Drinking water can still be acceptable for public consumption if it contains contaminants at levels higher than the PHG. “A PHG is NOT a boundary line between a “safe” and “dangerous” level of a contaminant. Setting a PHG is one of the steps in developing a drinking water limit.

This is a state-specific goal and does not impact the rest of the country. California adopted a Public Health Goal (PHG) of 0.02 parts per billion for chromium-6 in July 2011.What about the California Public Health Goal for chromium-6? Chromium-6 is regulated under the total chromium drinking water standard, which is 100 ppb California has a state MCL for Chromium-6 of 10 ppb. Is chromium-6 in drinking water regulated? Water provided by American Water is already lower than the total chromium standard, so there are no special actions that American Water or our customers need to take.If a water system exceeds the established limit, customers must be notified and the system must take action to address the high levels.To put this in perspective, one part per billion is about the same as 1 second in 32 years.The state of California has set a more stringent standard for total chromium the California enforceable limit for total chromium is 50 ppb.The total chromium limit includes all forms of chromium (e.g., chromium-3 and chromium-6). The EPA sets national drinking water standards and established a limit for total chromium of 100 parts per billion (ppb) in 1991 based on the best available science at the time. Chromium-6 (also known as hexavalent chromium) can be generated from natural deposits of chromium in soils as well as produced by industrial processes such as steel manufacturing and pulp mills.Chromium-3 can be found in most multi-vitamins. Chromium-3 is an essential human dietary element found in vegetable, meats, fruits, grains and yeast.There are two common forms of chromium:.It is found naturally in rocks, plants, and soil and also found in humans and animals. Chromium is an odorless and tasteless metallic element.Click here to search for water quality results for your system Frequently Asked Questions What is chromium and how does it get into drinking water? These reports will include chromium-6 results if this voluntary testing has been performed for your system.The annual Consumer Confidence Report contains more detailed information including information on where the water comes from, any contaminants that were detected, and additional educational information.The Basic Water Quality Summary includes the water quality information that customers most commonly request.Water Quality ReportsĪmerican Water provides customers with the following water quality reports: At American Water, we take water quality and safety very seriously and are pleased to provide our customers with information about chromium and chromium-6. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended that water systems monitor for chromium-6 due to reports raising concerns about the presence of chromium-6 in drinking water supplies in various areas throughout the country.

Chromium 6