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Levels of hazardous chemical pesticides in the nation’s groundwater are mostly on the decline, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

It should be good news for some 220,000 Coloradan households relying on private wells for drinking water.

Jay Feldman, executive director of the advocacy group Beyond Pesticides, cautioned the study only looked at 22 pesticides, many of which are no longer being used, and did not measure their highly toxic replacements.

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"Some of the more modern chemicals that are of concern, including Roundup, glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba, paraquat," Feldman outlined. "These are all highly hazardous chemicals that are simply not evaluated in this study."

President Donald Trump campaigned on promises to roll back environmental protections, arguing they are an unnecessary drag on economic growth. Trump tapped former chemical industry lobbyist Kyle Kunkler to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s top pesticide regulator. The administration also wants to cut the U.S. Geological Survey’s budget by nearly 40 percent, a move some critics worry would limit the agency’s ability to monitor toxins in drinking water.

Feldman noted the new report does not account for health risks when chemicals mix together underground, which can create even more dangerous compounds. He added the current evaluation process is based on inadequate health standards.

"We're not testing for endocrine disruption," Feldman stressed. "Which is one of the major drivers of cancer and other lifelong diseases that we experience worldwide."

Feldman added chemical pesticides can remain in the environment long after they stop being used. He pointed to DBCP, an insecticide banned in 1997, which continues to register high levels in groundwater.

"When you have persistent chemicals that remain in the groundwater over time, unless we answer all these questions about health and the environment at the front end, we have the kind of problems identified in this report, which is a chemical banned years ago still showing up in our groundwater," Feldman emphasized.