ARKANSAS
713 systems serving 2,929,506 people		  
 
 
  This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in Arkansas, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Arkansas Department of Health. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.

 
Chemicals
Water Utilities
Population Served
Detected Chemicals
94
713
2,929,506
Exceed health guidelines*
43
713
2,929,506
Exceed Legal Limits*
24
304
2,035,598
Unregulated chemicals detected
31
439
2,535,854
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.
 
 
 
  43 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits

Contaminants detected in Arkansas drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities

Contaminant
Population
Number of Systems
At Any Level Above Health Limits At Any Level Above Health Limits
Total haloacetic acids (HAAs) 2,869,274 2,869,274 662 662
Dibromochloromethane 2,842,391 2,820,519 636 633
Bromodichloromethane 2,811,867 2,811,867 599 599
Dichloroacetic acid 2,788,749 2,788,749 615 615
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 2,914,334 2,626,332 701 492
Lead (total) 2,500,486 2,500,486 646 646
Chloroform 2,873,361 2,404,685 664 414
Bromoform 1,796,831 1,796,831 377 377
Trichloroacetic acid 2,642,871 1,605,315 515 193
Radium-226 1,432,924 1,432,924 269 269

 
 
 
  Sources of Arkansas Drinking Water Contaminants

The contaminants identified in Arkansas drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.

94 Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2009)
20 Agricultural Pollutants
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

Arsenic (total), Cyanide, Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Methoxychlor, Toxaphene, Paraquat, Diquat, Simazine, Metolachlor, Atrazine, Propachlor, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, Bromomethane, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), Ethylene dibromide (EDB), p-Dichlorobenzene, Ethylbenzene
38 Sprawl and Urban Pollutants
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)

Nitrate, Copper, Nitrate & nitrite, Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Tetrachloroethylene, MTBE, Nitrite, Xylenes (total), Cadmium (total), Antimony (total), Mercury (total inorganic), m- & p- Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Cyanide, Benzene, Silver (total), p-Dichlorobenzene, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Di-n-butylphthalate, 2,4-D, Naphthalene, p-Xylene, Phenanthrene, Pyrene, Butyl Benzylphthalate, tert-Butylbenzene, Fluoranthene, Fluorene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, 2,4,5-T, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Anthracene, Acenaphthene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, Paraquat
66 Industrial Pollutants

Aluminum, Arsenic (total), Chlorite, Barium (total), Cadmium (total), Chromium (total),Cyanide, Lead (total), Manganese, Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Silver (total), Antimony (total), Thallium (total), p-Isopropyltoluene, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Chloromethane, Chloroethane, Naphthalene, MTBE, Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene, Pyrene, Di-n-butylphthalate, Butyl Benzylphthalate, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, Pentachlorophenol, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Dibromomethane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, tert-Butylbenzene, Bromochloromethane, Ethylene dibromide (EDB), Xylenes (total), p-Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), p-Dichlorobenzene, Vinyl chloride, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Carbon tetrachloride, Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene, Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, m- & p- Xylene, Combined Uranium (mg/L), Radium-226, Radium-228, Potassium-40 (total), Alpha particle activity, Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
23 Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Bromoform, Dibromoacetic acid, Monochloroacetic acid, Bromochloroacetic acid, Monobromoacetic acid, Chlorite, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Cadmium (total), Chloromethane, Bromate, Vinyl chloride, Dibromomethane, Bromochloromethane, Chloroethane, Fluoranthene, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene
20 Naturally Occurring
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

Nitrate, Copper, Nitrate & nitrite, Barium (total), Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Manganese, Radium-228, Radium-226, Alpha particle activity, Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L), Chromium (total), Combined Uranium (mg/L), Aluminum, NitLrite, Mercury (total inorganic), Chloromethane, Cyanide, Silver (total), Potassium-40 (total)
32 Unregulated Contaminants
EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for these contaminants

Lead (total), Paraquat, p-Isopropyltoluene, Metolachlor, Propachlor, 2,4,5-T, Chloromethane, Bromomethane, Chloroethane, Naphthalene, MTBE, Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene, Pyrene, Di-n-butylphthalate, Butyl Benzylphthalate, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Dibromomethane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, tert-Butylbenzene, Bromochloromethane, Bromochloroacetic acid, Potassium-40 (total), Uranium-238 (pCi/L)
 
 
 
  Testing Summary for Arkansas

The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.

Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in Arkansas 163
  Contaminants tested due to federal law: 85
  Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: 78
 
 
 
  Violation Summary for Arkansas

Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in Arkansas since 2004.

Violation Type Number of Violations
Over maximum contaminant level, Average 564
Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) 343
Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) 201
Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report 173
Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule 165
Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) 149
Treatment Technique (Surface Water Treatment Rule) 80
Failure to monitor or report, Routine/Repeat (Indicators of microbial or virus contamination) 61
Filter Turbidity Reporting 53
Inadequate reporting of information to the public 50
Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) 45
Failure to Filter (Surface Water Treatment Rule) 43
Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample 41
Excess Turbidity at 0.3 NTU 40
Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling 37
Treatment Technique Precursor Removal 36
Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) 31
Excess Turbidity at 1 NTU 22
Public Education 21
Treatment Technique No Certif. Operator 14
Water Quality Program Entry Point Non-Compliance 13
Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper 7
Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) 4
Failure to notify public of violation 3
Initial Water Quality Parameter Monitoring and Reporting 2
Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Study Recommendation 2
Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Installation/Demonstration 1



Sources : EWG (Environmental Working Group)