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The Environmental Protection Agency has followed up on a promise to provide guidance to public water systems on how they can enhance monitoring and sampling programs to target hexavalent chromium.

The EPA released the new recommendations today, saying they respond to emerging scientific evidence that chromium-6 could pose health concerns if consumed over long periods of time. They also follow a Environmental Working Group report that their volunteers found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of cities across the country – including Bend.

Details about the new recommendations, from the EPA:

“The enhanced monitoring guidance provides recommendations on where the systems should collect samples and how often they should be collected, along with analytical methods for laboratory testing. Systems that perform the enhanced monitoring will be able to better inform their consumers about any presence of chromium-6 in their drinking water, evaluate the degree to which other forms of chromium are transformed into chromium-6, and assess the degree to which existing treatment affects the levels of chromium-6 in drinking water.”

The Oregonian reports some new information about the hexavalent chromium found in Bend tap water.

Three things to know (in addition to the fact that some experts say we shouldn’t worry about the low levels detected):

1. The water sample containing chromium-6 was taken from a tap served by private water utility Avion Water Co. (one of three that serve the city).
2. Avion serves 12,000 customers in central Oregon, including roughly 6,000 in Bend city limits and 6,000 in the area north of Redmond and West of La Pine.
3. Avion said because the sample was collected at the tap instead of at the source or main waterline, it’s harder to tell where the chromium-6 came from.