Whitaker-Bermite facility: The perchlorate cleanup plan is a reality, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 1, 2008 at 1:18 pmFrom Aquafornia’s hometown newspaper, the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by William Pesci, president of the Castaic Lake Water Agency Board of Directors:
Once upon a time, there was a factory where they made things that explode. It was on a 996-acre piece of property in the center of our valley, and people who lived here became accustomed to the sounds of explosions as factory workers tested their wares - military flares, fireworks, munitions and the like.
The Bermite munitions manufacturing plant - later to be known as Whittaker-Bermite - was a key player in the Santa Clarita Valley’s job market, and was also a cog in our nation’s military-industrial complex.
Local residents didn’t think much about it at the time, but making and testing things that explode can be a rather messy business.
We have good news: More than two decades after the last explosion at the Whittaker-Bermite site, we here at the Castaic Lake Water Agency are nearing completion on a much-anticipated water treatment project that will, once and for all, resolve the messy legacy left behind by Whittaker-Bermite.
And, it’s not a fairy tale. The cleanup is, at last, a reality.
Read more of this commentary from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Goodrich suit claims EPA hiding perchlorate data
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 30, 2008 at 7:20 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
One of the companies accused of polluting the drinking water in the Rialto area has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency saying the agency is withholding evidence that supports the company’s case.
Charlotte-based Goodrich Corp. says in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that EPA has modelling showing the company is not responsible for the contamination.
The EPA is in the process of declaring a 160-acre portion of Rialto a Superfund site because various chemicals, including perchlorate, are flowing through the city and toward Colton and Riverside.
Perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel and fireworks, can adversely affect the human thyroid.
“We believe that EPA has models that exonerate the company,” said Goodrich spokesman Patrick Palmer. “And if they have such models, they shouldn’t hide them.”
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Fluoride in drinking water may negatively affect health of fetuses and infants
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 19, 2008 at 6:02 amThanks to Ray Walker for sending me this link. From Natural News:
Did you know that fluoride in our water supplies is the only chemical added for a specific medical purpose, i.e. to prevent tooth decay? All other chemicals are added for treatment purposes, to improve the quality and safety of tap water. And an expert has voiced his concerns over the potential negative impact of fluoride in drinking water on the health of fetuses and infants.
Dr Vyvyan Howard is a medical pathologist and toxicologist, and also President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment. In a short video clip put together by the Fluoride Action Network, he expressed his concern over the use of fluoride in our water supplies.
Over the last two to three decades, Dr Howard’s research has centered on the effects of toxic substances on the development of fetuses and infants. This, of course, is a period of life whereby one is particularly vulnerable to certain external effects.
Read more from Natural News by clicking here.
Editorial: EPA’s decision not to regulate perchlorate based on skimpy science?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 18, 2008 at 1:30 pmFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise, this editorial:
Federal regulators should use sound science as the basis for determining the risk from chemicals in the water supply. So when the EPA’s scientific advisers question the agency’s rationale for ignoring perchlorate pollution, regulators need to revise their decision.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that it would not set a safety standard for perchlorate in drinking water. A new regulation offered no “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction,” the agency said. But this month, the EPA’s Science Advisory Board urged the agency to postpone making that preliminary decision final.
Perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel and explosives, can impair thyroid function, and affect brain and nerve development in infants. Perchlorate shows up in 153 drinking water systems nationally. Rialto, Fontana, Redlands, Highland, Corona and northwest Riverside County all have the chemical in water supplies.
Read more of this editorial from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
EPA advisers seek perchlorate review; Scientists hope agency rethinks decision not to issue standard
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 15, 2008 at 7:10 amFrom the Washington Post:
The Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific advisers have warned the agency that it should delay final action on its decision not to set a federal drinking-water standard for perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel, because the computer model underlying the decision may have flaws.
In a letter last week, the heads of EPA’s Science Advisory Board and its drinking water committee urged EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson to extend the public comment period on its preliminary determination to not regulate perchlorate. That decision is set to become final next month.
Perchlorate, which is present in the water systems of 35 states, accumulates in the body from consuming water, milk, lettuce and other common products and has been linked in scientific studies to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and infants.
“Given perchlorate’s wide occurrence and well-documented toxicity to humans, the [Science Advisory Board] strongly believes that there must be a compelling scientific basis to support a scientific determination not to regulate perchlorate as a national drinking water contaminant,” Advisory Board Chairwoman Deborah L. Swackhamer and Joan B. Rose, chairwoman of the board’s drinking water committee, wrote Nov. 5.
