Germanium

Status: No national drinking water standard exists

Germanium is a naturally occuring element used as a component in semiconductors and fiber optics. Excessive exposures to germanium may harm the kidneys.

2018-2021:

FOUND

states detected

1,010

utilities detected

36 million

people served

Health concerns for germanium

Harm to the kidney

Harm to the liver

Anemia

Muscle weakness

Harm to the peripheral nervous system

States reporting germanium in drinking water

	UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION
State	Utilities	People Served
California		127	9,227,689
Texas		306	7,965,659
Arizona		72	5,331,652
New York		10	1,661,596
New Jersey		16	1,531,374
Illinois		68	1,211,554
Louisiana		37	1,052,271
Oklahoma		10	775,531
Utah		13	739,488
Idaho		19	682,645
New Mexico		30	599,748
Mississippi		28	567,184
Florida		12	498,862
Alabama		30	469,516
North Carolina		53	468,070
Nevada		8	432,293
Iowa		42	367,409
Indiana		13	343,752
Michigan		6	301,893
Washington		15	282,884
Pennsylvania		8	264,086
Kansas		15	195,123
Oregon		7	184,167
Minnesota		7	159,946
Georgia		9	146,886
Massachusetts		7	122,139
Wisconsin		7	113,702
Montana		5	100,585
South Carolina		5	94,723
Maryland		1	82,731
Colorado		6	78,913
Nebraska		5	57,653
South Dakota		3	29,184
Hawaii		1	20,065
Alaska		1	15,868
Missouri		2	12,700
Wyoming		2	10,651
Virginia		1	7,872
Ohio		1	4,144
Tennessee		1	2,557
Kentucky		1	520

LESS

Filtering technologies that reduce germanium

Utilities with the highest amounts of germanium, 2018-2021

ALL UTILITIES

LARGE UTILITIES

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
City of Lemoore	Lemoore, CA	8 of 8	11.6 ppb	24,945
Dixon Water Company	Three Rivers, CA	2 of 2	9.25 ppb	28
City of Hanford	Hanford, CA	31 of 31	7.88 ppb	55,880
Buckeye Water District 50	Deville, LA	4 of 4	5.70 ppb	11,700
Cedar Point	Austin, TX	4 of 4	5.55 ppb	1,353
City of Pineville Water System	Pineville, LA	14 of 14	5.31 ppb	20,315
Pioneer Mobile Home Park LLC	Boise, ID	4 of 4	5.00 ppb	53
Wilshire Heights Mutual Water Company	Santa Rosa, CA	2 of 2	4.85 ppb	100
Hot Springs Municipal Water	Hot Springs, MT	4 of 4	3.63 ppb	600
City of Corcoran	Corcoran, CA	2 of 2	3.50 ppb	24,813
Concordia Waterworks District 1	Ferriday, LA	2 of 2	3.45 ppb	6,921
Latanier Water Association*	Alexandria, LA	13 of 15	3.41 ppb	300
City of Alexandria Water System*	Alexandria, LA	13 of 15	3.41 ppb	54,782
Shivers Water Association	Pinola, MS	2 of 4	2.83 ppb	2,200
City of Colusa	Colusa, CA	8 of 8	2.53 ppb	5,625
City of Galt	Galt, CA	6 of 6	2.04 ppb	22,982
City of Mendota	Mendota, CA	6 of 6	1.98 ppb	11,104
West Jackson County Utility District	Ocean Springs, MS	8 of 8	1.94 ppb	25,022
Prosser City Of	Prosser, WA	2 of 2	1.92 ppb	6,145
Gardner Community Water System	Boyce, LA	12 of 12	1.83 ppb	4,341
Atkinson	Peru, IL	4 of 4	1.81 ppb	945
Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District	Lewiston, ID	3 of 4	1.65 ppb	20,000
City of Ocean Springs*	Ocean Springs, MS	9 of 9	1.64 ppb	17,500
Colonial Estates # 3	Ocean Springs, MS	9 of 9	1.64 ppb	138
City of Tomball*	Tomball, TX	4 of 4	1.60 ppb	12,924
Pennsylvania American Water Lake Scranton	Wilkes-barre, PA	1 of 20	1.60 ppb	134,570
Red Oak Terrace	Pinehurst, TX	4 of 4	1.60 ppb	156
Crystal Tp	Verdi, NV	1 of 1	1.60 ppb	80
City of Gautier	Gautier, MS	14 of 15	1.56 ppb	18,572
Shoshoni, Town Of	Shoshoni, WY	2 of 2	1.45 ppb	650
Charlotte Dev Co-knollwood S/d	Long Beach, MS	4 of 4	1.45 ppb	87
City of Santa Rosa	Santa Rosa, CA	2 of 4	1.43 ppb	170,236
City of West Richland	West Richland, WA	4 of 12	1.43 ppb	15,320
Outlook Wa	Salinas, CA	3 of 5	1.40 ppb	45
City of Natchez	Natchez, MS	2 of 2	1.25 ppb	15,792
City of Grandview	Grandview, WA	6 of 22	1.24 ppb	11,010
Buffalo Hollow Farms Water Assoc	Chillicothe, IL	2 of 2	1.22 ppb	45
City of Mount Clemens	Traverse City, MI	1 of 4	1.18 ppb	18,405
City of Hermiston	Hermiston, OR	6 of 12	1.18 ppb	18,200
City of Gulfport	Saucier, MS	35 of 36	1.15 ppb	72,935
Bayou Liberty Water Association	Slidell, LA	4 of 6	1.13 ppb	10,500
Fairway Crossing	Austin, TX	2 of 2	1.12 ppb	645
Sunrise Vista Utilities	Ft Mohave, AZ	18 of 18	1.07 ppb	1,500
Epcor Water - Rio Vista Ranches	Phoenix, AZ	18 of 18	1.07 ppb	59
Bermuda Water Company Inc*	Fort Mohave, AZ	18 of 18	1.07 ppb	18,000
Moxee Water Department	Moxee, WA	6 of 6	1.03 ppb	4,010
City of Biloxi	Biloxi, MS	12 of 13	1.02 ppb	24,053
Vaughn WC Inc	Bakersfield, CA	11 of 24	0.968 ppb	29,825
City of Italy	Italy, TX	2 of 2	0.965 ppb	2,190
City of Hidalgo	Hidalgo, TX	4 of 4	0.925 ppb	12,200

