SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY, Nev. – State officials said today that information sent recently to national news media by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is inaccurate, misleading and does not tell the true story of drinking water quality in Nevada.
“The fact is that Reno and Las Vegas drinking water meets and is significantly better than federal Environmental Protection Agency’s water standards,” said Allen Biaggi, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which oversees the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the agency responsible for Nevada’s safe drinking water program.
“EWG’s criticism amounts to saying federal water quality requirements are not adequate. It’s like saying driving 25 miles an hour in a 55-mile-an-hour zone is too fast.”
Points in the EWG press reports that were not emphasized include:
- Ten states were not included in the EWG’s ranking of cities by water quality, which means ranking of any kind is meaningless
- Cities ranked by EWG as some of the “best” water purveyors have had EPA water quality violations in recent years
- EWG receives financial compensation for the sale of water filters
- The Truckee Meadows Water Authority in Reno and the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas are both in compliance with EPA and Nevada Safe Drinking Water requirements
- EWG’s information does not appear to have been subjected to scientific review and has not been verified by the Division of Environmental Protection.
“We take our role in protecting drinking water quality very seriously and water suppliers follow state and EPA regulations, which are some of the most stringent in the world,” Biaggi said. “Nevadans can be assured their drinking water is safe to drink.”
MORE
- Nevada’s safe drinking water program: http://ndep.nv.gov/bsdw/index.htm
- History of the Nevada Safe Drinking Water Program (pdf)
- Public Water Systems Regulatory Oversight: http://ndep.nv.gov/bsdw/oversight.htm
