Atlanta’s Water Testing Offers Peace of Mind

Recent news about the presence of hexavalent chromium (chromium 6) in US water supplies has caused some anxiety among residents. Please note, the City of Atlanta tests for more than 150 contaminants every year. These tests are required by EPA, and the results can be found in the annual Water Quality Report, which is issued in June. Chromium 6 is primarily found in groundwater; Atlanta’s water supply is almost entirely surface water from the Chattahoochee River.

The effects of chromium 6 were publicized in the movie, “Erin Brockovich.” However, in the movie, a gas and electric utility had illegally, improperly and purposely dumped chromium 6 that found its way into the groundwater in significant amounts. No such situation exists in Atlanta.

Testing shows that Atlanta meets all federal and state standards for the presence of all forms of chromium.