Read more from the Washington Post by clicking here.
Ten California water systems facing fines for failing to monitor E. Coli in drinking water; U.S. EPA could levy tens-of-thousands in fines daily for each violation
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 8, 2008 at 6:43 amFrom the Environmental Protection Agency, this press release:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered ten California public drinking water systems to monitor for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the source water of their drinking water systems, or face penalties of up to $32,500 per day for each violation. E. coli is a type of fecal coliform bacteria commonly found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and humans. The presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination.
“It is vital that drinking water systems develop their plans and sample promptly,” said Alexis Strauss, the Water Division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “This requirement protects the public from potentially harmful microorganisms in drinking water.”
The EPA’s orders require these public drinking water systems to develop monitoring plans and conduct pathogen monitoring, as required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The monitoring plans are required of all public water systems that obtain their water from a surface source (such as a river, lake or a well that is under the influence of surface water) and are part of a year-long source water monitoring effort for E. coli, designed to prevent contaminated drinking water.
The EPA has issued orders to the following ten California public water systems:
· Markleeville Water Co., Alpine County
· Lake Alpine Recreation Area, Alpine County
· Cedar Crest Resort, Fresno County
· Panoche Water District, Fresno County
· PG&E Balch Camp, Fresno County
· San Andreas Farms, Fresno County
· Elk Creek Community service district, Glenn County
· Town of Scotia Company, Humboldt County
· Coffee Creek Ranch, Trinity County
· Riverview Acres Water Systems, Trinity CountyThe requirements are part of the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, which increases treatment requirements for water systems that have high levels of Cryptosporidium in their source water. Systems serving fewer than 10,000 people have the option of initially monitoring for E. coli in their source water, which may be an indicator of Cryptosporidium. If the E. coli levels are too high, the system is required to monitor for Cryptosporidium.
Consuming water with Cryptosporidium, a waterborne pathogen, can cause gastrointestinal illness which can be severe in people with weakened immune systems, such as infants or the elderly. It can be fatal to those with severely compromised immune systems, such as cancer and AIDS patients. This type of monitoring protects public health by reducing illness due to Cryptosporidium and other harmful microorganisms in drinking water.
Water systems with high levels of Cryptosporidium or which do not filter their water must provide additional protection, such as ultraviolet disinfection, and watershed control programs.
For more information please visit: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/lt2
Harder water heads to local taps: Residents may find spotty glasses and need more soap because of harder water, which is being distributed because of a statewide water shortage
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 3, 2008 at 6:38 amFrom the O.C. Register:
Bathers may need more soap. Spots may stick to glasses. And cars may look a little filmy after being washed. That’s because Orange County’s water is harder these days.
For two weeks, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has sent only Colorado River water to Orange County. Because of the statewide shortage, the district for now has stopped allocating water that it gets from the State Water Project to local areas.
The state water from Northern California usually is blended with Colorado River water and sent to the Diemer Treatment Plant in Yorba Linda, which processes 400 million gallons of water daily. The water then is distributed to local cities and districts, most of which further mix it with other sources and making the water softer.
As a precaution on Oct. 19, the Metropolitan Water District began reserving the state water for the other areas of Southern California that rely solely on that source. That need became even greater this week when the state announced that it will initially supply just 15 percent of what is normally needed for the coming year.
“It’s certainly not helping matters. In order to adjust that blend of water, we’re going to need to access to more water from the state project,” said Bob Muir, Metropolitan Water District spokesman.
Read more from the O.C. Register by clicking here.
Agencies ordered to cut arsenic in water: Eleven face fines, including three in the Valley
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 29, 2008 at 6:26 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
The federal government has ordered three Valley water agencies to cut arsenic levels by 2010 or face hefty fines.
The order, made public Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency, comes as small water systems struggle to comply with tighter standards to control arsenic, a naturally occurring mineral known to cause cancer.
Eleven California water agencies face fines, including Tranquillity Irrigation District and Riverdale Public Utility District in Fresno County and Armona Community Service District in Kings County. The three central San Joaquin Valley agencies provide drinking water to a combined 6,559 residents.
Public water supplies must contain no more than 10 parts of arsenic per billion. The new rule was issued in 2001 as federal scientists concluded that the old standard of 50 parts per billion did not do enough to protect public health.
