The Power of Information

National Drinking Water Database


Tununak Water System - Lower Kalskag, AK

Serves 354 people - Test data available: 2008-2009

This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources to protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes test results for this utility and lists potential health concerns.

 
This Drinking Water System
National Average
Exceed Health GuidelinesTests showing chemicals at concentrations above health guidelines established by federal and state health agencies. These guidelines are typically set at a levels that pose no significant health risk.
8 chemicals
4
Health Standard ExceedencesChemicals detected at concentrations above the legal limit, the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCLs) established by the U.S. EPA. Most MCLs are based on annual averages, so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.
0 chemicals
0.5
Pollutants FoundThe total number of contaminants detected since 2004, according to data provided by the state water agency.
11 chemicals
8
Tests ConductedThe total number of number of water quality tests conducted by water utilities and recorded in data provided by the state water agency.
49 tests
420

Contaminants Exceeding Health Guidelines

ContaminantAverage/
Maximum
Result		Health Limit
Exceeded		Legal Limit
Exceeded

Testing History

-Tested      -Detected      -Over Health Guidelines      -Over Legal Limit*
BromodichloromethaneBromodichloromethane is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.3.17 ppb
4.05 ppb		Yes
MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb		No
80 ppb
DibromochloromethaneDibromochloromethane is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.2.38 ppb
2.53 ppb		Yes
0.4 ppb		No
80 ppb
ChloroformChloroform is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.4.13 ppb
6.93 ppb		Yes
5.7 ppb		No
80 ppb
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)Total trihalomethanes constitute the sum of four disinfection byproducts: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform.10 ppb
13.2 ppb		Yes
9.8 ppb		No
80 ppb
BromoformBromoform is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.0.32 ppb
0.64 ppb		Yes
MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb		No
80 ppb
Dichloroacetic acidDichloroacetic acid is a disinfection byproduct regulated by EPA as one of five haloacetic acids that are formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.1.1 ppb
1.1 ppb		Yes
MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb		No
60 ppb
Total haloacetic acids (HAAs)Total haloacetic acids refers to the sum of the concentrations of five related disinfection byproducts in a water sample: dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monochloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid.2.6 ppb
2.6 ppb		Yes
0.7 ppb		No
60 ppb
Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)Dichloromethane is a widely-used paint remover, solvent and metal degreasing agent; it is discharged into the environment from the manufacture of chemicals, textiles, electronics, metals and plastics, pharmaceuticals and pesticides.0.58 ppb
0.58 ppb		Yes
MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb		No
5 ppb
NOTE: Each dot in the above graph represents one month.
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

Other Detected Contaminants

ContaminantAverage/
Maximum
Result		Health Limit
Exceeded		Legal Limit
Exceeded

Testing History

-Tested      -Detected      -Over Health Guidelines      -Over Legal Limit*
Barium (total)Barium is a mineral that enters drinking water through drilling and mining waste runoff, discharges from chemical industries and erosion of natural deposits.94.8 ppb
94.8 ppb		No
700 ppb		No
2000 ppb
Nitrate & nitriteNitrate and nitrite enter water from fertilizer runoff, leaching from septic tanks, and erosion of natural deposits.0.37 ppm
0.37 ppm		No
10 ppm		No
10 ppm
Dibromoacetic acidDibromoacetic acid is a disinfection byproduct regulated by EPA as one of five haloacetic acids that are formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.1.5 ppb
1.5 ppb		NoNo
60 ppb
NOTE: Each dot in the above graph represents one month.
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

Contaminants Not Detected - 32 chemicals

1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Antimony (total), Arsenic (total), Benzene, Beryllium (total), Cadmium (total), Carbon tetrachloride, Chromium (total), cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Cyanide, Ethylbenzene, Mercury (total inorganic), Monobromoacetic acid, Monochloroacetic acid, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, Selenium (total), Styrene, Tetrachloroethylene, Thallium (total), Toluene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Trichloroacetic acid, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl chloride, Xylenes (total)

Pollution Summary

11Total Contaminants Detected (2008 - 2009)

Barium (total), Nitrate & nitrite, Dichloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Chloroform, Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

1Agricultural Pollutants
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

Nitrate & nitrite

2Sprawl and Urban Pollutants
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)

Nitrate & nitrite, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

3Industrial Pollutants

Barium (total), Nitrate & nitrite, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

8Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

Dichloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Chloroform, Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

2Naturally Occurring
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

Barium (total), Nitrate & nitrite

EPA Violation Summary

Violation CategoryNumber of Violations

(click see violations)		1
ViolationDate of Violation
MCL and Treatment
(click see violations)10Reporting
(click see violations)2Monitoring
(click see violations)101

Information on violations is drawn directly from EPA's national violations database in the Agency's Safe Drinking Water Information System. Analyses by others have raised questions about the quality of the information in EPA's database. For the purposes of this investigation, EWG is not showing below or including in our analyses, those violations for individual water suppliers that occurred on days for which the total number of violations assigned by EPA to that water supplier was greater than 20. This criteria was based on common characteristics of incorrect violations data as identified by water utilities, from a review of EPA's violations data by several hundred utilities prior to the release of EWG's investigation.