The Louisville Water Company is touting the latest water quality report.
The annual report shows that the company meets or exceeds all state and federal water standards. New standards will be put into place next year, and spokesperson Kelley Dearing Smith says new and renovated treatment plants will bring the company in line with the new regulations as well.
"We will not be in any danger in 2012, but we really want to stay ahead of the curve. When the 2012 regulation comes out, they'll perhaps look at things in smaller quantities than they have in the past. And that's the reason for all the work we're doing at Crescent Hill," she says.
Dearing Smith says as technology advances, more precise measurements of contaminants is possible. That, in turn, can lead to tighter regulations of water quality.
"The science is developing very quickly as to what we can detect and how much we can detect and at the same time we have technology detection," she says. "For example, we might have an instrument that can detect things at parts per trillion that would have not even existed two years ago."
One of the most talked-about contaminants now is the possible carcinogen chromium 6. The compound is found in many water supplies, but is not regulated, in part because it was not always measurable. The EPA and the California state government are both considering regulating chromium 6.
