Talbot County Water Works
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2021 - March 2021), tap water provided by this water utility was in serious violation federal health-based drinking water standards.
Utility Details
- Talbotton, Georgia
- Serves: 3,369
- Data available: 2014-2019
- Source: Purchased surface water
Contaminants Detected
7
EXCEED
EWG HEALTH
GUIDELINES
11 Total Contaminants
- Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
- Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
- The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
Looking for a countertop water filter?
Find out which filters earned EWG's recommendation
See the guideContaminants Detected
Bromodichloromethane
Potential Effect: cancer155x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINEBromodichloromethane
more aboutthis contaminant
Bromodichloromethane, one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Bromodichloromethane and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
Bromodichloromethane was found at 155 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.06 ppb for bromodichloromethane was proposed in 2018 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Chloroform
Potential Effect: cancer113x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINEChloroform
more aboutthis contaminant
Chloroform, one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Chloroform and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy.
Chloroform was found at 113 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.4 ppb for chloroform was proposed in 2018 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Dibromochloromethane
Potential Effect: cancer17x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINEDibromochloromethane
more aboutthis contaminant
Dibromochloromethane, one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Dibromochloromethane and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
Dibromochloromethane was found at 17 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for dibromochloromethane was proposed in 2018 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Dichloroacetic acid
Potential Effect: cancer66x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINEDichloroacetic acid
more aboutthis contaminant
Dichloroacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
Dichloroacetic acid was found at 66 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.2 ppb for dichloroacetic acid was proposed in 2020 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk.a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)†
Potential Effect: cancer310x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINEHaloacetic acids (HAA5)
more aboutthis contaminant
Haloacetic acids are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine are added to tap water. The group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards includes monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid.
Haloacetic acids (HAA5) was found at 310 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
Legal Limit
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for the group of five haloacetic acids, or HAA5, was defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG and represents a one-in-a-million lifetime cancer risk level. This health guideline protects against cancer.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)†
Potential Effect: cancer376x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINETotal trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
more aboutthis contaminant
Trihalomethanes are cancer-causing contaminants that form during water treatment with chlorine and other disinfectants. The total trihalomethanes group includes four chemicals: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) was found at 376 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
Legal Limit
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The health guideline of 0.15 parts per billion, or ppb, for the group of four trihalomethanes, or THM4/TTHM, was defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG and represents a one-in-one-million lifetime cancer risk level.Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Trichloroacetic acid
Potential Effect: cancer169x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINETrichloroacetic acid
more aboutthis contaminant
Trichloroacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
Trichloroacetic acid was found at 169 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for trichloroacetic acid was proposed in 2020 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk.a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Includes chemicals detected in 2017-2019 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority.
† HAA5 is a contaminant group that includes monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid. HAA9 is a contaminant group that includes the chemicals in HAA5 and bromochloroacetic acid, bromodichloroacetic acid, chlorodibromoacetic acid and tribromoacetic acid. TTHM is a contaminant group that includes bromodichloromethane, bromoform, chloroform and dibromochloromethane.
Bromoform
more aboutthis contaminant
Bromoform, one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Bromoform and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
How your levels compare
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.5 ppb for bromoform was proposed in 2018 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Dibromoacetic acid
more aboutthis contaminant
Dibromoacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
How your levels compare
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.04 ppb for dibromoacetic acid was defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG and represents a on-in-a-million lifetime cancer risk level. This health guideline protects against cancer.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Monobromoacetic acid
more aboutthis contaminant
Monobromoacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
How your levels compare
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 25 ppb for monobromoacetic acid was proposed in 2020 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk.. This health guideline protects against muscular degeneration.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Monochloroacetic acid
more aboutthis contaminant
Monochloroacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
How your levels compare
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
ppb = parts per billion
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 53 ppb for monochloroacetic acid was proposed in 2020 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk.. This health guideline protects against system toxicity.
Pollution Sources
Treatment Byproducts
Filtering Options
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Includes chemicals detected in 2017-2019 for which annual utility averages were lower than an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authori.
Talbot County Water Works compliance with legally mandated federal standards:
- From April 2019 to March 2021, Talbot County Water Works did not comply with health-based drinking water standards.
- 7 QUARTERSin violation of any federal drinking water standard from April 2019 to March 2021
- Over the last 3 years this water utility has spent 5 QUARTERSin significant violation of federal drinking water standards
Information in this section on Talbot County Water Works comes from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online database (ECHO).
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS UTILITYWater Filters That Can Reduce Contaminant Levels
| Contaminant | Activated Carbon | Reverse Osmosis | Ion Exchange |
| CONTAMINANTS ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES | |||
| Bromodichloromethane | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Chloroform | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Dibromochloromethane | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Dichloroacetic acid | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Trichloroacetic acid | ✔ | ✔ | |
| OTHER CONTAMINANTS DETECTED | |||
| Bromoform | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Dibromoacetic acid | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Monobromoacetic acid | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Monochloroacetic acid | ✔ | ✔ | |
Take Action
Contact Your Local Official
One of the best ways to push for cleaner water is to hold accountable the elected officials who have a say in water quality – from city hall and the state legislature to Congress all the way to the Oval Office – by asking questions and demanding answers.
LEARN MOREFilter Out Contaminants
Check out our recommendations for filters to protect your water against the detected contaminants.
EWG’S WATER FILTER GUIDE
