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 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 year-round
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 (contd)

Non-Community Water Systems (First Classification)

Non-Transient, Non-Community Water

System
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 (contd)

Non-Community Water Systems : (Second Classification)

Transient, Non-Community Water Systems

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

Why are they important

Kane County Farm Bureau

Private Water Wells

What does Kane County offer:
Permits
Test kits for total coliforms and chemistry
Homeowners Workshop on how the care for a well and

septic system

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 aquiferan underground water supply.

Properly abandoned water wells protect aquifers and

drinking water of others.

Health Risks

Contaminant
Selected
Human Exposure

MCL or
Treatment
Technique

MCLG

Drinking Water Regulations (contd.)

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

Kane County
Contaminants of Concern for Children
Nitrate/Nitrite
Lead
Copper
Radium

Nitrates/Nitrites
Primary Adult Exposure-

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.
NO3N MCL= 10 mg/l
Study estimated 40,000 infants
under 6 months old living in
homes with high NO3N 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 dont 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

Lead MGLG: Zero
Treatment technique rather than MCL
Action Level: 15 g/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., Wilsons 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

[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
Association-sponsored 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