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EWG's Tap Water Database — 2021 UPDATE

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Cornwall Water Company

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, 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

  • Cornwall, Connecticut
  • Serves: 48
  • Data available: 2014-2019
  • Source: Groundwater

Contaminants Detected

1

EXCEED
EWG HEALTH
GUIDELINES

6 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.

What To Do

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Contaminants Detected

VIEW: EXCEED GUIDELINES OTHER DETECTED

Uranium

Potential Effect: cancer3.3x EWG'S HEALTH GUIDELINE
THIS UTILITY1.43 pCi/L
EWG HEALTH GUIDELINE0.43 pCi/L
LEGAL LIMIT20 pCi/L
DETAILS
X

Uranium

more about
this contaminant

Uranium is a known human carcinogen. The federal legal limit for uranium is set at 30 micrograms per liter (corresponding to parts per billion), but utilities can also report uranium in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is a measure of radioactivity in water. EWG translated all uranium results to pCi/L using a conversion factor developed by the EPA. With this conversion approach, the limit of 30 ppb corresponds to 20 pCi/L. Drinking water with this much uranium would cause more than 4.6 cancer cases in a population of 100,000. California set a public health goal for uranium of 0.43 pCi/L.

Uranium was found at 3.3 times above EWG's Health Guideline.

EWG Health Guideline

0.43 pCi/L or less

This Utility

1.43 pCi/L

Legal Limit

20 pCi/L

National Average

1.04 pCi/L

State Average

0.15 pCi/L
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2014-2019.
pCi/L = picocuries per liter

Health Risks

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.43 pCi/L for uranium was defined 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. Three most common uranium isotopes are U-234, U-235 and U-238. All isotopes of uranium are radioactive, and the total radioactivity depends on the ratio of isotopes. This health guideline protects against cancer.

VIEW MORE TESTING DATA

Pollution Sources

Industry

Naturally Occurring

Filtering Options

Reverse Osmosis

Ion Exchange

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; radiological contaminants detected between 2014 and 2019.

Other Contaminants Tested

✕

Chemicals tested for but not detected from 2014 to 2019:

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane , 1,1,1-Trichloroethane , 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane , 1,1,2-Trichloroethane , 1,1-Dichloroethane , 1,1-Dichloroethylene , 1,1-Dichloropropene , 1,2,3-Trichloropropane , 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene , 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene , 1,2-Dichloroethane , 1,2-Dichloropropane , 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene , 1,3-Dichloropropane , 1,3-Dichloropropene , 2,2-Dichloropropane , Antimony , Arsenic , Benzene , Beryllium , Bromobenzene , Bromodichloromethane , Bromoform , Bromomethane , Cadmium , Carbon tetrachloride , Chloroethane , Chloroform , Chloromethane , Chromium (total) , cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene , Cyanide , Dibromochloromethane , Dibromomethane , Dichloromethane (methylene chloride) , Ethylbenzene , m-Dichlorobenzene , Mercury (inorganic) , Monochlorobenzene (chlorobenzene) , MTBE , n-Butylbenzene , n-Propylbenzene , Naphthalene , Nitrite , o-Chlorotoluene , o-Dichlorobenzene , p-Chlorotoluene , p-Dichlorobenzene , Radium, combined (-226 & -228) , Silver , Styrene , Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) , Thallium , Toluene , trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene , Trichloroethylene , Vinyl chloride , Xylenes (total)

Cornwall Water Company compliance with legally mandated federal standards:

  • From April 2019 to March 2021, Cornwall Water Company did not comply with health-based drinking water standards.
  • 12 QUARTERS
    in violation of any federal drinking water standard from April 2019 to March 2021
  • Over the last 3 years this water utility has spent
    7 QUARTERS
    in significant violation of federal drinking water standards

Information in this section on Cornwall Water Company comes from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online database (ECHO).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS UTILITY

Water Filters That Can Reduce Contaminant Levels

ContaminantActivated Carbonactivated carbonReverse Osmosisreverse osmosisIon Exchangeion exchange
CONTAMINANTS ABOVE
HEALTH GUIDELINES
Uranium, combined (pCi/L)✔✔
OTHER CONTAMINANTS
DETECTED
Barium✔✔
Fluoride✔
Nitrate✔✔
Nitrate & nitrite✔✔
Selenium✔

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.

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Filter Out Contaminants

Check out our recommendations for filters to protect your water against the detected contaminants.

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