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Table of Drinking Water Contaminant Levels
What Are the
Maximum Acceptable Levels of Contaminants in Drinking Water?
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about allowable levels of contaminants in drinking water
Limits of allowable levels of water contaminants:
When testing drinking water the contaminant limits listed here assist in deciding when water purification or other water treatment is needed.
This table provides the allowable limits of various contaminants found in drinking water.
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Table of Allowable Limits of Water Contaminants
While the table of water contamination ingredients and allowable levels is from New York State, these limits or similar numbers will apply in most jurisdictions. Water contamination limits and testing requirements in the U.S. are regulated by the Federal Clean Drinking Water act.
Subpart 5-1 of the New York State Sanitary Code defines "Maximum Water Contaminant Level' as the permissible level of a contaminant in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system. New York State does not regulate private drinking water supplies (single family homes on well water).
Most lenders require at least a confirmation of "potable" water meaning that bacteria count and coliform bacteria count is less than 1 CFU per 100 ml. of drinking water in the water test sample. Some lenders require water passing the FHA "Short" or FHA "Long" test list items. Readers of this article should also see Drinking Water Supply, Contamination Levels, Water Testing Procedures.
Table of Acceptable Limits on Common Drinking Water Contaminants |
||
| Analyte / Water Contaminant |
MCL(a) | Unit |
| Arsenic | 0.05 | mg/L - see ARSENIC in WATER |
| Bacteria | See Coliform below. Also see BACTERIA TEST GUIDE | |
| Barium | 2.00 | mg/L |
| BpA | see BPA, Bisphenol-A | |
| Cadmium | 0.005 | mg/L |
| Chloride | 250.0 | mg/L |
| Chromium | 0.10 | mg/L |
| Coliform: total coliform | 0 | /100 ml - see COLIFORM STANDARDS for DRINKING WATER |
| Coliform: E-Coli | 0 | /100 ml |
| Color | 15 | Pt Co units(d) |
| Copper | Action Level=1.3(g) | mg/L |
| Fluoride | 2.2 | mg/L |
| Herbicides | see HERBICIDE CONTAMINATION in WATER | |
| Iron | 0.3(b) | mg/L |
| Lead | Action Level=0.015(g)(h) | mg/L - see LEAD CONTAMINATION in WATER, TEST |
| Manganese | 0.3 (b) | mg/L |
| Mercury | 0.002 | mg/L |
| Nitrate-nitrogen | 10 (f)(h) | mg/L |
| Nitrite-nitrogen | 1 (f)(h) | mg/L |
| Odor | 3 | TON (e) - see ODORS IN WATER |
| Pesticides | see PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION TEST | |
| Radon | see RADON HAZARD TESTS & MITIGATION | |
| Selenium | 0.01 | mg/L |
| Silver | 0.05 | mg/L |
| Sodium | designated limits (c) | mg/L |
| Sulfate | 250.0 | mg/L |
Zinc |
5.0 |
mg/L |
| Coliform Bacteria | <1 (h) | Colony /100 ml |
| Total Bacteria | <1 (h) | Colony /100 ml |
Notes to the table above
Notes about drinking water contaminant acceptable levels:
(a) mg/L = milligrams per liter
(b) If iron and manganese are present, the total concentration of both should not exceed 0.5 mg/L.
© Water containing more than 20 mg/L of sodium should not be used for drinking by people of severely restricted sodium diets. Water containing more than 270 mg/L of sodium should not be used for drinking by people on moderately restricted sodium diets.
(d) Color test result expressed as Platinum Cobalt Color Units
(e) Odor test result expressed as Threshold Odor Number
(f) If nitrate and nitrite are present, the total concentration of both should not exceed 10 mg/L.
(g) "Action level" is the concentration of lead or copper (in a sample of water drawn from a tap normally used for drinking after a 6-hour period of no water use) that, when exceeded, triggers actions to be taken by a water system.
