Barium in Drinking Water

What you need to know about barium in your tap water.

EPA Limit (MCL)

2000 ppb

EPA Goal (MCLG)

2000 ppb

Category

Inorganic

Health Effects

Increase in blood pressure

Common Sources

Discharge of drilling wastes, metal refineries, natural deposits

How to Remove Barium from Water

Recommended filtration methods: Ion exchange, reverse osmosis

4,211

Total Violations

1,535

Systems Affected

Barium Violations by State

StateViolationsSystems
Pennsylvania890269
Texas714219
Georgia352112
New York331145
Colorado21184
Mississippi14126
Arizona13235
Utah11839
North Carolina10033
Alabama9433
Illinois8420
Missouri7945
Montana7746
Indiana7642
Oklahoma7632
Alaska6141
New Jersey6127
Connecticut6030
Maryland6014
Oregon5728

Water Systems with Most Barium Violations