Current issues
Clark Public Utilities provides water service to almost 90,000 people in much of suburban and rural Clark County. In order to make sure tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the amount of certain substances in public water systems.
The levels of all regulated and non-regulated substances found in Clark Public Utilities' water are extremely low and well within the "healthy water" guidelines set by the EPA.
We also continue to improve security of our facilities to prevent unauthorized access and potential threats to your water supply.
Arsenic in drinking water
The Environmental Protection Agency's standard for the acceptable level
of arsenic in public drinking water is 10 parts per billion or the
equivalent of one teaspoon per 1.3 million gallons of drinking water.
The utility has no problem meeting this standard. In fact the level of
arsenic in our water would meet an even tighter EPA standard of 3-5
parts per billion that has been suggested by some experts.
Testing of Clark's various sources showed that all measurements were less than five parts per billion.
EPA's standard balances the current understanding of arsenic's possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.
Radon in drinking water
EPA has proposed establishing an MCL for radon in drinking water. Radon
is a gas that has no color, odor or taste. It's created by the natural
radioactive breakdown of uranium in the ground. Breathing radon indoors
is the primary public health risk of this gas.
We tested our supply wells for radon in 2006, and found levels of this gas ranging from 155 to 610 picocuries per liter (a unit of measurement for radiation).
Call the EPA Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 for more information.
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)
You may have seen or read news reports about a groundwater contaminant
called methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE. This substance is a
gasoline additive that enables cars to reduce environmentally damaging
emissions. Leaking underground storage tanks and gasoline spills have
introduced MTBE to soil and groundwater, where it can move rapidly. We
have found no traces of MTBE in our wells.
Boomsnub/BOC Gases Superfund clean up
The utility continues to monitor activities associated with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's Boomsnub/BOC Gases Superfund clean-up
site in Clark County. No contaminants from this site have been detected
in the water supplies within our well protection network.
Close monitoring will continue to ensure water delivered to you is
safe. For more detailed information, please call the EPA at
1-800-424-4372.