Maintaining Drinking Water Quality Essay

     Heavy metals, such as copper, lead, mercury, and selenium are another group of toxins that pollute the water as well as the rest of the environment. The source of many of these pollutants are industries, automobile exhaust, mines, and even natural soil.

However, they need encountered resistance, typically from the residents they're making an attempt to help, who believe that if their water is legal it should be safe. Drinking water that doesn't meet a federal health guideline won't essentially make somebody sick. several contaminants are dangerous as long as consumed for years. and a few researchers argue that even harmful chemicals, once consumed at very low doses over long periods, cause few risks. Others argue that the price of removing minute concentrations of chemicals from water doesn't equal the advantages. “Communities where the drinking water has contained chemicals that are associated with health risks include Scottsdale, Ariz.; El Paso, Tex., and Reno, Nev. Test results analyzed by The Times show their drinking water has contained arsenic at concentrations that have been associated with cancer. But that contamination did not violate the Safe Drinking Water Act” (NY Times 2009).

All the inhabitants of Flint communities regardless of their location had irreversible, permanent brain damage due to lead-contaminated water. It started when traces of E. coli and total coliform were found in the Flint River. The city addressed this problem by increasing chlorine levels in the water, causing the pipes to corrode, releasing lead into the waters. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) were also formed in the water (they are carcinogenic to humans).TTHM is a disinfection byproduct that occur when chlorine interacts with organic matter in the water. At this stage, The lead levels in the water was 13,200 ppb. Water is considered hazardous waste at 5,000ppb (NPR 2016). This tragedy goes to show that this toxic runoff, or even the miss-handling of the water resources in a watershed can affect everyone as the downstream water was piped up into the upstream communities.

There are three main mechanisms by which the chemical composition of groundwater, which is our natural source of drinking water, may be changed: by natural processes, by man's waste-disposal practices such as those for sanitary wastes, liquid industrial wastes, solid wastes, and radioactive wastes, and by spills, leaks, and agricultural activities and other sources unrelated to disposal. The degree of risk posed by contaminants varies according to many factors. These include the volume and toxicity of the contaminant, its concentration in the aquifer, its persistence in the environment, and the degree of human and environmental exposure to the contaminant. In addition, the number of persons affected, or likely to be affected, over time and the percentage of available groundwater both locally and regionally should be taken into consideration. If the contaminants in the groundwater exceed the standards set for drinking water by the federal government, for example, then the water is hazardous for the use for which it was designated under the standards. These standards include, however, only a limited number of chemicals, and thus they do not necessarily protect humans or the environment against either the short-term or the long-term effects of every contaminant that might be found in

The Midwestern region of the United States, such a small corner of the world, is notorious for its prosperous agriculture and its abundant livestock population. Citizens of the Midwest, and consequently, the United States, rarely have to worry about where meals will come from or when the next time water will be available. Water fountains are a common sight within public places, specifically schools and workplaces, and each system reliably produces water at the touch of a button, every time, without fail. However, what happens when the dependability of water in the Midwest is compromised? Over the past decade, the water quality in Flint, Michigan, a town very close to Iowan homes, has seen a rapid decadence, given that the Flint River has been exposed to “the presence of fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients, oils, and other toxic substances,” though the main focus has

This poisoning can affect the general health of a population. Unsafe water can lead to an increase in health problems, such as cancer. This can cause many case managers focusing on access to health care and treatments. Many of these health problems will result in end-of-life case management. Contaminated water can also cause physical and intellectual developmental delays.

Contaminated water poses health risks on humans, pets, wild animals, and farm animals. (Mcdermott-Levy 2013)

Early reports indicate that some local residents had yellow water; the lead-leased water had impacted some resident’s health as well. One report indicated that the tap water of one home was so toxic, that it would be considered hazardous waste.

