City: Quality report shows Oak Ridge has excellent drinking water
Also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, it was mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 as an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The report, which contains information on the quality of the drinking water delivered by the city to the water customers, as well as characterizing the risks from exposure to contaminants, again shows that Oak Ridgers have excellent drinking water. The city's report indicates that Oak Ridge water was in compliance in all respects with state and federal drinking water requirements in 2024, according to a city news release.
The state rule requires every community water system to produce a report by July 1 of each year and make it available to each customer served by the water system. Paper copies of the water quality report are available by calling (865) 425-1875. For more information, visit the city's website at oakridgetn.gov, the EPA Office of Water at epa.gov/environmental-topics/water-topics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov, or the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation at tn.gov/environment.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: City: Quality report shows Oak Ridge has excellent drinking water
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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump told polluters to email him for an exemption. In California, three places have already been approved
Three industrial facilities in California have received exemptions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to emit a carcinogenic chemical after the Trump administration invited large emitters to bypass key provisions of the Clean Air Act by simply sending an email. The EPA in March announced that it would allow large stationary sources of air pollution — that is, sources that aren't vehicles — to apply for an exemption that would enable them to avoid regulations that limit hazardous emissions. The provision in question applies to the regulation of nearly 200 pollutants, including mercury, arsenic, benzene and formaldehyde. The nation's top environmental agency said the exemptions could be granted under the president's authority 'if the technology to implement the standard is not available and it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so.' Environmental groups were outraged by the announcement — dubbing the email offer as an 'inbox from hell.' As of publication, at least 340 facilities nationwide have received or applied for exemptions from the EPA, including 87 in Texas, 51 in Louisiana and 18 in Pennsylvania, according to a tracker created by the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. So far, three facilities in California have applied for and received approval. All three belong to Sterigenics, a company that provides industrial sterilization technology for medical devices and other commercial products at two locations in Los Angeles and one in San Bernardino County. The rule from which they are seeking relief applies to a chemical known as ethylene oxide, or EtO, which is commonly used to sterilize medical devices that can't be cleaned using steam or radiation. An estimated 50% of sterile medical devices in the U.S. are treated with EtO. The colorless gas is also used to make chemicals found in products such as antifreeze, detergents, plastics and adhesives. 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Trump in that same order listed nearly 40 facilities receiving exemptions from EtO compliance deadlines for two years, including the Southern California plants belonging to Sterigenics, one in Ontario, and two across the street from each other in Vernon. In a statement, a Sterigenics spokesperson said the company 'remains committed to operating safe facilities that protect patients, employees and communities.' 'The company has proactively implemented additional enhancements to further reduce already negligible levels of EtO emissions,' the statement said. 'This extension to the timeline will allow Sterigenics to continue to make thoughtful, proactive investments and focus resources on ensuring stable, reliable compliance.' According to public data, the two Sterigenics plants in Vernon released a combined 78 lbs of ethylene oxide emissions in 2024, while the one in Ontario released 612 lbs. 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USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
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MAP: Where water systems reported PFAS contamination Click on a system in the map below to review its PFAS measurements. You may also enter an address in the search box to locate the nearest water systems. Don't see a map? Click here. USA TODAY's analysis shows larger water utilities more frequently fail to meet the EPA's standards for the two chemicals it still plans to limit: PFOA and PFOS. Nearly a quarter of systems serving over 100,000 people had average results exceeding the limit, compared to about 8% of those with fewer than 10,000 customers. But in the latest data release, it's some of the smaller communities that have reported the most eye-popping concentrations of forever chemicals in their drinking water. Nashville, North Carolina, a town of 6,000 east of Raleigh, reported one well that measured PFOS at 490 parts per trillion (ppt) last fall and then at 200 ppt in March. The EPA limit is 4 ppt, which puts the average of those samples 86 times over the limit. 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Los Angeles Times
25-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Opinion: Looking into a lead-filled society
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