The rate of contamination of our water sources has prompted environmentalists to call for stricter control measures over water safety monitoring and public filtration processes. Current proposals in Congress tend to transfer responsibility for ensuring safe, quality water from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to local governments, regardless of whether they are poorly equipped or underfunded.

There is still uncertainty about what action to take; whether Congress will require state and local governments to improve their water purification techniques and for the EPA to push hard on standards for potential cancer-causing chemicals. The other alternative is for the EPA to relax and regulate only those chemicals that have the greatest potential risks, such as lead. Neither proposal seems to guarantee that the water we will drink is safe.

Environmentalists feel that it is necessary to inform the public about the real scope of the water pollution problem. This will create an awareness that they need to take certain steps to make sure their water is safe to drink or use. Here are some environmental issues that have made our water sources unsafe:

Contaminated rainwater / snow runoff

We, as inhabitants of the community, should be the first to be responsible for this. Since most of our land today is considered disturbed land covered with concrete and all that, the rainwater that falls is barely absorbed by the ground. Rain, storm, snow, floodwaters called runoff, flow through canals and roads and will eventually reach their destination in streams, rivers, and estuaries. Upon exiting, these waters will encounter all kinds of debris carelessly thrown onto the ground by humans, such as detergents, pet waste, construction materials, dripping oil from vehicles, salt or fertilizers used to de-ice driveways and other similar substances. discarded carelessly. .

Studies have shown that these runoffs have contributed greatly to the contamination of our water resources, since the lands through which they flow barely have the ability to absorb water. In fact, even groundwater, which is the main source of deep well water, was also proven to be contaminated.

Farm water runoff

If you live in areas close to farms and other agricultural areas, research results have revealed that they are the main contributors to river water pollution. The United States Geological Survey has linked nine states, namely: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee for having contributed to the contamination of the Gulf of Mexico. Consequently, this is due to runoff from their farms containing high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. In fact, researchers today have described the Gulf of Mexico as overfertilized.

Researchers from Yale University and Louisiana State University report that for the past 50 years, runoff from farms has pumped rivers with excess carbon dioxide. This has caused not only the rivers to become acidic, but also the ocean. The acidity of the ocean is one of the reasons why coral reefs today appear bleached and dying; as a result, there is a disturbance of marine life.

Atmospheric pollution

Earth’s atmosphere now contains levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that have caused climate and temperature changes. As the atmospheric composition precipitates and falls as rain or snow, much of it returns to the ocean. The quality of the water returning to the ocean is now polluted with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, including methane. Methane is said to be several times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Chlorine as a medium for water disinfection

Chlorine is not actually a contaminant and is intentionally infused into our water to act as a sanitizing agent. However, only a few of us are aware that the use of chlorine with chloroform as the main composition causes cancer, which is now receiving a lot of attention from the EPA.

Not all bottled water is safe

After knowing all the sources of contaminants listed above, we will turn to bottled water as our presumed safety measure to ensure our drinking water is safe. Often touted as “safer” and “chlorine-free,” it may surprise you that about one-third of bottled water in the US comes from public water supplies, according to reports. In addition to that, consumers are unaware that the regulations governing the preparation of these bottled water are said to be less stringent, so you are not sure whether what you are drinking is safer than what you got from the tap.

Our greatest concern is the safety of our drinking water through the use of home filtration. At least it can give us the assurance that the water we drink has gone through proper filtration and disinfection processes. Also, we could probably refer to certain websites, such as “Your Guide to Going Green”, for ideas on how we can ensure the quality and safety of the water we drink.

With the speed at which man has polluted the air, land and water, we have to be doubly sure that what we are consuming or consuming is not a danger to our health and well-being.