Study: Pensacola has worst tap water in US
A new survey released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that Pensacola (via the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority) has the worst tap water of the 100 metro areas studied by the group.
EWG found that Pensacola’s tap water contained 21 chemicals which exceeded federal health guidelines, compared to a national average of 4. The group also found 45 different chemical pollutants in Pensacola’s tap water, compared to a national average of 8. None of the 21 chemicals which exceeded health guidelines exceeded the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level limits.
The EWG study ranked water systems based on three factors:
- the total number of chemicals detected since 2004
- the percentage of chemicals found of those tested
- the highest average level for an individual pollutant, relative to legal limits or national average amounts
For more on the report’s methodology and data acquisition, see the links below.
Links
- Environmental Working Group: Drinking Water Quality Analysis
- Environmental Working Group: Pensacola water quality details
- Environmental Working Group: Data sources and methodology
- ECUA: 2008 Water Quality Report (PDF)
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When we want good news we are called the bay area, does this study also include santa rosa. Seem the water would come out of the same ground. Or is it the old pipes that are in a lot of escambia county. Turn on a fire hydrant and look at the rust come out.
Granite Head: No, Santa Rosa County was not included in the EWG survey. The entity that the EWG says has the worst water in the US is the ECUA system which serves much but not all of Escambia County. Information on Santa Rosa’s water systems is not available on the EPA site but any water utility should be able to give you an annual report upon request.
ECUA’s water comes from 32 wells in Escambia County.
This is horrible news. Somebody please tell me why anybody would choose to live here under these conditions?
ECUA sent a flyer out a few months ago advertising the excellent water quality they provide to the community. This EWG survey contradicts the information from ECUA.
There is NO Progressive Pensacola without excellent quality tap water.
Chuck, “technically” there isn’t a contradiction simply because as far as what is actually regulated by the EPA nor the State, ECUA is providing “excellent water quality” (meaning that they are not over limits for the substances which ARE regulated). What EWG is trying to do is bring light to the fact that there are so many chemicals in our drinking water which are not even regulated…. (therefore, there are no limits to concentrations and no violation potential)
Good point, Chastain. It looks to me the ECUA MARKETING tells only part of the story, and is not entirely honest that serious chemicals are present, just not regulated.
It would be a wise move, and the right thing to do, to go above and beyond the minimal legal requirements, especially since these requirements are so limited. Anything less is unacceptable.
MMMMMM. UWF wants to back out of the Museum and our water is the worst in the US.
im 93 and have lived in pensacola my whole life and have been drinking the tap water all along and have had no health problems pensacola is a great place to live
I read a study once and the scientist said Pensacola’s water treatment plant, if you can call it that,
That was years ago.
You can find out exactly what is in your water and what your water company tests for on this site: http://www.homefacts.com/waterquality.html
Just don’t mess with my Dibromochloromethane. Mmmm Good.
Can’t speak about your water, but the water at my house is fine. And according to the study all the ‘contaminants’ were within limits set forth by the (about to do a defacto cap and trade on industry in the United States) EPA.
I wouldn’t worry about a static sampling like this. It’s OK. Now if levels of stuff were to build to become over the limit, then we got a problem. But that’s not what this study is saying.
What it is is fodder to get people screaming hysterically to demand that the EPA do something that no one can afford to do.
If you knew what was in sausage or scrapple for example, you probably wouldn’t want to ingest that either.
My husband and I have only been here a year. The first month every night we were both ill. We finally figured out it was because of the water. We were primarily drinking our tap water in the evening with dinner so we only felt the effects of it in the evening. We definitely switched to filtering our tap water with PURE twice before drinking it.
This site says the water is not that bad compared to others around the U.S.
http://www.homefacts.com/waterquality/Florida/Escambia-County/Pensacola/Escambia-County-Utilities-Authority.html