Action Level – The concentration of a contaminant, which when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
EPA – Acronym for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – Highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal ( MCLG) – Level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety.
MFL – MFL stands for millifibers per liter.
PPM – PPM stands for milligram per liter or one part per million.
PPB – PPB stands for microgram per liter or one part per billion.
PCi/L –PCi/L stands for Picocuries per liter measures radioactivity in water. A picocurie is 10-12 curies and is the quantity of radioactive material producing 2.22 nuclear transformations per minute.