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Results of EPA's Airline Drinking Water System Tests

January 19, 2005                                                                                                         

During the summer of 2004, EPA conducted water quality sampling of one or more galley water taps, water fountains or lavatory faucets on each of 158 aircraft at 7 airports. As EPA announced in September 2004, 12.7% of those aircraft (20 aircraft) were found to be positive for the presence of total coliform bacteria.

Round One Summary of Total Coliform and E.coli Positive Results

During November-December of 2004, EPA conducted a second round of water quality sampling of 169 aircraft at 12 airports. This second round of monitoring sought water samples from galley water taps as well as lavatory faucets for each aircraft. EPA found that 17.2% of these aircraft (29 aircraft) were total-coliform-positive.

Round Two Summary of Total Coliform Positive Results

Round One Summary of Total Coliform and E.coli Positive Results

Date of Sample Departure Airport** Testing Location Positive Sampling Point(s) Residual Chlorine (mg/L)
8/3/04 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA* Washington Dulles International, VA Lavatory Sink 0.7
8/5/04 Sacramento International, CA* Washington Dulles International, VA Lavatory Sink 1.1
8/24/04 International Flight Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Lavatory Sink 0.03
8/24/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Drinking fountain 0.5
8/24/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
8/25/04 Chicago O'Hare International, IL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
8/25/04 Domestic Flight Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Lavatory Sink 0.02
8/25/04 International Flight Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Lavatory Sink 0.32
8/25/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink 0.1
8/25/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
8/25/04 Washington Dulles International, VA Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Lavatory Sink Not Sampled
8/26/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
8/26/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink 0.5
8/26/04 International Flight San Francisco International, CA Lavatory Sink 0.3
9/1/04 Denver International Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink 0.09
9/1/04 International Flight Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink 0.24
9/8/04 Domestic Flight Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
9/8/04 Houston-Bush Intercontinental, TX Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
9/8/04 Memphis International, TN Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
9/9/04 International Flight Dallas Fort Worth International, TX Lavatory Sink 0.17

*Indicates E. coli present in initial test
**Domestic and international flight designations are to maintain confidentiality of ongoing enforcement cases

Round Two Summary of Total Coliform Positive Results

Date of Sample Departure Airport** Testing Location Sampling Point(s) Residual Chlorine (mg/L)
11/10/04 Chicago Midway International, IL Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International, FL Lavatory Sink <0.1
11/15/04 International Flight Newark Liberty International, NJ Lavatory Sink 0.5
11/16/04 Washington Dulles International, VA Newark Liberty International, NJ Lavatory Sink 0.7, 0.7
11/17/04 Charlotte Douglas International, NC Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink <0.1
11/17/04 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink <0.1
11/17/04 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink <0.1
11/17/04 International Flight Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink & Galley <0.1
11/17/04 Philadelphia International, PA Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink 0.1
11/18/04 Detroit Metropolitan Airport, MI Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink 0.1
11/18/04 International Flight Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink 0.1
11/18/04 International Flight Miami International, FL Galley 0.1
11/18/04 International Flight Miami International, FL Lavatory Sink & Galley 0.5, 0.3
11/18/04 Memphis International, TN Miami International, FL Galley 0.2
11/18/04 Minneapolis-St.Paul International, MN Miami International, FL Galley 2.7
12/1/04 Portland International, OR Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ Lavatory Sink & Galley 0.2, 0.4
12/2/04 Domestic Flight Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ Lavatory Sink <0.1
12/6/04 Las Vegas-McCarran International, NV Los Angeles-Ontario International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
12/6/04 Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ Los Angeles-Ontario International, CA Lavatory Sink 0.6
12/6/04 Salt Lake City International, UT Los Angeles-Ontario International, CA Lavatory Sink 1
12/6/04 Salt Lake City International, UT Los Angeles-Ontario International, CA Galley Not Detectable
12/7/04 Denver International, CO Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink 0.4
12/7/04 Domestic Flight Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink & Galley 0.1
12/7/04 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink 0.4
12/7/04 San Jose, Calif.-Mineta International, CA Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
12/7/04 San Francisco International, CA Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
12/7/04 San Jose, Calif.-Mineta International, CA Santa Ana, Calif.-John Wayne, CA Lavatory Sink 0.8
12/8/04 International Flight Los Angeles International, CA Lavatory Sink 0.1
12/9/04 International Flight Los Angeles International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable
12/9/04 International Flight Los Angeles International, CA Lavatory Sink Not Detectable

**Domestic and international flight designations are to maintain confidentiality of ongoing enforcement cases

 

 
 
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