2024 Water Quality Report shows City meets all regulations
The 2024 Water Quality Report for the City’s water system is now available, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said recently.
“Each year, Oklahoma municipalities are required to publish an annual report regarding their water system quality,” Lauritsen said. “This report provides details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency and state standards. We’ve received our Water Consumer Confidence Report from the State reflecting our water quality last year, which shows the City is in compliance with all state and federal regulations.”
Lauritsen noted the report highlights work underway by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as it applies to potential future regulations.
“One of the EPA’s programs, directed at future water regulations, is the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR),” Lauritsen said. “Under the UCMR, public water systems are required every five years to monitor for select contaminants from the Contaminant Candidate List. These are substances that are known or expected to be found in drinking water but are not yet regulated. As part of the most recent UCMR cycle in 2024, the City tested for Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) contaminants. This marks the fifth round of unregulated contaminant monitoring the City has conducted over the past 25 years.”
Setting the record straight on drinking water safety
Lauritsen also addressed erroneous claims that the City’s water quality is compromised due to the lack of changes to the Safe Drinking Water Act.
“There have been some claims suggesting that our drinking water is unsafe because the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) hasn’t been amended since 1996. This is factually incorrect and misleading,” he said. “While the last formal amendments to the SDWA occurred in 1996, the law gives the EPA ongoing authority to update and enforce drinking water standards. The EPA has regularly revised and added new regulations based on current science and public health data — including the most recent update in 2024.
“Our City remains in full compliance with all federal and state regulations, and continues to meet or exceed the required standards for safe drinking water.”
For more information on federal drinking water standards and the Safe Drinking Water Act, visit the EPA’s website: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa. To view the 2024 Water Quality Report for the City of Bartlesville, visit www.cityofbartlesville.org.