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There are a number of steps you can do significantly improve the quality of your drinking water, but first lets take a look at the contaminants that are potentially to be found in your drinking water, and the health risks they contain.
Only by testing your water can you know for certain what, if any, of the following contaminants are in it:
1. THMs and Chlorine Many municipal water systems use chlorine to eliminate bacteria, but recent studies show that chlorine can react with organic material in water to form chemicals called Trihalomethanes (THMs). One of these THMs is chloroform, a suspected cancer-causing agent.
2. Lead The EPA says lead in drinking water can cause serious health problems. At low levels, reduced birth weight and premature birth, delayed mental and physical development, and impaired mental abilities in children in general, may result. At high levels of exposure, anemia, kidney damage, and mental retardation can occur.
3. Radon Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that has no taste, odor, or color. Waterborne radon released into the air from showers, washing machines, etc. can be inhaled and increase the risk of lung cancer. There also is accumulating evidence of a relationship between the ingestion of radon in drinking water and increased risk of stomach cancer.
4. Cysts Protozoan parasites, such as Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia lamblia cysts in drinking water, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other flu-like symptoms that are longer-lasting and more debilitating than most cases of flu.
5. Pesticides and Herbicides Many agricultural chemicals like atrazine and alachlor have found their way into groundwater sources. Many pesticides are toxic and are associated with a variety of health problems.
6. Industrial Chemicals Though necessary in manufacturing, many industrial chemicals, if , may cause increased risk of cancer and other illnesses. Some of the industrial chemicals that now threaten the purity and quality of our drinking water include polychlorinated biphenyl's (PCBs), poly nuclear aromatics (PNAs), and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), such as TCE, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride.
7. Other Particulate Contaminants Small fibers of asbestos, dirt, and other particles often can be found in drinking water. We want to repeat that no information exists to show that the examples described above pertain to your specific water system or supply.
Suburban homeowners with their green expanses of lawnare poisoning water, too.
Nationwide, lawns cover 25 to 30 million acres, an area larger than Virginia, and suburbanites use up to two and a half times more pesticide per acre than do farmers to keep their lawns weed free. Other major sources of pollutants include discharges from industries into waterways, chemicals dumped down household drains and storm runoff from city streets. Spraying of parks, trees, golf courses, lawns, and along roads and right-of-way is common. This is frequently done routinely without consideration of actual need or potential impact of lakes, river, or ground water. Pest control products for home and garden are generally assumed by many people to be environmentally safe. However, many of them, if they do not evaporate or degrade, may end up in water supplies. If poured down a drain or toilet or put into trash, they can leach from septic tanks or landfills, or pass through sewage treatment plants which are not equipped to remove them.
Tracking all these contaminants will be difficult and costly.
At present, the art of chemical testing is simply not sophisticated enough to reliably detect traces of unknown synthetic chemicals in water. "If you don't know what (chemicals) you're looking for, it's difficult to find out what's in the water," says a Washington State University leading drinking- water authority. Even conducting the tests required by law today can be prohibitively expensive for smaller utilities.
How To Find Out What's In Your Water?
If you've gotten this far, you're obviously concerned about what you may be drinking every day. For many people, just knowing the wide variety of contaminants that may be in their water on any given day is reason enough to purchase a water treatment system immediately. For others, it's a question of knowing for sure exactly what's in their water.
Here's how you can find out what's in it:
Contact your local water system or state drinking water program. Request copies of test results and public notices of violations for the past two or three years. The report won't tell you what happens to the water in your own plumbing system. The only way to know precisely what's coming out of your tap is to have your water tested.
Test your own tap water for lead.
The EPA Drinking Water Hotline, (800) 426-4791, will refer you to a certified lab in your area. Or you can call THE WATER DOCTORS at 952-WATER-DRS and we will make arrangements to send you a kit in the mail. We send you empty bottles and instructions; you ship back samples and receive a detailed analysis.
Prices range from $ 45.00 to $ 350.00 depending on the test you want. GET A TEST!
