Explainers
Understand contaminant names in water reports.
Contaminant pages explain report terms, legal-limit language, and what to check next without treating every detection as a violation.
Look up a contaminant
The MVP lists sample explainers. A future static index can add filters without indexing faceted URLs.
Sample contaminant explainers
Each contaminant has one evergreen page.
Metals
Lead
Lead can enter drinking water through plumbing materials and service lines. Reports may describe lead differently from other contaminants because lead is regulated with an action level rather than a simple maximum contaminant level.
Inorganic chemicals
Nitrate
Nitrate may appear in reports when source water is influenced by fertilizer, septic systems, or other nitrogen sources.
Microbial indicators
Total coliform
Total coliform is used as an indicator in drinking water monitoring. A result can trigger follow-up steps, but the exact meaning depends on the rule, sample context, and official notice language.