Press Release

Austin Utilities provides over one billion gallons of safe, high-quality drinking water to the citizens of Austin each year. Water is pumped from seven deep groundwater wells ranging in depth from 110 to 1075 feet in depth. Water in the Austin municipal system is drawn from water-bearing rock layers called aquifers. An aquifer is any type of geologic material, such as sand or sandstone, which can supply water to wells or springs. Austin’s water is drawn from three different aquifers at a variety of depths.

Austin’s water quality is especially high due to the depth of the wells and the quality of the source.

Water professionals are researching the occurrence of personal care products and pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water supplies and are paying close attention to health effects research in this area.  They have technology to detect more substances – at lower levels – than ever before. As analytical methods improve, pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products are being found at very low levels in many of our nation’s lakes, rivers and streams.

The fact that a substance is detectable does not mean the substance is harmful to humans. To date, research throughout the world has not demonstrated an impact on human health from pharmaceuticals and  endocrine disrupting compounds in drinking water.

While research has not demonstrated human health impacts from these compounds, the ongoing conversation should remind us of how precious our source waters are and the need to protect them from harmful substances. As a society, we should encourage policies that protect source water from contaminants introduced by pesticides, gasoline or industrial products. The best and most cost-effective way to ensure safe water at the tap is to keep our source waters clean.

Each June, Austin Utilities issues a Water Quality Report to its customers. This is a guide to the quality and safety of the tap  water provided by Austin Utilities. For more information on this and other water quality issues, contact Austin Utilities at 433-8886.