| Contaminants |
MCL or TT1
(mg/L)2 |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water |
Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
| Cryptosporidium |
TT 3
|
Gastrointestinal illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, cramps) |
Human and fecal animal waste |
| Giardia lamblia |
TT3 |
Gastrointestinal illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, cramps) |
Human and animal fecal waste |
| Heterotrophic plate count |
TT3 |
HPC has no health effects; it is an analytic method used to measure the variety of bacteria that are common in water. The lower the concentration of bacteria in drinking water, the better maintained the water system is. |
HPC measures a range of bacteria that are naturally present in the environment |
| Legionella |
TT3 |
Legionnaire's Disease, a type of pneumonia |
Found naturally in water; multiplies in heating systems |
| Total Coliforms (including fecal coliform and E. Coli) |
5.0%4 |
Not a health threat in itself; it is used to indicate whether other potentially harmful bacteria may be present |
Coliforms are naturally present in the environment; as well as feces; fecal coliforms and E. coli only come from human and animal fecal waste. |
| Turbidity |
TT3 |
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. It is used to indicate water quality and filtration effectiveness (e.g., whether disease-causing organisms are present). Higher turbidity levels are often associated with higher levels of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, parasites and some bacteria. These organisms can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. |
Soil runoff |
| Viruses (enteric) |
TT3 |
Gastrointestinal illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, cramps) |
Human and animal fecal waste |
Reverse Osmosis
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