What’s in your tap water? Search ZIP code to see contaminants

(FOX 9) - The latest edition of the tap water database is now officially online and ready to be used by the public. The free resource gives the public insight into exactly what is in their drinking water. 

Clean drinking water might be something we take for granted because of its accessibility, but this new database shows us that just because it meets standards set by the EPA does not mean it is free of contaminates.

This new tap water database was put together by the Environmental Working Group. It takes tests that other agencies have performed on public drinking water and puts it together in a comprehensive site that shows what contaminates are found where.

According to the tap water database, there are 97 contaminants found in Minnesota tap water.

"What we take for granted is that just because our water meets federal legal standards, is that it is completely safe, and we don't have to think about it," said Dr. Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist with the EWG. "But there could be a lot of contaminants in your drinking water that we are absolutely concerned about, and we are concerned about health impacts for those contaminants."

Among the most widespread contaminates in the state are radium and nitrate, which are found in over 100,000 homes.

The most violation points for a city served by a large utility company was Winona. It received 15 violation points, serving just over 27,000 people, not including those with private wells.

For more information and to look up your city, visit ewg.org/taptwater.