(h) FHA "Short List" items
(i) FHA "Long List" items - (indications to be added after lab review)
- CT, BACTERIA in PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELLS [PDF] (2009) Connecticut DOH, adapted from "Healthy Drinking Water for Rhode Islanders", University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension (2003) - retrieved 2023/10/04, original source: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/dph/environmental_health/pdf/04BacteriainPrivateDrinkingWaterWells0409pdf.pdf
Excerpt:
If Water Tests Indicate the Presence of Coliform Bacteria
If a water test indicates the presence of coliform bacteria, you should not drink the water or use it for cooking, brushing teeth, etc.
The next step is to attempt to identify and eliminate the source of contamination. If you are unable to locate and eliminate the bacteria source and cannot afford a new well, you may need a long-term treatment method.
Overall, long-term treatment methods may result in being the most expensive alternative due to continuous operation and maintenance costs.
As you attempt to find the source of contamination, evaluate both well location and well construction.
Check the entire water distribution system for potential problem areas, including a garden hose without proper backflow prevention. Well location is a crucial safety factor.
A well that is downhill from a source of bacterial contamination runs a greater risk of contamination that a well on the uphill side of the pollution source.
Good well location requires minimum separation distances from sources of potential contamination, using the natural protection provided by soil filtration. Contact a registered well driller or pump installer for all well maintenance or repairs. - NB, FACTS on DRINKING WATER: Coliform Bacteria, Total Coliforms & E. Coli [PDF] New Brunswick Department of Health Protection, Woodstock, New Brunswick, 200 King St., New Brunswick Canada, Tel: 506-325-4408, retrieved 2023/10/04, original source: www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/h-s/pdf/en/HealthyEnvironments/water/Coliforme.pdf
- US EPA, REVISED TOTAL COLIFORM RULE: A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE [PDF] (2013) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - retrieved 2023/10/04, original source: https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100K9MP.txt
Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) 78 FR 10269, February 13, 2013, Vol. 78, No. 30
Excerpt:
The RTCR establishes a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for E. coli and uses E. coli and total coliforms to initiate a “find and fix” approach to address fecal contamination that could enter into the distribution system. It requires public water systems (PWSs) to perfor
Reader Comments & Q&
Qestion: "good readings" on water tests for mobile homes
Please help! I am stumped, how am i getting good readings at my well when im not adding any chlorine and still getting good readings through out all my mobile home rentals? - Smitty Smith 6/28/12
Reply:
Smitty:
What kind of good readings at your well?
If you mean a bacteria test that is not showing any bacterial contamiantion, if the current water coming into your system is not contaminated with bacteria it won't show up, chlorine or not.
...
Continue reading at WELL WATER CONTAMINATION: CAUSES, CURES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- BUILDING CODE DOWNLOADS - free downloadable PDF files of building codes & standards
- BACTERIA LEVELS in WATER, INTERPRETATION
- COLIFORM STANDARDS for DRINKING WATER
- CONTAMINANT CLASSES, in WATER
- FAILED WATER TESTS - WHEN to RE-TEST
- WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS & LIMITS
- WATER TEST PROCEDURAL ERRORS
- WATER TESTS for CONTAMINANTS - home
- WATER QUALITY TEST CHOICES & WATER TEST FEES - home
- WATER TEST PROCEDURAL ERRORS
- Watch out: also see WATER TESTING ADVICE for home buyers
and building owners: water contaminants, water test procedures, well shock procedures, preventing drinking water
contamination, and
CHEATING ON WATER TESTS that warns about how people accidentally or on purpose can obtain incorrect water test results.
Suggested citation for this web page
WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS & LIMITS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TESTING
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Thanks to Anne Smith at Smith Laboratory, 50 Scenic Drive, Hyde Park NY 845-229-6536 for assistance with this information.
- Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals. - Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
- Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods. - U.S. Army Field Manual 21-10, Field Hygiene and Sanitation, 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml
The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries. The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM. - When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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