NASHUA, New Hampshire Tap Water Quality

What this violation means

Total coliform bacteria are themselves usually harmless, but their presence signals that the water distribution system has a vulnerability — typically a cracked pipe, loss of pressure, or back-siphonage — that could allow disease-causing pathogens to enter. Repeated coliform-positive samples trigger mandatory utility investigation.

Recommended precautions

• →If your utility issues a boil-water advisory, boil all drinking and cooking water for at least one minute.
• →Use bottled water until the advisory is lifted.
• →Ice from icemakers and beverages made before the advisory should be discarded.
• →UV light and chlorination both kill coliform bacteria — most home filters do not.

What this violation means

Uranium in drinking water is both a chemical toxin (kidney damage) and a radiological hazard (increased cancer risk). It's most commonly found in groundwater near uranium ore deposits or former mining activity in the Western US.

Recommended precautions

• →Reverse osmosis is the gold standard for removing uranium.
• →Ion exchange systems work but must be sized correctly for uranium.
• →If you live near former mining sites, test for uranium even if not required.

What this violation means

Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in US agriculture, primarily on corn and sorghum. Spring runoff from farm fields creates seasonal spikes in atrazine levels in surface water sources across the Midwest. Long-term exposure is linked to hormone disruption and reproductive effects.

Recommended precautions

• →Granular activated carbon removes atrazine — most carbon filters work.
• →Reverse osmosis provides additional protection.
• →Atrazine spikes are seasonal — utilities monitor quarterly averages, but acute exposure can occur in spring.

What this violation means

Total coliform bacteria are themselves usually harmless, but their presence signals that the water distribution system has a vulnerability — typically a cracked pipe, loss of pressure, or back-siphonage — that could allow disease-causing pathogens to enter. Repeated coliform-positive samples trigger mandatory utility investigation.

Recommended precautions

• →If your utility issues a boil-water advisory, boil all drinking and cooking water for at least one minute.
• →Use bottled water until the advisory is lifted.
• →Ice from icemakers and beverages made before the advisory should be discarded.
• →UV light and chlorination both kill coliform bacteria — most home filters do not.