Austin in Top 10 for Best Tap Water

When you visit someplace new, you probably notice how the tap water tastes right off the bat. At home, it may not be as noticeable. Regardless of where you drink tap water, it's something that affects us all.

The Environmental Working Group launched a 3 year project to create a database of tap water quality in cities where the population exceeds 250,000 people. It rates the water based on three factors: the total number of chemicals detected since 2004; the percentage of chemicals found of those tested; and the highest average level for an individual pollutant, relative to legal limits or national average amounts, including for the most common pollutants.

The reason for this analysis is because the EWG says the federal government has not changed one drinking standard since 2001. The EWG reports that more than half of the chemicals detected in municipal water sources are not subject to health or safety regulations, and, according to the EWG, can be present in any amount. The EWG says the feds have guidelines for other chemicals, but "49 of these contaminants have been found in one place or another at levels above those guidelines, polluting the tap water for 53.6 Americans."

The EWG reported since 2004, testing municipal water sources found 316 pollutants in the tap water we all drink. But, the good news for many of us is that according to the EWG, water utilities spend a lot of time treating the water - more than the EWG says the feds spend on protecting lakes and rivers from pollution in the first place.

The EWG's position is that the feds should conduct a national assessment of water quality and set new safety standards. In the meantime, the EWG has produced its own study, and rated Austin in 7th place among large cities with good, quality drinking water.

The database covers 48,000 communities in 45 states plus the District of Columbia. Other Texas cities making the list include Arlington and Fort Worth, placing first and third respectively. Houston falls on the other side of the list, ranking near the bottom at 95th place.