NORMAN —
Even though news that Norman's drinking water tested the highest for hexavalent chromium among 35 cities in an independent study, the city's utilities director isn't going into panic mode.
Ken Komiske, the head of the city's water utility, said that while the study by the Environmental Working Group certainly raises alarms, he wasn't ready to declare Norman's water unsafe.
"You just don't take one report and make a bunch of rash decisions based on it," Komiske said. "We've been testing our water as we're required to by the state and federal governments, and we're in full compliance."
Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, was made famous in the 2000 feature film "Erin Brockovich," which starred Julia Roberts as a crusading investigator trying uncover a decades-old corporate conspiracy.
In the movie — and in real life — the town of Hinkley, Calif., had water that tested at more than 500 parts per billion for chromium-6.
The study by the EWG, released Monday, showed that Norman's levels were 12.90 parts per billion.
"That's quite a difference," Komiske said. "We're talking an extremely tiny amount [of chromium-6] that was detected here [in Norman]."
Komiske said he's been told that the chromium-6 is most likely naturally occurring and not the byproduct of nearby airports, industrial facilities or military bases.
But that doesn't mean the city is doing nothing about the EWG's findings.
"We're digging around, we're getting more information about it," Komiske said. "We rely on scientific, peer-reviewed studies and we'll do the same here."
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C., also has projects addressing the dangers of cosmetics and the radiation emitted by cell phones.
Swift response
On the federal level, the EWG's study is drawing immediate response.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are both calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to do more to protect the public. The senators say they will be introducing legislation that gives the EPA a deadline to establish a new standard for how much chromium-6 can be found in drinking water.
“There are no enforceable federal standards to protect the public from hexavalent chromium in tap water,” read a letter from the senators to EPA chief Lisa Jackson.
The EPA issued the following response to the EWG study:
“Ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans is a top priority for EPA,” the statement said. “The agency regularly reevaluates drinking water standards and, based on new science on chromium 6, had already begun a rigorous and comprehensive review of its health effects.”
The EPA will determine whether to make any regulation changes in respect to chromium levels once the assessment is finalized some time next year.
For now, the federal limit for total chromium is 100 parts per billion, which is well above Norman's levels.
In California, where the Hinkley affair unraveled, the state goal is 0.06 parts per billion.
Chromium-6 is a known carcinogen that's been found to cause liver, lymph node and intestinal damage in the past.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
