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Is Drinking Tap Water Wise?

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Salt Lake City, Utah Monday, December 2, 2013 ________________________________________________________________________________________ __

Having drinking water available is not a problem that is commonly faced here in the U.S. We are one of the few countries where water is not a major issue, however, we still face problems in how this water is used, treated, and transported. Yes, we have water on demand, but it is the quality of this water that is the issue. Compared to most of the world we have nothing to worry about with the purity of our water, but that still doesnt mean our water is completely safe. We often take the purity of our tap water for granted and we shouldn't. NRDC's What's on Tap?, a carefully researched, documented and peer-reviewed study of the drinking water systems of 19 U.S. cities, found that pollution and deteriorating, out-of-date plumbing are sometimes delivering drinking water that might pose health risks to some residents. (NRDC, 2013). Throughout this article I will discuss the issues surrounding the quality of drinking water in the United States, including; Government regulation of water, treatment of water, sources of water, transportation of water (pipes) and contaminates found in our drinking water. the contaminated water will be

To start off, lets talking about the sources where we get all of the water from in the first place. The first line of defense in ensuring the safety and quality of drinking water is to ensure that water sources -- lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers are protected from pollution. (NRDC, 2013). The source is where a lot of the contaminants originate from because the sources are exposed to all kinds of pollution from every category imaginable. These pollutants come from Municipal sewage, polluted runoff from stormwater or snowmelt in urban and suburban areas,

contamination such as arsenic or radon that occurs in water as a result of leaching or release of the contaminant from rock (Williams , 2012). Next, lets talk about what is found in common drinking water here in the United States. There is whole array of contaminants in our drinking water such as microbial or chemical contaminants.

Above: E coli, commonly found in drinking water here in the U.S.

Above: Sewage draining into the Ocean

pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural fields, animal waste from feedlots and farms, industrial pollution from factories, mining waste, hazardous waste sites, spills and leaks of petroleum products and industrial chemicals,

Microbial contaminants refers to viruses or biological organisms in the water. These are the biggest concerns for water quality here. Escherichia coli and faecal streptococci are used as indicators of faecal contamination. The assumption is that if the indicators are detected, pathogens, including viruses, could also be present and therefore appropriate action is required. However, the time taken to carry out the analysis means that if contamination is detected,

well on the way to the consumer and probably drunk by the time the result has been obtained. (Oxford Journals, 2013) There are also countless chemical contaminants found in tap water. Some common chemicals found are arsenic, fluoride, selenium, uranium, iron, magnesium, etc (Oxford Journals, 2013). Arsenic has been shown to be the cause of human cancers following exposure through drinking water. Besides cancer of the skin, lung and bladder and probably liver, arsenic is responsible for a range of adverse effects, including hyperkeratosis and peripheral vascular disease (Oxford Journals, 2013). These are just chemicals found in water that get there naturally, this doesnt even include agricultural chemicals, urban pollution or by-products from water treatment. How safe do you feel now?

natural That means the pipes used to transport the water.

presence and amount of more than 90 different contaminants in public drinking water, including E.coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium species (Williams, 2012). The federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires public water suppliers to provide customers with annual drinking water quality reports, or consumer confidence reports (CCRs). The reports detail what contaminants have been detected in their drinking water and how these detection levels compare to national drinking water standards (Williams, 2012). So water is being forced to meet some standards, but are these standards good enough, I dont think they are.

Above: The majority of water systems in major cities are pre-World War I era systems.

Many cities around the country rely on pre-World War I-era water delivery systems and treatment technology. Aging pipes can break, leach contaminants into the water they carry and breed bacteria -all potential prescriptions for illness. And oldfashioned water treatment -- built to filter out particles in the water and kill some parasites and bacteria -- generally fails to remove 21st-century contaminants like pesticides, industrial chemicals and arsenic (NRDC, 2013). To combat everything that has been brought up that is wrong with our tap water, there are some steps being taken. The steps include government regulation of public water and the treatment of these public waters. To start off, lets talk about how government is regulating the water to insure that it is the highest quality it can be and safe for everyone to drink. The EPA sets standards and regulations for

Above: Water treatment plants in Texas.

Above: Arsenic, a deadly chemical to humans, and its concentration in ground wells across U.S.

The next issue that will be discussed is the transportation of the water from the distributions facilities to you faucets. filters of varying compositions (sand, gravel, and charcoal) and pore sizes, in order to remove

Now, lets talk about how the water we drink and how it is treated. Coagulation and flocculation are often the first steps in water treatment. Chemicals with a positive charge are added to the water. The positive charge of these chemicals neutralizes the negative charge of dirt and other dissolved particles in the water. When this occurs, the particles bind with the chemicals and form larger particles. Then sedimentation when particles settle. Next, it is filtered through

dissolved particles, such as dust, parasites, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals. Then the last step, disinfection. This is done by adding chemicals like chlorine or chloramine, etc. These chemicals kill bacteria, viruses and parasites. However, these chemicals can be harmful to people as well (CDC, 2013).

the and we need tighter regulation on tap water. Not only those things, but we need to stop all of this contamination from where it stems, the sources of the water and its pollution. Pollution is what makes this water so dangerous to begin with. So, is tap water wise to drink? I think that for now, it will have to do.

Above: Illustrated Process of how water is treated for us to drink.

So is tap water safe to drink? That is a question for you to answer. Do the pros outweigh the cons, I dont think so, personally. When I began research on tap water I wasnt sure what I felt about it, and I am still not too sure what to think. Compared to almost everywhere else in the world, our quality of water is supreme. However, that doesnt mean it is perfect. I think there is still a lot we need to improve on. We need new water system infrastructures, we need new treatment processes that better clean and purify water
Work Cited:

Drinking Water Contaminants. water.EPA.gov. http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/.

June

3,

2013.

Accessed

November

19,

2013.

Gorman, Rachael. Glass Half Empty: Is Your Tap Water Safe? www.today.com. February 15, 2012. Accessed November 20, 2013. http://www.today.com/health/glass-half-empty-your-tap-water-safe-1C9382189. Study Finds Safety of Drinking Water in U.s. Cities at Risk. www.nrdc.org. June 10, 2003. Accessed November 18, 2013. http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/uscities.asp. Water Treatment. www,cdc.gov. December 4, 2012. Accessed http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html.
November 20, 2013.

Wegner, Bill. Is My Tap Water Safe to Drink? www.riverkeeper.org. May 22, 2013. Accessed November 21, 2013. http://www.riverkeeper.org/blog/docket/is-my-tap-water-safe-to-drink/. Williams, C. (2012, December 24). Whats Really In Our Tap http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/whats-really-in-our-tap-water Water. Retrieved from