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Germanium, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
City of Lemoore	Lemoore, CA	8 of 8	11.6 ppb	24,945
City of Hanford	Hanford, CA	31 of 31	7.88 ppb	55,880
Buckeye Water District 50	Deville, LA	4 of 4	5.70 ppb	11,700
City of Pineville Water System	Pineville, LA	14 of 14	5.31 ppb	20,315
City of Corcoran	Corcoran, CA	2 of 2	3.50 ppb	24,813
City of Alexandria Water System*	Alexandria, LA	13 of 15	3.41 ppb	54,782
City of Galt	Galt, CA	6 of 6	2.04 ppb	22,982
City of Mendota	Mendota, CA	6 of 6	1.98 ppb	11,104
West Jackson County Utility District	Ocean Springs, MS	8 of 8	1.94 ppb	25,022
Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District	Lewiston, ID	3 of 4	1.65 ppb	20,000
City of Ocean Springs*	Ocean Springs, MS	9 of 9	1.64 ppb	17,500
Pennsylvania American Water Lake Scranton	Wilkes-barre, PA	1 of 20	1.60 ppb	134,570
City of Tomball*	Tomball, TX	4 of 4	1.60 ppb	12,924
City of Gautier	Gautier, MS	14 of 15	1.56 ppb	18,572
City of West Richland	West Richland, WA	4 of 12	1.43 ppb	15,320
City of Santa Rosa	Santa Rosa, CA	2 of 4	1.43 ppb	170,236
City of Natchez	Natchez, MS	2 of 2	1.25 ppb	15,792
City of Grandview	Grandview, WA	6 of 22	1.24 ppb	11,010
City of Hermiston	Hermiston, OR	6 of 12	1.18 ppb	18,200
City of Mount Clemens	Traverse City, MI	1 of 4	1.18 ppb	18,405
City of Gulfport	Saucier, MS	35 of 36	1.15 ppb	72,935
Bayou Liberty Water Association	Slidell, LA	4 of 6	1.13 ppb	10,500
Bermuda Water Company Inc*	Fort Mohave, AZ	18 of 18	1.07 ppb	18,000
City of Biloxi	Biloxi, MS	12 of 13	1.02 ppb	24,053
Vaughn WC Inc	Bakersfield, CA	11 of 24	0.968 ppb	29,825
City of Hidalgo	Hidalgo, TX	4 of 4	0.925 ppb	12,200
City of McFarland	Mcfarland, CA	3 of 3	0.913 ppb	12,333
City of Granbury*	Granbury, TX	3 of 16	0.913 ppb	11,300
City of Plaquemine Water System*	Plaquemine, LA	3 of 4	0.868 ppb	14,043
City of Nampa	Nampa, ID	25 of 28	0.850 ppb	81,557
Military Highway WSC - Progreso	Progreso, TX	4 of 4	0.850 ppb	11,136
City of Moses Lake	Moses Lake, WA	25 of 34	0.849 ppb	22,930
Laguna Madre Water District	Port Isabel, TX	8 of 8	0.800 ppb	19,908
City of Brookhaven	Brookhaven, MS	3 of 4	0.800 ppb	12,513
Arizona Water Company - Pinal Valley*	Phoenix, AZ	19 of 20	0.798 ppb	88,019
City of Baker Water System	Baker, LA	8 of 8	0.792 ppb	13,855
Global Water - Santa Cruz Water Company	Maricopa, AZ	2 of 2	0.780 ppb	17,005
City of Sonoma	Sonoma, CA	10 of 12	0.754 ppb	10,807
Sahuarita Water Company	Tucson, AZ	2 of 2	0.735 ppb	16,200
City of Salina*	Salina, KS	4 of 4	0.725 ppb	46,716
City of Kuna	Kuna, ID	6 of 10	0.724 ppb	22,830
Texas A&M University Main Campus	College Station, TX	4 of 4	0.723 ppb	62,500
City of Mission	Mission, TX	8 of 8	0.713 ppb	77,058
Diberville WS	D'iberville, MS	4 of 6	0.700 ppb	13,282
City of Bryan*	Bryan, TX	2 of 2	0.700 ppb	84,571
Dona Ana MDWCA	Dona Ana, NM	7 of 7	0.686 ppb	16,217
Eufaula Water Works	Eufaula, AL	12 of 12	0.679 ppb	17,958
Rio Rancho Water and Waterworks Services	Rio Rancho, NM	12 of 14	0.671 ppb	98,085
US Army Fort Irwin	Fort Irwin, CA	2 of 2	0.655 ppb	16,000
Indian Wells Valley WD	Ridgecrest, CA	9 of 16	0.648 ppb	29,000