The US Environmental Protection Agency, who sets the standards for national drinking water, regulates over 80 contaminants to help secure your water’s safety. In 2011, the EPA made modifications to the Safe Drinking Water Act to reduce the maximum allowable lead content to be a weighted average of 0.25% calculated across the wetted surface of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures. However, the purity of your water also depends on the source and the number of chemicals and bacteria it’s exposed to in its journey through the pipes to your kitchen sink. For example, with the case of Flint, Michigan, due to the lack of federal action, lead from old pipes and pollution from nearby lumber, paper and chemical plants got into the water. A group of Virginia Tech researchers found some lead levels to meet the EPA’s definition of toxic waste.

The EPA says that 90% of U.S. public water systems meet its standards and their Public Notification Rule requires public water systems to alert you if there is a problem with the drinking water. If you’re curious about the quality of Gainesville’s water, you can visit the website ewg.com which allows you to view the quality of your water supply. According to the EWG database, all 15 of Alachua County’s water plants are in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.