The City of Victoria provides drinking water to its residents from a groundwater source: three wells ranging from 429 to 450 feet deep, that draw water from the Quaternary Buried Artesian aquifer.
The EPA has established two standards for additional contaminants in tap water:
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level - The maximum allowable level of a certain contaminant
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level GOAL - The level where studies have found ZERO HEALTH RISKS, aka the "Health Limit"
Certain contaminants that absorb easily through your skin have been highlighted in orange. For those items, a Point of Entry (POE) system is recommended to treat all the water for your home/business.
2009 Victoria Water Report
2008 Victoria Water Report
2006 Victoria Water Report
2004 Victoria Water Report
| Contaminant | Levels Found |
Health Limit |
Potential Effect | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Emitters | 1.3 | 0pCi/L | Increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Arsenic | 1.24 | 0ppb | Skin damage or problems with circulatory systems, and may have increased risk of getting cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, Arsenic Filters |
| Bromodichloromethane | 1.8 - 5.5 | 0ppb | Increased risk of cancer, damage to liver, kidneys, and nervous system | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Chloroform | 2.82 - 9.9 | 5.7ppb | Nervous system depression, increase in kidney and liver tumors | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Combined Radium | 1.52 - 1.8 | 0pCi/L | Increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Dibromochloromethane | 0.95 - 2.5 | 0.4ppb | Increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Dichloroacetic acid | 1.1 - 3.3 | 0ppb | Irritant and corrosive to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Haloacetic Acids | 1.8 - 6 | 0ppb | Increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Radon | 159 - 284 | 1.5pCi/L | Increased risk of lung cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Total Trihalomethanes | 6.3 - 17.9 | 0ppb | Liver, kidney or central nervous system problems; increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Contaminant | Levels Found |
Health Limit |
Potential Effect | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barium | 0.03 | 2ppb | Increase in blood pressure | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Chlorine | 0.53 - 1.2 | 4.0ppm | Eye/nose irritation; stomach discomfort | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
| Fluoride | 0.89 - 1.01 | 4.0ppm | Bone disease (pain and tenderness of the bones); children may get mottled teeth | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Hardness | 22 - 24gpg | NA | Increased energy consumption, damage to plumbing, appliances, fixtures, clothing, and glassware | Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Water Softener |
| Mercury | 0.01 | 2ppb | Kidney damage | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Nitrate | 0.38 - 0.39 | 10ppm | Infants below the age of six months could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and "blue baby" syndrome. | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow |
| Sodium | 9.7 - 10ppm | NA | Hypertension | Pureoflow, DMT Systems |
| Sulfate | 13.7 - 20ppm | NA | Catharsis, Dehydration from diarrhoea | Pureoflow, DMT Systems |
| Trichloroacetic acid | 1.47 - 2 | 20ppm | Increased risk of cancer | Reverse Osmosis, Pureoflow, DMT Systems, Carbon Filters |
This information was compiled from Victoria's water treatment reports, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Minnesota Department of Health(DOH), World Health Organization(WHO), and Environmental Working Group(EWG).