Priscille Promesse

Priscille Promesse

Critical Thinking – CRT 100

April 1, 2022

Prof. Barnes

The Safety of Drinking Water

Is it safe to drink tap water in New York City? New York City residents argued that the industrial developments happening near the water sources might be polluting their water supply.  Most people worry about chlorine, lead, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other substances in their local tap water. Many Americans may have been exposed to unsafe drinking water. Drinking water contaminant is harmful to health, especially for children, even a low level of lead in children’s blood can cause behavioral and learning problems, and in rare cases, ingestion can cause seizures, coma, and even death. Communities across the country have been impacted by cases of impaired water quality, as a result, it is now a national concern to improve the quality of drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered new regulations to disinfect water supplies. therefore Utilities are now using chlorine and other chemicals to disinfect water, but even this option has its own side effect those chemicals react with organic matter in the water, creating compounds that pose other health risks.

“New York City’s water system supplies over one billion gallons of unfiltered water daily to New York. The city tests for contaminants including lead in its water mains. But there are at least 836,000 service lines, and the city estimates that 45,000 of them are made of lead. Other service lines may have pipes joined with lead soldering. Older buildings especially may also have plumbing or brass fixtures that contain lead according to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, all known lead service lines to city-owned properties — including schools, libraries, and parks — were replaced from 2008 to 2010. But the city is working to identify and replace any that remain.” (Adams, Rueb) “New York City water is virtually lead-free when it is delivered from the City’s upstate reservoir system, but water can absorb lead from solder, fixtures, and pipes found in the plumbing of some buildings or homes. Therefore, It is possible that this can increase the potential for exposure. 

“While water-quality experts deem most of the nation’s drinking water safe, the recent crisis over lead-tainted water in Flint, Mich., dramatized the problems that plague communities nationwide: Lead and other toxic substances continue to pose a threat, and government agencies responsible for monitoring water safety sometimes fail to protect the public. Investigations conducted since the Flint crisis came to light last year have found that thousands of water systems nationwide have failed to meet federal safety standards for lead and other harmful substances. Moreover, environmentalists warn that tens of thousands of industrial pollutants and pharmaceutical compounds slip through water-treatment systems without being tested or regulated. The Environmental Protection Agency sets water-safety standards, but the sourcing, treatment, and distribution of water is left to local utilities, (Adams Jill. U)

 “Safeguarding the city’s water begins with protecting land that surrounds the streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, monitoring the water system to ensure that the quality of water provided to the public is safe. before the water is sent on to the city’s distribution system, chlorine, phosphoric acid, and sodium hydroxide are added to disinfect it and the pH level is specifically adjusted to prevent corrosion and the releasing of harmful components of lead. (Rueb S. Emily, Cochran Josh) “To control corrosion, water treatment plants add orthophosphate, a chemical that coats the inside of the pipes and prevents leaching. Corrosion control works, but it’s not perfect, says Mae Wu, a senior NRDC attorney. As long as there are lead service lines, lead will continue to be a problem. When corrosion control doesn’t work, service lines must be replaced, with the cost typically shared with homeowners.” “Water Quality, although the most egregious point-source pollution has been reduced, a more insidious form of pollution continues to dirty the nation’s waterways — runoff from city streets, suburban construction sites and farms. Contaminated by fertilizers and animal waste, agricultural runoff contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients, which deprive waterways of the oxygen needed to support aquatic life. Runoff also contains toxins washed into storm sewers from city streets, which kill fish outright and threaten human health.” (Cooper, Mary. H)

In conclusion, the EPA has specific routine inspection and quality monitoring of the water supply to enforce federal water-quality standards, but their main focus is on other contaminants meanwhile lead contamination is widespread in the nation, I think more emphasis is needed to combat the lead poisoning that is happening on a national scale. In the meantime, for safety and comfort of the mind, everyone should at least try to install a carbon-block filter on their faucet to filter drinking water.

Work Cited

Adams, Jill U. “Drinking Water Safety.” CQ Researcher, 15 July 2016, pp. 577-600, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2016071500.

Cooper, Mary H. “Water Quality.” CQ Researcher, 24 Nov. 2000, pp. 953-76, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2000112400.

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