The Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database has been released to spotlight dangerous levels of contamination.
According to the database, contaminants above health guidelines or legal limits were found in all five High Plains states - Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska - between 2012 and 2017.
In Kansas, tests conducted by the state’s 870 utilities found 75 contaminants.
Of the 4,600 or so utilities tested in Texas, 152 contaminants were found. Seventy-one were found in Oklahoma’s 941 utilities tested.
Over 90 contaminants were found in Colorado’s 886 water utilities tested; and 87 were found in the 604 utilities tested in Nebraska.
To reduce your exposure to common drinking water pollutants, sign up for the Environmental Working Group’s guide to safe drinking water.
Photo credit: Paul Hudson
