# Montgomery, AL — Drinking Water Quality (2024)

> Contaminant levels for the Montgomery, AL public water system from its 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, compared to federal limits.

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/al/montgomery/2024
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/al/montgomery/2024
- Source: the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- Verification: transcribed by a model, cross-checked by a second model, approved before publishing
- Reporting year: 2024
- Contaminants measured: 39
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 36
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 2
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | Disinfectants | 2 (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Chlorite | Disinfection byproducts | 0.97 (Reported level) | System-wide | 1 (MCL) | Approaching the limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 31 (Reported level) | System-wide | 60 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 52 (Reported level) | System-wide | 80 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Cyanide | Inorganic chemicals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 200 (MCL) | None detected |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 1.96 (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Nitrate | Inorganic chemicals | 0.5 (Reported level) | System-wide | 10 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Nitrite | Inorganic chemicals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 1 (MCL) | None detected |
| Antimony | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 6 (MCL) | None detected |
| Arsenic | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 10 (MCL) | None detected |
| Barium | Metals | 0.1 (Reported level) | System-wide | 2 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Beryllium | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 (MCL) | None detected |
| Cadmium | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | None detected |
| Chromium, Total | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 100 (MCL) | None detected |
| Copper | Metals | 90 (Reported level) | System-wide | 1.3 (Action level) | At or above the limit |
| Lead | Metals | 90 (Reported level) | System-wide | 15 (Action level) | At or above the limit |
| Mercury | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 2 (MCL) | None detected |
| Nickel | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 100 (MCL) | None detected |
| Selenium | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 50 (MCL) | None detected |
| Thallium | Metals | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 2 (MCL) | None detected |
| Total Coliform | Microbial | 1 (Highest single sample) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Odor | Physical & aggregate | 1.6 (Maximum) | System-wide | 3 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| TOC | Physical & aggregate | 2 (Reported level) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Turbidity | Physical & aggregate | 0.1 (Highest single sample) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Combined Radium | Radionuclides | 1.5 (Maximum) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Gross Alpha | Radionuclides | 1.2 (Maximum) | System-wide | 15 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Atrazine | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 3 (MCL) | None detected |
| Benzene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | None detected |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 200 (MCL) | None detected |
| Dalapon | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 200 (MCL) | None detected |
| DBCP | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 200 (MCL) | None detected |
| Dichloromethane | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | None detected |
| Ethylbenzene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 700 (MCL) | None detected |
| Ethylene dibromide | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 50 (MCL) | None detected |
| Simazine | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 (MCL) | None detected |
| Tetrachloroethylene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | None detected |
| Toluene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 1 (MCL) | None detected |
| Trichloroethylene | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | None detected |
| Xylenes | VOCs & pesticides | Not detected (Reported level) | System-wide | 10 (MCL) | None detected |

## What these contaminants are

- **Chlorine** — A disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. Effective and necessary, but high residual levels can cause taste and odor issues; the EPA caps the residual disinfectant level.
- **HAA5** — Haloacetic acids — a group of five disinfection byproducts formed when disinfectants react with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is associated with an increased cancer risk.
- **TTHM** — Total trihalomethanes — a group of four chemicals (including chloroform) formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is linked to liver, kidney, and central-nervous-system effects and increased cancer risk.
- **Fluoride** — A mineral often added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Beneficial at low levels, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause bone disease and tooth mottling.
- **Nitrate** — A compound from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and erosion of natural deposits. Levels above the federal limit can cause 'blue baby syndrome,' a serious oxygen-transport condition in infants.
- **Nitrite** — A compound from fertilizer runoff, sewage, and erosion of natural deposits. Like nitrate, elevated levels can cause 'blue baby syndrome' in infants.
- **Arsenic** — A naturally occurring element that also enters water from industry and agriculture. A known human carcinogen; long-term exposure is linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
- **Barium** — A metal from erosion of natural deposits and industrial discharge. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can raise blood pressure.
- **Chromium, Total** — Total chromium — the sum of all chromium forms, from natural deposits and industrial discharge. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause allergic dermatitis; includes hexavalent chromium.
- **Copper** — A metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing. Short-term exposure causes stomach distress; long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Lead** — A toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures. There is no safe level of lead; it harms brain development in children and raises blood pressure in adults. The EPA sets an action level, not a health goal above zero.
- **Mercury** — A toxic metal from erosion of natural deposits and industrial runoff. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can damage the kidneys.
- **Nickel** — A metal from natural deposits and industrial discharge. Long-term exposure can cause skin and other effects; monitored under EPA rules.
- **Selenium** — A trace element from natural deposits and industrial discharge. Essential in tiny amounts, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause hair and fingernail loss and circulatory problems.
- **Total Coliform** — A group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. Coliforms themselves are usually harmless, but their presence signals that disease-causing organisms could enter the system.
- **Odor** — A measure of detectable smell in the water. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard.
- **TOC** — Total organic carbon — a measure of organic material dissolved in the water. Not harmful itself, but it is the raw material that forms disinfection byproducts; removal is a treatment requirement.
- **Turbidity** — A measure of cloudiness from suspended particles in the water. High turbidity can shelter microbes from disinfection; the EPA enforces it through a treatment-technique standard.
- **Combined Radium** — Combined radium-226 and radium-228 — naturally occurring radioactive elements. Long-term exposure above the federal limit increases the risk of bone cancer.
- **Gross Alpha** — Gross alpha particle activity — a combined measure of alpha-emitting radioactive substances. Long-term exposure above the federal limit increases cancer risk.
- **Atrazine** — A widely used agricultural herbicide that reaches water through runoff. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can affect the cardiovascular and reproductive systems.
- **DBCP** — 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane — a banned soil fumigant pesticide. A probable human carcinogen; long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause reproductive harm.
- **Tetrachloroethylene** — An industrial solvent (PCE) used in dry cleaning and degreasing. A likely human carcinogen; long-term exposure above the federal limit can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Trichloroethylene** — An industrial solvent (TCE) used in metal degreasing. A known human carcinogen; long-term exposure above the federal limit can damage the liver.
- **Xylenes** — A group of industrial solvents found in gasoline and paint. Long-term exposure above the federal limit can damage the nervous system.

## How to read this

- A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
- 'Federal limit' is the EPA standard (MCL, action level, treatment technique, etc.) that the measured level is compared against.
- 'At or above the federal limit' means the utility's own reported figure met or exceeded that standard.

_Figures are the utility's own published numbers. Generated 2026-05-25 from thewatermap.com._