Do you know how many impoverished people fish for dinner on a regular basis in the USA? I doubt that question is on any USA Census.
What is the water quality? To answer these questions, it is helpful to understand what "water quality" means, how it is determined, and the natural processes and human activities that affect water quality.
What do we mean by "water quality"?
Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. To determine water quality, scientists first measure and analyze characteristics of the water such as temperature, dissolved mineral content, and number of bacteria. Selected characteristics are then compared to numeric standards and guidelines to decide if the water is suitable for a particular use....
...How can I find out more about my water quality?
...How can I find out more about my water quality?
Contact your local water supplier and ask for information on the water quality in your area. The USEPA requires public-water suppliers to provide water-quality data to the public on an annual basis in an understandable format. State agencies that deal with health, environmental quality, or water resources also can provide information on the quality of your water. Additional resources can be found on the Internet at:
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa
http://www.epa.gov/safewater
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa
http://www.epa.gov/safewater
Water quality reporting annually applies to public suppliers, like the local water treatment facility in most USA towns.
There is no question about the law. The water at any faucet in the USA is suppose to meet standards.
April 14, 2008
By Allison Van Dusen
...In its 2005 report, (click here) “A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality,” EWG (Environmental Working Group) found that water suppliers in 42 states collectively identified in treated tap water: 83 agricultural pollutants, or pesticides; 59 contaminants linked to sprawl and urban areas, or those from polluted runoff and wastewater treatment plants; 166 industrial chemicals, or those from factory waste; and 44 pollutants that are byproducts of the water treatment process or leach from pipes or storage tanks....
EWG State Data Base (click here)
Water quality in areas of the country is effected by the type of industry of that city or town. Vacation and recreational areas such as Miami, Florida will have better water quality, while, industrialized areas will have challenges to that water quality. In some areas of the USA, like the NJ Meadowlands before the clean up, had illegally dumped chemicals in it's wetlands. At the point where human contact is going to be a problem there needs to be EPA Superfund Sites or Brownfield Sites. They are federal programs, that is a city qualifies can receive monies to correct the land and improve it's use.
There is no excuse ANYWHERE in the USA for pollution that effects health.
There is no question about the law. The water at any faucet in the USA is suppose to meet standards.
April 14, 2008
By Allison Van Dusen
...In its 2005 report, (click here) “A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality,” EWG (Environmental Working Group) found that water suppliers in 42 states collectively identified in treated tap water: 83 agricultural pollutants, or pesticides; 59 contaminants linked to sprawl and urban areas, or those from polluted runoff and wastewater treatment plants; 166 industrial chemicals, or those from factory waste; and 44 pollutants that are byproducts of the water treatment process or leach from pipes or storage tanks....
EWG State Data Base (click here)
Water quality in areas of the country is effected by the type of industry of that city or town. Vacation and recreational areas such as Miami, Florida will have better water quality, while, industrialized areas will have challenges to that water quality. In some areas of the USA, like the NJ Meadowlands before the clean up, had illegally dumped chemicals in it's wetlands. At the point where human contact is going to be a problem there needs to be EPA Superfund Sites or Brownfield Sites. They are federal programs, that is a city qualifies can receive monies to correct the land and improve it's use.
There is no excuse ANYWHERE in the USA for pollution that effects health.
