The EPA currently allows 93 contaminants in US drinking water at levels linked to increased cancer risk. Your utility's report confirms compliance with legal limits. It does not confirm your water is safe by independent health standards.
The Difference Between "Legal" and "Safe"
This is the gap that most people never think about. When your water utility says your water "meets all EPA standards," they mean it complies with the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the EPA. What they don't tell you is how those limits were set — and how outdated many of them are.
MCLs are not purely based on health science. They're based on a balance of health science, treatment feasibility, and economic cost. In plain English: the legal limit for a contaminant is the lowest level that's technically and economically achievable at scale — not the level at which no health risk exists.
The Environmental Working Group's health guidelines — based purely on independent toxicological research — are often dramatically stricter than the EPA's legal limits. For chromium-6, the EWG health guideline is 0.02 parts per billion. The EPA's legal limit is 100 parts per billion — 5,000 times higher. Both are "legal." Only one is safe.
| Contaminant | EPA Legal Limit | EWG Health Guideline | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chromium-6 | 100 ppb | 0.02 ppb | 5,000x stricter |
| Arsenic | 10 ppb | 0.004 ppb | 2,500x stricter |
| Nitrates | 10 mg/L | 0.14 mg/L | 71x stricter |
| Chloroform (DBP) | 80 ppb | 0.4 ppb | 200x stricter |
| PFOA | 4 ppt (new 2024) | 0.1 ppt | 40x stricter |
| Lead | 15 ppb action level | 0 ppb | No safe level |
Your water report tells you which column on the left your water complies with. It never mentions the column on the right.
8 Things Your Water Quality Report Won't Tell You
Your pipes may be adding lead after the water leaves the plant
Water utility reports test water at the treatment plant or at designated monitoring sites — not at your tap. Lead enters water from old pipes, solder, and fixtures inside your home and your street's service line. Your report can show zero lead at the source and you can still have dangerous lead levels at your faucet. Homes built before 1986 are at highest risk.
PFAS weren't regulated until 2024 — your older reports are meaningless on this
If your water report is from before April 2024, it contains no information about PFAS because there were no federal limits to report against. The 2024 EPA rule created the first-ever enforceable PFAS limits — meaning years of reports gave families false confidence about a contaminant that was never being measured for compliance.
The "action level" for lead is not a safety limit
The EPA's lead "action level" of 15 parts per billion is not the point at which lead becomes dangerous. It's the point at which utilities are required to take action. The CDC and WHO both state there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. A report showing lead "below the action level" is not saying lead is absent — it's saying the utility doesn't have to do anything about it yet.
Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are a bigger problem than chlorine itself
Chlorine is added to kill bacteria — and it works. But when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter in water, it creates disinfection byproducts including trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). These compounds are linked to bladder cancer and adverse reproductive outcomes. Your report lists them — but rarely explains what the levels mean for your health.
Contaminants are averaged — spikes disappear in the math
Many contaminants are reported as annual averages. A utility can have a contamination spike in January, clean it up, and the average for the year still looks fine. The report doesn't show you the worst day — it shows you the math that makes the worst days invisible.
Hundreds of contaminants aren't tested at all
The EPA currently regulates about 90 contaminants. The EWG has identified over 300 detected in US water supplies. Contaminants that aren't on the regulated list aren't tested for — and don't appear in your report. "Not detected" often means "not tested for."
Pharmaceuticals and microplastics aren't regulated
Trace amounts of antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals have been detected in municipal water systems across the country — including in Kentucky. Microplastics have been found in tap water globally. Neither is currently regulated or reported in your CCR.
The report is mailed once a year — contamination can happen any time
Your Consumer Confidence Report reflects water quality from the previous year. Infrastructure failures, contamination events, and seasonal agricultural runoff can change your water quality dramatically between reports. A report that was accurate in January may not reflect what's coming out of your tap in August.
Don't rely on a report. Test your actual water.
We come to your home and test your water on the spot — showing you what's actually there right now. Free, no obligation.
How to Actually Read Your CCR
Your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is mailed or emailed annually, usually by July 1st. Here's how to extract the information that actually matters:
Step 1 — Find the contaminant table
Every CCR includes a table listing detected contaminants, the MCL (legal limit), the MCLG (health goal), and the detected level. The MCLG is the more useful number — it's the level at which no known health risk exists. When the detected level is above the MCLG, you have a problem worth paying attention to, even if it's below the MCL.
Step 2 — Look for zero MCLGs
Some contaminants have an MCLG of zero — meaning no level is considered safe. Lead, arsenic, and certain disinfection byproducts have MCLGs of zero. If these appear in your detected column at any level, the utility is telling you something is present that has no safe threshold.
Step 3 — Check the violation history
CCRs are required to disclose any violations from the previous year. Look for this section carefully. A violation means the utility exceeded a legal limit — not just a health guideline. Violations are serious, and utilities are required to notify customers, but the notification can be buried in fine print.
Step 4 — Cross-reference with EWG
After reading your CCR, go to ewg.org/tapwater and look up your zip code. The EWG database compares your utility's detected levels against health guidelines — not just legal limits. This is where you'll see the real picture.
After reading your CCR, ask this: "Are any contaminants detected above the MCLG?" If yes — and for most utilities the answer is yes — your water meets legal standards but exceeds the level at which health risk begins. That gap is what a filtration system closes.
What to Do About It
The goal isn't fear — it's informed action. Here's the practical path:
- Get your CCR — search "[your city] Consumer Confidence Report [year]" or call your utility
- Check EWG for your zip code at ewg.org/tapwater
- Book a free in-home water test — the only way to know your actual tap levels, not utility averages
- Choose the right filtration based on what your water actually contains
- Install it this week — not next month, not when you get around to it. Your family is drinking this water today.
The Westinghouse Total Home Bundle addresses the most common issues found in Kentucky and Indiana water — PFAS, lead, chlorine and chloramines, hard minerals, and disinfection byproducts — at every faucet and shower in your home. It's not a partial fix. It's a complete one. Financing from $3/day.