Data about chromium-6 concentrations in Sacramento County's public water supply offer valuable insight but do not reveal the exact levels found in any individual home. The Sacramento Suburban Water District, serving nearly 195,000 people with surface water, has been monitored under the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule from 2013 to 2015. This record provides a regional overview of chromium(VI) occurrences while confirming there are no health-based violations in this system's water.
Geogenic Hexavalent Chromium in Arid and Alkaline Aquifers Versus Industrial Plating Sources
A common belief is that chromium-6 stems mainly from industrial contamination. In Sacramento County, however, the supply is surface water sourced, not groundwater from aquifers affected by natural geogenic chromium-6 or industrial plating discharges. Recognizing the water source type helps households understand that chromium(VI) presence here reflects different environmental factors than those seen in some arid or industrial zones.
How Oxidation State Changes Between the Well, the Distribution Main, and the Tap
Chromium can exist in several forms, with hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) being one. Its oxidation state may shift due to water chemistry changes as water moves from source to tap. This means chromium-6 levels measured in a source sample can differ in the water arriving at a residence. Thus, regional monitoring results provide a trend but cannot pinpoint household-specific hexavalent chromium content.
How to Compare This Area's Record with a Neighboring County's Without Overreading It
Comparing Sacramento's chromium-6 data with neighboring counties requires caution. Differences in water sources, treatment practices, and geology mean each system's results arise from unique circumstances. For example, Sacramento Suburban Water District's 122 samples showed hexavalent chromium detections mostly between 0.03 µg/L and 12.0 µg/L (micrograms per liter), with a median of 3.95 µg/L. Another county's readings may reflect different ranges and should not be used to infer levels here.
How Ion Exchange and Reverse Osmosis Differ in What They Do to Chromium(VI) Specifically
When weighing treatment options at home, the technology choices for addressing chromium(VI) merit consideration. Ion exchange works by exchanging chromium-6 ions with less problematic ions on a resin, effectively reducing chromium(VI) concentration. Reverse osmosis physically filters out chromium-6 by forcing water through a semipermeable membrane, which blocks many dissolved contaminants, including hexavalent chromium. These approaches involve different mechanisms, maintenance needs, and water use characteristics.
A Worked Example: Reading the Record's Median and Range as a Homeowner Would
The regional results for the Sacramento system under EPA UCMR3 monitoring found hexavalent chromium detected in 120 of 122 samples above the reporting level of 0.03 micrograms per liter (ppb). The median detected concentration was 3.95 ppb, and the highest was 12.0 ppb. There is no federal maximum contaminant level (MCL) for chromium-6 specifically, and all chromium results remained well below the total chromium MCL of 100 micrograms per liter. This means the presence of chromium(VI) in the supply is documented but not deemed a violation or health hazard by federal standards.
How the Documented Treatment Technology Removes or Neutralises the Constituent
The Pentair Chromium-6 Filter employs proven water treatment technology to reduce hexavalent chromium at home. It is configured for straightforward integration into residential plumbing setups and designed to lower chromium(VI) to levels below detection or to a point significantly improving water quality. By selecting such equipment, homeowners gain control over their water quality beyond what regional sampling data indicate.
In summary, the Sacramento Suburban Water District's chromium-6 occurrence data reflect system-wide conditions verified by the EPA's UCMR3 monitoring from 2013 to 2015. The record does not measure any single home's water chromium-6 level and shows no health-based violations for hexavalent chromium or total chromium. For precise water quality, household-specific testing is necessary. The federal data and documented treatment options like the Pentair Chromium-6 Filter provide useful guidance for residential decision-making. More details are available through the EPA public water system record.
Where this information comes from
Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2015-08-19. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.
On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Sacramento Suburban Water District (CA3410001), CA: 244 results across 2 listed contaminants, 239 detections above the reporting level; no federal MCL for hexavalent chromium; total chromium MCL 100 ug/L
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