Which Houston Area Communities Have Chromium 6 in Their Water — And How Much?

HOUSTON, TX -- A study by the Environmental Working Group has determined that drinking water supplies in Houston, surrounding communities, and communities throughout the U.S. are contaminated with a cancer causing toxin.

The toxin, known as Chromium 6, was made famous after Julia Roberts’ 2000 megahit based on the real-life environmentalist Erin Brockovich’s investigation of groundwater in Hinkley, California.

Far removed from a bit part in a Hollywood movie, Chromium 6 has been linked to various forms of cancer, reproductive problems and liver problems and developmental issues in children.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, analyzed federal data from nationwide drinking water tests showing that the compound contaminates water supplies for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states.

The tests, which were conducted between 2013 and 2015 in Harris County determined that Chromium 6 was present in 46 of the 48 water systems in the Houston area.

That same test provided 854 samples, with 600 of those samples testing positive for the cancer causing agent.

In the City of Houston alone, 199 samples were tested, with 178 of those samples testing positive.

The communities served include Jersey Village, the Heights, Missouri City, Sharpstown, Bunker Hill, Sunnyside, Aldine, Spring, Humble, Kingwood and many more.

The average ppb in those tested were rated high at 0.75 ppb, with high readings of 5.4 ppb.

By comparison, 30 samples were rested in the City of Pasadena with only four detecting measurable amounts of Chromium 6 with an average of .006.

The City of Houston Utility District No. 5 has 20 samples tested with 12 of those testing positive for Chromium 6 with an average of .22 ppb. The highest readings for Chromium 6 registered at 1.2 ppb at Kingwood’s Mills Branch plant.

Tests were also conducted on sources for Bellaire, Deer Park, Clear Lake, Baytown, La Porte, and the Timberline Utility District.

The county wide average was 0.389 parts per billion, which was much lower than the 1.19 ppb, with a peak of 3.09 ppb detected in Hinkley California, and above the level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set as a public health goal in 2011.

Officials in California believe even that level of the contaminant can be harmful and pose a cancer threat — not just for people who drink the water, but also bathe in it or have any contact.

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