More from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Where have all the water fountains gone?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 29, 2008 at 6:20 amAre public drinking fountains going the way of public telephones? Apparently so. Here’s an article from AlterNet:
People are turning away from bottled water as fast as they turned onto it. Municipalities across Canada and the United States are limiting the sale and purchase of bottled water in city buildings, bottled water free zones are popping up on college and university campuses, community groups are phasing out the use of bottled water, and the message about the ills of this product is all over the mainstream media.
I was recently asked in an interview about the next steps for the movement away from bottled water given that the backlash had spread so widely. The interviewer mentioned that he wasn’t sure what people would do at his local hockey arena when the only access to water was from an old dusty water fountain. His question struck a chord and confirmed my belief that the success of the anti-bottled water movement must more and more be accompanied with stronger demands for the renewal of public access to potable drinking water.
Municipal leaders have shown that there is a strong political will for increased use and promotion of tap water. However, we continuously hear of new buildings being constructed without water fountains and existing buildings decommissioning older water fountains without replacing them.
One example comes from the University of Central Florida (UCF) where a $55 million football stadium was constructed with no water fountains.
Read more from AlterNet by clicking here.
Fix agreed for landfill fouling California drinking water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 23, 2008 at 6:19 amFrom NBC San Diego:
The operator of a closed landfill near Las Vegas that has been leaking contaminants into the lake that provides drinking water to Las Vegas, Phoenix and southern California has agreed to construct and operate a $36 million remedy for the site and to pay a $1 million civil fine.
Republic Services of Southern Nevada is the current operator of the Sunrise Mountain Landfill, an unlined 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill located three miles outside the Las Vegas city limits. It contains over 49 million cubic yards of municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, asbestos, construction waste and soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.
The landfill cover failed during a series of storms in September 1998, sending waste into the Las Vegas Wash, which discharges directly into Lake Mead.
In a consent decree, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, Republic Services agreed to implement extensive stormwater controls, an armored engineered cover, methane gas collection, groundwater monitoring, and long-term operation and maintenance, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.
“Today’s settlement will minimize the risk to Clark County residents from polluted water runoff and hazardous waste discharges from the Sunrise Mountain landfill,” said Ronald Tenpas, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
“This settlement reflects the federal government’s commitment to protecting valuable natural resources like Lake Mead and its watershed,” Tenpas said.
Read more from NBC San Diego by clicking here.
Proper disposal of old drugs is changing; but just what is best way to dispose of them?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 6, 2008 at 7:58 amThanks to Diana for sending me this one! From the Sacramento Bee:
Hoping to keep streams and groundwater cleaner, the people who run sewage plants around California want to change the way we get rid of old medicines.
The toilet is out. The hazardous-waste site is in. Except where it’s not. Then there’s the trash.
Advocates hoping to deliver the message “No Drugs Down the Drain” are struggling with exactly where else unwanted medications should go. “Everybody is trying to do the right thing, and right now our laws just haven’t caught up with what the right thing is,” said Jen Jackson, the effort’s statewide coordinator.
To help people navigate the legal morass, the campaign is coordinating special drop-off events statewide, including two planned for Saturday in Auburn and Roseville. It’s also publicizing hazardous-waste sites that routinely accept medications, including four in the Sacramento region.
Just what to do with the old drugs is a perplexing problem:
If a pharmacy collects unused medications, it is considered medical waste, and that’s expensive to get rid of. If a waste site takes it, technically a law enforcement officer has to be there, because controlled substances make up about 10 percent of discarded medicine.
Federal drug law forbids passing along to others painkillers such as Vicodin, which contains hydrocodone. The same law restricts handling of things people might not think of as controlled substances, including Ritalin and other medications with methylphenidate, and even cough syrups that contain codeine.
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
EPA seeks comment on preliminary perchlorate drinking water decision - agency plans to issue a perchlorate health advisory
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 5, 2008 at 5:59 amThanks to Cookie Jill for sending me this! From the Environmental Protection Agency:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted extensive review of scientific data related to the health effects of exposure to perchlorate from drinking water and other sources and found that in more than 99 percent of public drinking water systems, perchlorate was not at levels of public health concern. Therefore, based on the Safe Water Drinking Act criteria, the agency determined there is not a “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction” through a national drinking water regulation.
The agency is seeking comment on its preliminary determination not to regulate perchlorate in drinking water at a national level. EPA will make a final determination for perchlorate after considering information provided in the 30-day public comment period.
