
 Highly exposed individuals (athletes and people working at strenuous
occupations who drink more than 2 liters of water per day)
 A list of the regulated contaminants and their MCLGs, MCLs, and TTs is
available at: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm
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Kane County
Contaminants of Concern for Children
Nitrate/Nitrite
Lead
Copper
Radium
Nitrates/Nitrites
 Primary Adult Exposure
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Dietary Ingestion.
Water Sources of Nitratesnaturally-occurring, fertilizers
and waste.
Sensitive sub-populationBottled Feed Infants < 6 months
of age where formula is
prepared with tap water.
NO3–N MCL= 10 mg/l
Study estimated 40,000 infants
under 6 months old living in
homes with high NO3–N tap
water.
Health Effect of Concern
 Methemoglobinemia or blue-baby syndrome (name due to
bluish or lavender skin color).
 Nitrite converts hemoglobin to methemoglobin (unable
to transport oxygen from lungs to tissues).
 Methemoglobin levels > 50% can quickly lead to coma or
death if not recognized and treated promptly.
 Most At Risk: Infants under six months of age.
Why Are Infants Under 6 Months More Vulnerable?
•Stomach pH levels are higher
than adults - allow for
proliferation of nitratereducing bacteria to grow in
stomach.
•Consume more fluids per
body weight than adults.
•Fetal hemoglobin in infants is
more rapidly oxidized than
adults.
•Methemoglobin reductase
enzyme is not completely
developed in infants.
Nitrate/Nitrite Standards
 Three regulated standards:
 Nitrate: 10 mg/l;
 Nitrite: 1 mg/l
 Total nitrate-nitrite 10 mg/l.
 1951 survey by the APHA (Walton) found 278 cases in 14 States.
 Why don’t we see more cases today? Public education efforts and
well construction requirements.
 Public Health Messages:
 Condition still occurs due to widespread use of nitrate fertilizers and can
quickly lead to death if not recognized/treatment appropriately.
 Private wells should be tested annually for nitrates/nitrites (and total
coliforms).
 If in doubt, use bottled water for mixing formula.
Lead
•Exposure Routes for children:
• Paint;
• Lead dust;
• Contaminated residential soils;
• Contaminated drinking water; and
• Food.
• Lead in drinking water can occurs from 2
sources:
• Raw water (rare); or
• Corrosion of household plumbing
materials or water service lines
containing lead.
Health Effects of Concern
 Most at risk: pregnant women and their fetuses, infants
and children.
 Adverse health effects can occur at any level of exposure.
 At very low levels - delay in normal physical and mental
development in babies and children.
 Severity of health effects is dependent upon the Pb
concentration, total amount consumed, and exposure
duration.
 Because lead accumulates in the body, all sources of Pb
should be controlled or eliminated.
Why Are Children At Greater Risk
From Lead Exposure ?
 Children consume more water
compared with body size than
adults.
 Pb adsorption from GI tract is
inversely related to age.
 Children put their hands in their
mouths more than adults and
ingest more lead.
 Developing fetuses and infants are
more susceptible to lead brain and
nerve effects due to immature BBB.
Lead Action Level
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Lead MGLG: Zero
Treatment technique rather than MCL
Action Level: 15 μg/l
Anticipated Revisions to Lead/Copper Regulation.
Recent reduction of “Lead-free” plumbing definition.
Public Health Messages:
 Prevention is key
 If concerned, test drinking water taps
 Use cold water for consumption, especially for diluting baby formula
 Periodically remove and clean faucet aerators of particles
 Check that new faucets and fixtures meet new lead-free standards
(look for NSF ® - 61-G certificant mark)
Copper
 Reddish metal that occurs
naturally.
 Essential nutrient:
 RDA: 2 mg for adults
 RDA: 1 mg for < 4 yrs.
 Copper in food thought to be
in organic form, low potential
for gastric irritation.
• Copper in drinking water can
occurs from 2 sources:
• raw water (rare); or
• corrosion of household
plumbing materials or water
service lines containing
copper.
Copper Health Effect of Concern and
Those Most At Risk
 Excess copper causes acute HE: Stomach cramps, diarrhea,
nausea, vomiting.
 Children are more susceptible because:
 they consumer more fluids per body weight than adults.
 they are have a less developed metabolic capacity.
 Children with liver or kidney disease are at an even higher
risk.
 Sensitive Sub-population highly susceptible to
copper toxicity and accumulate excess copper in their
livers (e.g., Wilson’s disease).
Copper Action Level
 MCLG = 1.3 mg/l
 MCLG based on lowest observed adverse health
effect level of 5.3 mg/l and gastrointestinal HE.
 Action level of 1.3 mg/l is intended to be a measure
of optimal corrosion control.
Radium
• Radium is a naturally
occurring radioactive
element that usually is
present at low levels in
rocks, soils, and
groundwater.
• Two isotopes of interest:
Radium-226 and Radium228.
Health Effects
 Over-exposure to radium increases the risks of
developing certain cancers, particularly bone cancer.
 Over time, radium can damage bones, tissue or genetic
material.
How Are Children More Vulnerable?
 Body recognizes radium as calcium and deposits
significant amounts to bones after repeated ingestion.
 Since children are still growing, they are at a higher
risk of absorbing larger amounts of radium in their
bones, especially if exposure occurs during a critical
growth stage.
Radium Standard
 EPA uses a measurement called a "picocurie" to
describe the amount of radium in water.
 Radium MCL = 5 pCi/L
 Costly contaminant to remove for CWSs.
Sources
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[1] National Geographic, April 2010, p. 47
[2] Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344,
October 2009
[3] Sustainability of Ground-water Resources, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186, 1999
[4] Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344,
October 2009
[5] "Water" map, National Geographic Society, November 1993
[6] Calculations derived from multiple sources
[7] Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344,
October 2009
[8] Ibid.
[9] Estimate prepared by the National Ground Water Association from various federal data sources at
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Census
[10] Estimate prepared by the National Ground Water Association from various Associationsponsored industry surveys
[11] Resident population of the U.S. 2005 was 296,410,404, U.S. Census
[12] American Housing Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2008
[13] Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344,
October 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Drinking Water and Ground Water Statistics
2007, March 2008
[14] U.S. Census, 1990 (best available data by state)
[15] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 2008, November 2009, and
U.S. Geological Survey, October 2009 report on 2005 water use
[16] Scientific American Water 3.0, March 2008; Understanding Water Risks, World Wildlife Fund,
March 2009; State of the Water Industry, TechKnowledgey Strategic Group, March 2009
[17] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 2008, November 2009