# Omaha, NE — Drinking Water Quality (2024)

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

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/ne/omaha/2024
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/ne/omaha/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: 30
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 15
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 1
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bromodichloroacetic acid | Disinfection byproducts | 8.93–15 (Reported level) | <0.50 Ppb | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Bromodichloromethane | Disinfection byproducts | 11.8 (Average) | Nivel Promedio Detectado | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Bromoform | Disinfection byproducts | 0.7 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Chloroform | Disinfection byproducts | 26 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Dibromochloromethane | Disinfection byproducts | 5.52 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 19.9 ug/L (Running annual avg) | System-wide | 60 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 47.5 ug/L (Running annual avg) | System-wide | 80 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Bromide | Inorganic chemicals | 65.6 (Maximum) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Bromochloroacetic acid | Inorganic chemicals | 4.6 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Dibromoacetic acid | Inorganic chemicals | 1.53 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Dichloroacetic acid | Inorganic chemicals | 13.8 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 0.83 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Nitrate | Inorganic chemicals | 0.255–2.9 mg/L (Range) | of Levels | 10 mg/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Sulfate | Inorganic chemicals | 126 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Trichloroacetic acid | Inorganic chemicals | 2.97 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Arsenic | Metals | 0–4.9 ug/L (Range) | Rango de niveles | 0 ug/L (MCLG) | Detected — no federal limit |
| Barium | Metals | 0.118 mg/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 2 mg/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Chromium, Total | Metals | 1.74 ug/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 100 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Copper | Metals | 0.0186 (90th percentile) | At the tap | 1.3 (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Germanium | Metals | 2.68 (Reported level) | <0.40 Ppb | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Lead | Metals | 7.59 (90th percentile) | At the tap | 0 (MCLG) | Detected — no federal limit |
| Lithium | Metals | 102 (Reported level) | System-wide | 9 (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| Selenium | Metals | 3.73–4.92 ug/L (Range) | Rango de niveles | 50 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Sodium | Metals | 26–83 mg/L (Range) | Rango de niveles | 500 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Total Coliform | Microbial | 0.36 (Maximum) | Percentage of Positive Total Coliform Samples in any Month | 5 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| TOC | Physical & aggregate | 2.89 (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Turbidity | Physical & aggregate | 0.4 NTU (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Combined Radium | Radionuclides | 0.54 (Average) | Nivel Promedio Detectado | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Gross Alpha | Radionuclides | 6.38 pCi/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 0 pCi/L (MCLG) | Detected — no federal limit |
| Atrazine | VOCs & pesticides | 0.326 ug/L (Reported level) | System-wide | 3 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |

## What these contaminants are

- **Bromodichloroacetic acid** — A brominated haloacetic acid disinfection byproduct. Part of the broader HAA9 group; monitored but without its own enforceable federal limit.
- **Bromodichloromethane** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Counted within regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is associated with cancer and reproductive effects.
- **Bromoform** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Counted within regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is associated with liver and kidney effects.
- **Chloroform** — A trihalomethane formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. A component of regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is linked to liver and kidney effects.
- **Dibromochloromethane** — A trihalomethane disinfection byproduct. Part of regulated total trihalomethanes; long-term exposure is linked to nervous-system, liver, and kidney effects.
- **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.
- **Bromide** — A naturally occurring salt found in source water. Not directly regulated, but a precursor that increases formation of brominated disinfection byproducts.
- **Bromochloroacetic acid** — A mixed-halogen haloacetic acid disinfection byproduct. Part of the broader HAA9 group; monitored without its own enforceable limit.
- **Dibromoacetic acid** — A brominated haloacetic acid disinfection byproduct. Part of the broader HAA9 group; monitored without its own enforceable limit.
- **Dichloroacetic acid** — A haloacetic acid disinfection byproduct. One of the five haloacetic acids regulated together as HAA5 for 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.
- **Sulfate** — A naturally occurring mineral from rock and soil. No health-based federal limit; high levels can have a laxative effect and a bitter taste.
- **Trichloroacetic acid** — A haloacetic acid disinfection byproduct. One of the five haloacetic acids regulated together as HAA5.
- **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.
- **Germanium** — A trace metalloid found in some source water. Not federally regulated; monitored occasionally as a trace element.
- **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.
- **Lithium** — A naturally occurring element found in some groundwater. No enforceable federal limit; on the EPA contaminant candidate list for further study.
- **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.
- **Sodium** — A naturally occurring salt component. Not federally regulated for health; relevant for people on sodium-restricted diets.
- **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.
- **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.

## 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._