Doctors are always telling us to drink more water to improve our health, but what if that water is contaminated by a potentially toxic chemical? When it comes to our drinking water in America, compared to other countries around the world, there is usually no concern in becoming ill after consuming a nice, big glass of tap water. The reason you don’t question the quality is because of the regulations in place by US Environmental protection Agency (EPA) for public drinking water. But now we are foreseeing issues with our drinking water due to chemicals used in items such as food packaging materials (such as pizza boxes and popcorn bags), fabrics, nonstick cooking pans and firefighting foams (Scutti). As a result of their inhabitance, the chemicals

The environmental issue of interest is clean drinking water and the abuse of our water sources. The interest in this discipline is because clean water and water abuse have been an issue for many years. Many countries around the world and in our own back yard lack clean drinking water. The cause of unclean water can be caused by bad agriculture practices and industrialization. The cause of these unhealthy practices may cause waters to be contaminated with a mineral called Chromium; this mineral exposes a high risk of cancer. The county of Gwinnett is full of lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and ponds but the only source of drinking water that is disposed to residents comes from a man-made lake called Lake Lanier. The lake provides clean drinking

Between April of 2014 and October of 2015, the city of Flint, Michigan redirected their water management from the Detroit Water Authority (DWA), sourced from Lake Heron, to the Flint Water System (FWS), sourced from the Flint River. This was a temporary, cost-saving measure in anticipation of a forthcoming pipeline, also from Lake Heron (Kennedy et al., 2016). After the transition from the DWA to the FWS, residents were concerned with the water’s possible toxicity, questioning its odor, color, and taste. Soon, “bacteria, including Escherichia coli,” as well as “disinfection byproducts including total trihalomethanes [chloroform and bromoform, among others]” were detected in the water (Hanna-Attisha, LaChance, Sadler, & Schnepp, 2016). After the discovery of E. coli in August 2014, residents were instructed to boil their drinking water (Goovaerts, 2016). In December 2014, water samples revealed high levels of lead, copper, and the trihalomethanes mentioned above. Residents then reported skin irritation and declining health and were strongly advised against drinking tap water without testing and filtration. Further testing of the water in February 2015 reported a water lead level (WLL) of 104 µg/L, a number astronomically higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s action level of 15 µg/L (Goovaerts, 2016). As a result, on October 16, 2015, the water source was switched back to the DWA. Pregnant and breastfeeding women and children were instructed to drink bottled

First, control over the discharge can take place at the point of generation within the plant itself. Second, the polluted water can be sent to water treatment plants before it is released into the surrounding water sources. Third, the waste water can be treated within the plant and recycled again, or treated in the plant and released.

As the worlds population grows, it is forced by circumstances that it has created to face the limitations of the worlds resources. Most people in the US have always been fortunate enough to have enough of whatever they wanted. When something they like breaks or wears out, they throw it away or buy a new one, and they often don’t even make an attempt to repair an item. They neglect basic maintenance until they damage their belongings beyond repair, and expect that they’ll always have enough. But some things are beyond their control, beyond there power or financial ability to replace or repair. The world’s drinking water supply is one of these without concern, without attention, without preventative maintenance and reclamation and

The purpose of this report is to propose a solution to the problem of reduced drinking water quality due to chemical pollution. Some bodies of water in the United States are becoming polluted from chemicals and restrictions are needed to protect drinking water quality.

Although the state of America’s water infrastructure is of great concern, the types of chemicals found in America’s tap water are equally as frightening. The passage of the Water Act in 1972 prevents the direct dumping of hazardous chemicals directly into waterways, and helps regulate quality standards of water. However, the Clean Water Act is has no jurisdiction on regulating indirect dumping of chemicals that integrates into water supplies. Pesticides and prescription drugs are the greatest cause for concern of indirect containments in America’s water supply (Olsen). An abundance of the harmful chemicals found in liquefied animals feces, used in large dairy states, have percolated into drinking wells that have caused serious infections (Duhigg). However, more harmful containments are infiltrating water supplies. Such containments include