By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The Erie County Water Authority says its water supply continues to exceed all government water quality standards.
The Water Authority released its annual water quality monitoring report Wednesday. Executive Director Robert Mendez says New York has the highest water quality standards in the nation and that the authority continues to exceed them.
"It monitors contaminants. It monitors chlorine, flouride, lead and organic compounds," Mendez said. "We test for just about anything, including micro-biological substances such as E-coli."
What the water quality monitoring report does not measure is the taste and odor of the water. But Mendez assures customers that they're receiving some of the safest drinking water in the country.
"The Erie County Water Authority is one of the first public or private water utilities in the nation to purchase or place into day-to-day operations a 'micro-tox' testing system," Mendez said. "It's a state-of-the-art system that will detect toxicity in our source water."
The water quality report will be mailed to all customers by early May.
Mendez says the county's budget crisis has had no impact on Water Authority operations.