The hot line can also answer technical and health questions such as 'How much cryptosporidium is too much?' Because of floods, or people seriously sickened from water-borne microbes we are periodically reminded that drinking water is something that can't be taken for granted.
Can we as individuals do anything?
Unequivocally yes, but we must first understand what water experts mean by "purity." Today's standards, dating back some 50 years, are based on three traits: color, taste and bacteria content. Water testing was mostly a look, taste and peering into a microscope to scan for E. Coli bacteria. (The discovery of which meant contamination by human or animal waste.)
Is that good enough today?
We are fortunate to have water testing techniques so advanced that we can detect chemical and microbial contamination that wasn't possible a decade ago. In addition we have increased our knowledge of many microorganisms and chemicals.
We know that water that looks clear and is good-tasting, may still have bugs destructive to good health. Giardia, a water-borne protozoa, causes gastrointestinal illness. Cryptosporidium, the microbe that caused the Milwaukee outbreak, is obviously another germ of concern.
Water may contain other health damaging substances that cannot be detected by the outmoded methods used widely today. Lead is known to harm the central nervous system. Lead enters drinking water naturally or from things we make such as lead pipes or pipe solder that contains
lead. Industrial solvents, pesticides and other harmful chemicals are also contaminating drinking water. Even more scary is the fact, in some instances, this can be done without affecting traditional purity measures.
Disinfectant Byproducts affect water purity.
Chlorine used to disinfect most municipal water reacts with other naturally occurring chemicals in water to form a variety of compounds. According to Executive Health's Good Health Report, " Some are carcinogenic, toxic or otherwise harmful. Several chlorine byproducts, in particular, are suspected or in some cases proven to be unhealthy in laboratory testing."
"The catch is, there's no way around disinfectant byproducts, unless we go without disinfecting our water entirely."
The bottom line is that drinking water from most U. S. utilities is by and large safe. If you suspect your water from whatever source may be less than pristine there are steps you can take."
How Will I Know If My Drinking Water Remains Safe in the Future?
Excerpted from Water on Tap:
A Consumer's Guide to the Nation's Drinking Water a U.S. EPA Office of Water Publication
I've Heard that a New Law Was Passed by Congress. What Will That Do For My Drinking Water?
President Clinton signed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 on August 6, 1996. The 1996 SDWA amendments require that consumers receive more information about the quality of their drinking water supplies and what is being done to protect them. The amendments also provide new opportunities for public involvement and provide an increased emphasis on protecting the sources of local drinking water."
What Information Can I Expect to Receive?
Water suppliers must promptly tell you if your water has become contaminated by something that can cause immediate illness. The 1996 SDWA Amendments specified new time frames for notification of violations. Water systems now have 24 hours to inform their customers of violations of EPA standards "that have the potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as a result of short-term exposure."
If such a violation occurs, the system will announce it through the media and provide information about:
The potential adverse effects on human health;
The steps that the system is taking to correct the violation; and
The need to use alternative water supplies (such as boiled water or bottled water) until the problem is corrected.
Systems will inform customers about violations of less immediate concern in the first water bill sent out after the violation, in an annual report, or by mail within a year.
Beginning in 1998, your state will compile information from individual systems so you can evaluate the overall quality of drinking water in your state. EPA must compile and summarize the state reports into an annual report on the condition of the nation's drinking water.
The SDWA amendments also require EPA to publish regulations that will require systems to prepare consumer confidence reports. These consumer confidence reports at a minimum will provide:
Information about where your drinking water comes from;
Results of monitoring that the system performed during the year; and
Information on health concerns associated with violations that occurred during the year.
Beginning in 1999, systems will have to prepare and distribute the reports annually. Systems serving fewer than 10,000 people will, at the Governor's option, be able to make the reports available to the public in ways other than mailing them."
How Often is my Water Supply Tested?
EPA has established pollutant-specific minimum testing schedules for public water systems. To find out how frequently your drinking water is tested, contact your water system or state agency in charge of drinking water.
The table below shows the major groups of contaminants and the minimum frequency that public water systems must test for them.