While fewer than one percent of the drinking water sources have perchlorate levels above the health reference level, EPA is committed to working with states and localities to ensure public health is protected. States have the right to establish and enforce drinking water standards and EPA encourages state-specific situations to be addressed at the local level. EPA intends to issue a health advisory at the time it issues its final regulatory determination for perchlorate, to assist states with their local response.
A regulatory determination is a formal decision by EPA as to whether it should initiate development of a national primary drinking water regulation for a specific contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA has drinking water regulations for more than 90 contaminants. Every five years, EPA develops a Contaminant Candidate List of contaminants to consider for regulation and then makes regulatory determinations on some of the contaminants based on scientific information on health effects, occurrence in drinking water and the opportunity for risk reduction.
A health advisory provides technical guidance to federal, state, and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methods and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination. Health advisories also contain guidance values that are concentrations of a contaminant in drinking water that are likely to be without adverse health effects.
Find out more information by clicking here.
San Gabriel Valley likely to get millions for water cleanup
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 2, 2008 at 6:46 amFrom the Whittier Daily News:
Efforts to rid San Gabriel Valley water of harmful chemicals and to increase supplies in the face of a statewide drought are likely to get a $10 million boost thanks to legislation signed by the governor. The money is part of an $842 million water package approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday.
“This is an historic moment, the first time ever any bond money has been allocated to the San Gabriel Valley for groundwater cleanup,” said Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte.
The measure partially distributes funds from two bond initiatives passed by voters in 2006 for water infrastructure projects. Though local water agencies are eager to apply for the funds, leaders are frustrated with how long it has taken for the voter-approved funding to be distributed.
“This demonstrates how woefully slow these funds are being distributed throughout state - two years after they were approved by voters,” said Peter Rodriguez, who is responsible for community and government affairs for the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
The San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority will likely get $10.4 million for its efforts to clean groundwater of perchlorate and other contaminants that stem from the San Gabriel Valley’s aerospace industry.
Read more from the Whittier Daily News by clicking here.
Activists fight for clean water, burn drugs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:22 amFrom the Oakland Tribune:
Hoping to prevent mutated and sex-altered fish and other aquatic life in Bay Area waters, a crew of environmentalists set up shop in Jack London Square Sunday to collect several pounds of unwanted personal medication for proper incineration.
Many people who find themselves with expired or unwanted meds will simply throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet not realizing the chemicals are likely to end up in our groundwater, rivers and lakes, or even San Francisco Bay, said Luis Frigo, a spokesman for the Teleosis Institute, a Berkeley-based nonprofit group specializing in green health care issues.
“Ninety percent of senior citizens in this country are taking between one and 10 regular medications,” Frigo said. “And they sometimes switch prescriptions or don’t finish treatments, which leaves all these extra drugs left over. They flush them down, and they have no idea the damage it can do.”
The drug drop-off table was a one-day event leading into No Drugs Down the Drain Week, which will team state and local officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from Oct. 4 to 11.
Read more from the Oakland Tribune by clicking here. For more information on No Drugs Down the Drain Week, visit: http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/
California warns people not to flush pharmaceuticals
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:00 amFrom the New York Times:
The state of California has a warning for its 36 million residents: Do not flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain, or they may end up in a river near you.
Or, it turns out, even in the drinking water.
State and local officials are teaming with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a ”No Drugs Down the Drain Week,” starting with events Oct. 2. The program recommends that drugs be dropped at special collection sites or tossed in the trash.
The event comes less than two weeks after The Associated Press published an investigative report about the dangers of flushing millions of pounds of unused pharmaceuticals annually by the American health care industry and consumers. The ongoing AP investigation has revealed that tests show the drinking water supplies of at least 46 million Americans contain minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants and mood stabilizers.
Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.
EPA drops ball again, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 24, 2008 at 6:02 amFrom the Contra Costa Times, this editorial:
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY has, once again, played ball with the White House while threatening public health. The latest case is about perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel that has been linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children nationwide. The toxic component, also contained in fireworks, is showing up much too often in water supplies.
Yet while the ingredient has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to pose health risks, the EPA, according to a report in the Washington Post, caved in to pressure from the Bush administration and the Pentagon, a la emission standards, and decided there’s no need to eliminate perchlorate from drinking water.
The EPA’s conclusion in a draft claims the clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems.”
What the report doesn’t say is this avoids potentially costing the government billions of dollars in cleanup costs and it keeps the Defense Department away from nasty lawsuits with upset contractors. Who wants to go through all of that trouble just for the sake of public health concerns?
