FAQs

Last year Associated Press news reports shed some light on the widespread concern that medications are being detected in the drinking water of our nation’s largest cities. Major sources of pharmaceuticals in waterways are direct discharges from wastewater facilities and septic systems – either from people flushing unused medications down the toilet or from unabsorbed drugs being excreted from the human body.

Yes. Many tests have shown that the amount of chlorine found in treated water is safe to drink. Chlorine is needed to maintain disinfection throughout the distribution system. The potential for water contamination when chlorine is not used, outweighs any long-term concerns.

Hardness levels in Maine waters are generally low but can range from near zero to several hundred milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate (mg/L as CaCO3), the standard unit for hardness. The Greater Portland water source (Sebago Lake) has a hardness value of 9 and is described as soft, as you can see from the following table.

Maine law mandates that a public water system must add fluoride to the water if a majority of customers votes to do so. The customers of the Portland Water District voted to have their water fluoridated in 1996 and, as required, the District began fluoridating soon thereafter. The method we use to add fluoride, the fluoride-containing chemical we use, and the means of monitoring the level of fluoride all meet drinking water industry standards and were approved by the Maine Drinking Water Program prior to being put into use.