Water quality is an important issue to all of us, and here at the City of Savannah we want you to know where your drinking water comes from and how it’s monitored to ensure your safety. August also happens to be National Water Quality Month, so it’s a great time to learn a little about the annual water quality reports issued by the City. These reports, known officially as Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), are federally mandated and must include specific information about the source, monitoring, testing, and treatment of your drinking water.
The first CCRs were issued in 1999, as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act’s public right-to-know provisions, in an effort to improve transparency and accountability. The EPA requires the reports be made available each year by July 1st.
From a CCR, you should be able to find out:
- Water system contact information
- Source of your water
- Definitions of key terms used in the CCR
- Any regulated contaminants detected and the corresponding level of detection in your water system
- For any regulated contaminant in violation of maximum contaminant levels, a brief statement in plain language regarding the contaminant health concerns
- Information on unregulated contaminants for which monitoring is required
To access the 2018 City of Savannah reports, please visit www.savannahga.gov/waterqualityreport. In 2018, the City of Savannah Water Laboratory performed more than 123,000 tests and procedures, on over 160 water quality parameters. The reports summarize the key findings of our intensive monitoring processes. We’ve done our best to make our CCRs clear and easy to read, with the goal of informing and educating our customers, while also meeting the federal requirements of the reports. We’re proud to say our CCRs have won accolades from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, including Best CCR in the entire state.
If you take away anything from reviewing your CCR, we hope you’re assured that your drinking water is safe and well managed by the City of Savannah. We hope you also ponder the importance of a safe water supply and your role in supporting the sustainable availability of clean drinking water. You should also consider how water conservation and environmental stewardship, as well as building and maintaining well-functioning water infrastructure, is at the very core of public health and safety.
Do you have a great idea for our next WaterWays feature? We're always looking for interesting stories about Savannah water and our local community. Email Saja Aures at saures@savannahga.gov to share your tip!
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