Read the rest of this editorial from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Antelope Valley water agency to use chloramines to disinfect water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 24, 2008 at 5:54 amFrom the Antelope Valley Press:
Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency has announced it plans to switch from chlorine to chloramines to disinfect drinking water early next year. AVEK decided to use chloramines to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations mandating lower levels of potential carcinogens called trihalomethanes, but some AVEK customers, most notably Rosamond Community Services District, oppose the switch, citing other potential health risks.
“As with chlorine, chloramines will be safe for residents and pets like dogs and cats,” said a Sept. 12 AVEK letter to Antelope Valley businesses. “But as with chlorine, chloramines must be removed or neutralized for kidney dialysis and aquatic animals. Chloramines may also affect swimming pool water, emergency water drums, some businesses and private water storage tanks.” The switch is expected to take place between January and March, the letter said.
Chloramines form when ammonia is mixed with chlorine. AVEK’s switch to chloramines is intended to lower the levels of trihalomethanes, or THMs, which form in water from the California Aqueduct when chlorine, used as a disinfectant, comes into contact with natural organic substances, such as decaying plant matter. THMs have been correlated to a high incidence of certain types of cancer. Studies on the use of chloramines have not produced that same conclusion.
But Rosamond Community Service District officials say they will refuse to accept water treated with chloramines. Rosamond’s board members met people who claim assorted health concerns, including red, burning watering eyes; breathing difficulties; and skin rashes. “Working with AVEK, we can solve the problem,” said Jack Stewart, general manager of Rosamond Community Service District.
Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.
EPA decides not to limit perchlorate in tap water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 23, 2008 at 7:47 amFrom the Associated Press:
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there’s no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country. EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.
The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems.”
The conclusion, which caps years of dispute over the issue, was denounced by Democrats and environmentalists who accused EPA of caving to pressure from the Pentagon. “This is a widespread contamination problem, and to see the Bush EPA just walk away is shocking,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate’s environment committee.
More from the Associated Press by clicking here.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Some perchlorate occurs naturally, but most perchlorate contamination in U.S. drinking water stems from improper disposal by rocket test sites, military bases and chemical plants. A nationwide cleanup could cost hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, and several defense contractors have threatened to sue the Defense Department to help pay for it if one is required.
The new EPA proposal - which assumes the maximum allowable perchlorate contamination level is 15 times above what the EPA suggested in 2002 - was heavily edited by officials of the White House Office of Management and Budget, who eliminated key scientific passages and asked the EPA to use a new computer modeling approach to calculate the chemical’s risks.
“They have distorted the science to such an extent that they can justify not regulating” the chemical, said University of Massachusetts Professor Robert Zoeller, an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid hormone and brain development, and who has a copy of the EPA proposal. “Infants and children will continue to be damaged, and that damage is significant.”
Read the rest of this article in the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Associated Press report on pharmaceuticals in drinking water prompts more tests
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 12, 2008 at 5:25 amFrom the Associated Press:
At least 46 million Americans are supplied drinking water that has tested positive for trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals, an increase from the 41 million people reported by The Associated Press in March. Since then, more communities have tested and several disclosed earlier test results.
Protocols varied widely. Some researchers looked only for one pharmaceutical or two; others looked for many.
Both prescription and nonprescription drugs were detected. Because coffee and tobacco are so widely used, researchers say their byproducts are good indicators of the presence of pharmaceuticals. Thus, they routinely test for, and often find, both caffeine and nicotine’s metabolite cotinine more frequently than other drugs.
Click here for a list of metropolitan areas and the pharmaceuticals or byproducts detected.
More than just water coming from your tap
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 2, 2008 at 6:41 amFrom the Arizona Republic:
America’s latest drinking problem isn’t about alcohol. Concerned about the cost of bottled water - and its environmental consequences - many people are turning back to tap water to quench their thirst. But as evidence mounts of contaminants in public systems, unease about the water supply is growing.
Engineers say that U.S. water quality is among the world’s best and is regulated by some of the most stringent standards. But as detection technology improves, utilities are finding more contaminants in water systems.
Earlier this year, media reports of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in water across the country drew attention from U.S. senators and environmental groups, who are now pushing for regulation of these substances in water systems.
Of particular concern, experts say, are endocrine-disrupting compounds - found in birth-control pills, mood-stabilizers and other drugs - which are linked to birth defects in wildlife. Also alarming are antibiotics, which if present in water systems, even in small amounts, could contribute to the rise of drug-resistant strains of bacteria.
Read more from the Arizona Republic by clicking here.
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