"We often don't think about where our
water comes from," said Steve Fleischli, director and senior attorney for
the Natural Resources
Defense Council(NRDC) Water Program in Los
Angeles. "Does it come from a nearby river or a lake, intermittent
streams, isolated wetlands, or an aquifer? Yes, you may have a water treatment
plant, but if your water source is not protected, people face a real risk."
We often take the purity of our tap water for
granted -- and we shouldn't. NRDC's What's on Tap?, a carefully
researched, documented and peer-reviewed study of the drinking water systems of
19 U.S. cities, found that pollution and deteriorating, out-of-date plumbing
are sometimes delivering drinking water that might pose health risks to some
residents. The first line of defense in ensuring the safety and quality of
drinking water is to ensure that water sources -- lakes, rivers, streams and
aquifers (porous underground formations that hold water) -- are protected from
pollution.
The Bottom Line: Water Quality and Compliance
Good drinking water depends on cities getting three things
right:
·
Lakes, streams, reservoirs and wells must be protected from
pollution
·
Pipes must be sound and well-maintained
·
Modern treatment facilities are a must
An informed, involved public is a water
utility's strongest ally in an effort to better protect its water supply. NRDC
recommends that citizens urge legislators not to pull the plug on safe water
supplies, and Congress should act to strengthen the laws and contaminant
standards we have in place to protect the purity and safety of our drinking
water.
Visit our website: Hi-drate H2O !
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