Water, Water Everywhere But Not a Drop To Drink…
Have you ever heard that line before? It comes from a poem about our oceans. Many of my Florida friends should keep this quote in their head as they watch the evening news. Drinking water is a hot topic. So, I thought I would write a series regarding the true nature of safe drink water and eventually discuss the water purification process and associated costs.
Surprisingly there is much debate and relatively few standards regarding safe drinking water. It was shocking to me that “safe” drinking water in one state can be considered “unsafe” in another state. So before you try to decide if you have safe drinking water, you need to understand what contaminates water in the first place.
The tap water we drink, cook with, and bathe in typically comes from either surface water sources (streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc) or from underground sources. A range of dangerous pollutants have been found in this water, including: E.coli, toxic algae, lead, sulfur, excess iron, dirt and grit. All of which can lead to a host of health issues including, but not limited to gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, and reproductive issues. Other surprising natural sources of pollutants can include massive rain storms and any associated ecological changes that result from downpour precipitation.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common man made sources of contamination are related to local land uses and manufacturing. For example, fertilizers and pesticides used on farmland as well as contributions from livestock, can leak into surface water sources if not carefully monitored. Sewer and septic system overflows can also lead to contamination. Some other chemicals, like arsenic, occur naturally, so their levels must be continually monitored.
With all of these complex processes occurring, the natural question is, “How do I know my drinking water is safe?” Personally, I recommend this first step. Do your own investigation and draw your own conclusions with some educated help if necessary. Sometimes, water purification salesman create panic so that you purchase an expensive water system. A good water purification system may be one of the single most important health decisions to analyze for you and your family. So do not make a reactionary decision. Instead, I recommend these steps:
- EPA Website: The EPA has several tools for checking the status of your drinking water, including the Safe Drinking Water Information System. This system reports any known violations of EPA’s water regulations, as well as information on monitoring requirements and treatment efforts. You can also learn more about the maximum levels of different contaminants that are permitted.
- Official State Water Website: Because of individual state requirements, understanding your risks can be challenging. Visit your state’s water quality website. I noticed that many states listed their water regulations, and relative risk across the state. This information can be extremely valuable when looking at your local community water supply.
- Specific Contaminant Resources: You may be able to more efficiently search for resources highlighting a specific issue that was identified for your community from the state site. For example, it is estimated that over 200 million Americans have tap water with levels of chromium-6 that are higher than what is considered an acceptable maximum level. This contaminant was highlighted in the Erin Brockovich movie.
Next week, I will cover more easy, cheap, research that you can do to analyze your drinking water. I will take some extra time to cover the best home tests to perform.
As always, please leave any questions, comments, or additional topics of interest.
