Is Your Drinking Water Dangerous?
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The City of College Station’s annual Drinking Water Quality Report lists all the contaminants detected in our community’s tap water, along with how much, where they came from, and whether they exceed the maximum levels set by the fine folks at the Environmental Protection Agency. We’re very proud that College Station has never had a violation of drinking water standards. We have achieved this sparkling track record of responsibility through the dedicated efforts of our certified operators and a rigorous attention to detail.
This report is incredibly important for water consumers, yet it gets very little public attention. At least until a nationally-syndicated television program such as The Dr. Oz Show comes along. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was Dr. Oz’s featured guest on Tuesday, and the alarming topic was “How Safe is Your Drinking Water?” The program explored the biggest threats to the nation’s water supplies.
Dr. Oz’s web site provides a link that invites users to search for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act by zip code. The information is drawn from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Information System database, which includes the last 10 years. If you enter zip code 77840, you will find a list of the public water systems in Brazos County. College Station has had no health-based violations, no monitoring violations, and no reporting violations.
In fact, our exemplary water system was examined by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality earlier this month, and we passed with flying colors. The inspector graded College Station Water Services for storage tank condition, distribution system operation, disinfection practices and monitoring, record keeping, operator certification and several other areas.
The bottom line is that knowledge really is power, so don’t let the alarming titles of popular television programs scare you. If you take a few minutes to read your annual Drinking Water Quality Report, you’ll be an informed consumer. You’ll also know that our No. 1 priority is keeping your drinking water safe.
Water Resource Coordinator