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While nearly all of Georgia’s rural population rely on private wells for their water supply, big cities like Atlanta rely on the government to provide safe water to its residents. In order to do so, Atlanta has implemented rigorous water screening methodologies to ensure their water meets local and federal guidelines.
Atlanta’s water supply comes almost exclusively from the Chattahoochee River, which supplies water to over 1.2 million people each day (1). A cold water spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains flows into the river, which runs through Georgia and Alabama.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines, Atlanta’s water quality meets or exceeds all standards for safe drinking water. Over 50,000 screening tests are conducted by the city annually to ensure no contaminants ranging outside of the federal requirements are detected (2). That being said, in recent years, some EPA guidelines have changed, and new research is finding that some of the previously set regulations may not be as safe as originally thought. Some people choose to be more cautious, since contaminants in their water–even those supposedly “safe”–can have harmful effects on the body.
Sampling water for total organic carbon (TOC) is a useful tool in measuring water quality. The Maine Environmental Laboratory defines total organic carbon as “the amount of carbon atoms tied up in organic compounds in a water sample” (3). It doesn’t measure one specific contaminant, but instead indicates the presence of various contaminants and how widespread they are in the water. For reference, pure water contains no carbon, and therefore 0 parts per million would be detected.
The current guideline regarding TOC requires that the amount detected stay under 2.0 parts per million. In Atlanta, different tests found anywhere from 1.0 to 2.0 parts per million were detected, with the average being 1.4 parts per million (2). This shows that unwanted carbon compounds are fairly common in the water. High levels of TOC typically indicate the presence of Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic acids in the water (4).
Trihalomethanes, as indicated by the amount of total organic carbon detected in Atlanta’s water, are present in quantities high enough to cause concern for some. Trihalomethanes are formed as a byproduct of adding chlorine to water to disinfect it. Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) is an overarching term to refer to four chemicals that can be produced: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform (5). While adding chlorine to water is an effective and widely-used disinfection method, it is not without its risks. Several studies note that TTHMs act as a carcinogenic, increasing risk of bladder, kidney, and liver cancer.
The maximum contaminant level for TTHMs is set at 80 parts per billion by the Environmental Protection Agency. The range of TTHMs detected in Atlanta drinking water varies from 18.2-85.0 parts per billion, with the average resulting around 64.5 parts per billion (2). While the average was below the EPA standard set, their detected range shows that trihalomethanes are clearly still present, some in dangerous amounts, in Atlanta tap water.
Another compound detected by the total organic carbon count are haloacetic acids. Haloacetic acids, like TTHMs, can form when chlorine is added to disinfect a water source. While more research needs to be conducted concerning these contaminants, six haloacetic acids are “individually listed asreasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen in the Report on Carcinogens” (6).
Like trihalomethanes, there is a wide range of detections of haloacetic acids found in Atlanta drinking water. The maximum contaminant level is set at 60 parts per billion, but the range detected varies from 17.4 to 67.0 parts per billion, with the average falling around 39.8 parts per billion (2).
However, some organizations believe a stricter regulation needs to be set on haloacetic acids. The Environmental Working Group sets a health guideline of 0.1 parts per billion of five different haloacetic acids (HAA5), which would place HAA5s in Atlanta’s drinking water over three hundred times the EWG guideline (5).
Lead as a contaminant can be tricky to monitor, since more often than not it enters the water once the water has already passed through public water source testing. Lead most commonly enters a water supply through old lead pipes on private properties, so the government does not have a lot of power regulating lead contamination. That being said, the local government in Atlanta does a thorough job of testing residential tap supplies for lead contamination instead of just testing the public water supply.
Of the fifty residential tap supplies tested, lead was detected at 2.4 parts per billion (2). More recent regulation put in place by the EPA states that no level of lead is safe to drink, as lead is high in toxicity to all demographics. Exposure to lead, even in low levels, can result in high blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and reproductive effects.
In order to remove harmful contaminants from your water, it is recommended to invest in a water filter that is tested to remove particular contaminants. Some people install purified water filters that attach to their sink, while others replace their water system entirely. While these methods are effective, they can also be costly and require a fair amount of manpower to install. For a time-efficient, cost-effective solution, consider Seychelle water pitchers. Seychelle water pitchers are independently lab-tested to ensure 99.9% of chemical contaminants (like TTHMs) and inorganic contaminants (like lead) are safely removed from your water.
By all EPA regulations, Atlanta’s drinking water is safe to drink. That being said, there are always some contaminants that slip through the cracks, and these can still prove harmful, even when consumed in small amounts. Contaminants like trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, and lead may still be present in your water. In order to remove these contaminants and ensure your water is fully safe to drink, consider shopping Seychelle.
Is Atlanta water safe to drink now?
Yes. Atlanta’s drinking water meets or exceeds all federal requirements for safe drinking water.
Can you drink the tap water in Georgia?
Yes. Drinking tap water in Georgia is considered safe to drink.
Is there lead in the tap water in Atlanta?
Lead may enter the tap water in private residences in Atlanta. Older homes tend to still utilize lead pipes and lead plumbing fixtures, which increases the chances of there being lead in the drinking water.
References
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management,https://www.atlantawatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/DWM-2022-Annual-Report-Single-Pages-FINAL.pdf
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management,https://www.atlantawatershed.org/water-quality-reports/
Maine Environmental Laboratory,https://maineenvironmentallaboratory.com/?p=1095
Xylem Analytics,https://www.ysi.com/parameters/total-organic-carbon-toc?srsltid=AfmBOorUZzuG7X5Wkc8tcsT6oA1kLSUu_9teTNfnT3ydyOCpDqcvy5Yh
EWG’s Tap Water Base,https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=GA1210001
National Library of Medicine,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK590834/#:~:text=Haloacetic%20acids%20are%20formed%20as,(such%20as%20humic%20acid).