Sample Monitoring ScheduleContaminantMinimum Monitoring FrequencyAcute Contaminants
Bacteria Monthly or quarterly, depending on system type. Protozoa and Viruses Continuous monitoring for turbidity; monthly for total coliforms, as indicators. Nitrate Annually
Chronic Contaminants Volatile Organics (e.g., benzene) Ground water sytems, annually for 2 consecutive years. Surface water systems, annually.
Synthetic Organics (e.g., pesticides) Larger systems, twice in 3 years. Smaller systems, once in 3 years. Inorganics/MetalsGround water systems, once every 3 years. Surface water systems, annually. Lead and Copper Annually.
Radionuclides Once every 4 years.
General requirements may differ slightly based on the size or type of drinking water system.
If a problem is detected, there are immediate retesting requirements that go into effect and strict instructions for how the system informs the public about the problem. Until the system can reliably demonstrate that it is free of problems, the retesting is continued.
In 1996, one out of every five CWS's did not conduct testing or report results for all of the monitoring required to verify drinking water safety. Although failure to monitor does not necessarily suggest safety problems, conducting the required monitoring and reporting is critical to ensure that problems will be detected. Consumers can help to make certain monitoring and reporting requirements are met by first contacting their state drinking water agency to determine if their water supplier is meeting all requirements. If the water supplier is not meeting the requirements, consumers can work with local and state officials and their water supplier to ensure that the required monitoring gets done.
Can Water Systems Be Excused from Monitoring For Some Contaminants?
In some cases, yes. Over time, public water systems should better understand the likely threats to their water supplies by reviewing test results and keeping a watchful eye on threats to their drinking water sources. If a system does not have water quality problems, it can apply to the state for permission to test less frequently for certain contaminants. If, after scientific analysis, state regulators believe it is unlikely that human or natural activities will affect the system's water quality in the future, they may grant the request to avoid unnecessary testing.
A waiver from the monitoring requirement in no way reduces the water supplier's responsibility to provide high-quality water; on the contrary, it is a privilege awarded to only the suppliers who can ensure the reliable delivery of safewater to their customers. Testing continues, but at a reduced frequency. At the first indication of any problem - or the likelihood of a problem - the system must notify the state and the state may instruct the system to return to a more rigorous monitoring schedule.
Does This New Safe Drinking Water Act Do Anything Else to Keep My Drinking Water Safe in the Future?
The 1996 SDWA includes many new provisions that will help states and water systems improve the quality of drinking water by preventing problems before they occur. Under the new source water protection provisions, for example, each state must develop a program to identify potential contamination threats and determine the susceptibility of drinking water sources such as wells or reservoirs to activities that may harm the source water. The source water assessments will provide the information necessary for states and localities to protect source water from contamination. Substantial federal funding is provided to states for assessments and for source water protection programs if states choose to operate such a program.
The new law also will help prevent problems by ensuring that water systems are operated by qualified professionals. Each state must carry out an "operator certification program," including training and certification for individuals responsible for operating the drinking water plant. Most states required operator certification before it was mandated by federal law. Many very small water systems that cannot afford a full-time operator use "circuit riders" who travel from system to system, providing technical assistance and making sure that the plant is operating correctly. States must establish program that ensure that the water systems have sufficient technical, managerial, and financial capacity to reliably deliver safe drinking water.
Other Sources of Funding Assistance are AvailableThe 1996 SDWA Amendments will provide up to $9.6 billion over the next 6 years for improving drinking water infrastructure. Other sources of funding also are available to water systems through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service (RUS).
RUS administers a water and wastewater loan and grant program as part of the Water 2000 initiative, which is aimed at providing clean, safe, and affordable drinking water to all rural homes by the year 2000. Under the RUS programs, rural areas and small cities and towns can receive loans or grants to restore a deteriorating water supply, upgrade a water or wastewater facility, or develop new systems. In Fiscal Year 1997, Congress appropriated approximately $740 million for direct and guaranteed loans and approximately $500 million for grants under the RUS programs.
Funding to improve water treatment and distribution systems may be available from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Program, the Economic Development Administration, Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Indian Health Service. | 
