The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which
supplies water locally here in the East Bay, has information on their website
regarding the quality of the water they provide. The Annual water quality
report from 2018 offers some specifics about contaminants in the local drinking
water. I honestly found this report a bit confusing, but from what I gathered,
EBMUD’s water treatment plants that were tested were below the federal and
state regulatory levels for all regulated contaminants. I specifically looked
into a few specific topics that I found interesting, particularly lead. Although
lead was found to be below regulatory levels at all water treatment plants in
the area, there were still trace amounts found. As we learned earlier in this
course, there are no safe levels of exposure for things like lead. Prolonged
exposure to lead, like in drinking water, can lead to a number of
gastrointestinal symptoms and even mental and physical delays in children.
EBMUD Annual Water Quality Report 2018: https://www.ebmud.com/index.php/download_file/force/7239/248/?EBMUD-AWQR-2018-WEB-AMENDED.pdf
Extreme weather conditions like floods, and hurricanes that
lead to massive flooding, increase the amount of water runoff and decrease the
amount of water that is able to seep back into the ground. This runoff picks up
pollutants and contaminants as it makes its way to major waterways, increasing
the amount of pollution in surface water sources. Additionally, increased standing
water that follow flooding may lead to an increase in organisms, such as
mosquitos, that can spread disease.
I have always found bottled water ridiculous. When I first
saw a bottle of water for sale (I think it was the late 90s), I laughed, and
look where the industry is now! There are so many aspects of tap water that
make it superior to bottled water, the cost, the amount of plastic produced and
wasted in bottling water, the fluoride added to tap water, etc. I think a good
campaign slogan would be something like, “save 99.9% on your drinking water by
switching to tap”.
Beautiful job on your blog! I also laughed at bottled water and now we cant seem to let it go!!
ReplyDeleteI can see how bottled water would be used as a lifesaving resource in times of hurricanes, floods, natural disasters and especially for people suffering from war. So, I do feel this method has provided our country and developing countries with safe drinking water during these times. In addition, water treatment plants don't test for everything, and my greatest concern right now is the amount of pharmaceutical waste that has become an increasingly urgent public health crisis. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all taken steps to address the problem of pharmaceutical waste in both the community and institutional settings. Survey groups under the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that 80% of U.S. streams contained one or more pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USGS have been monitoring the environmental impact that are potentially responsible for abnormal findings in certain fish. I know that more needs to be done to provide safe drinking water to our communities, but maybe we could also find an alternative use for the plastic waste we've grown used to....
ReplyDeleteThe Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is an organization that is mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include information on drinking water sources used for organizations if any contaminants are detected, and if so, which ones. Regulatory compliance and educational information are also included in the report.
ReplyDeleteAs a consumer, this report is an opportunity to learn more about the water our family are drinking, bathing in and irrigating your lawn with.
https://www.epa.gov/ccr