Securing Our Water

In the wake of September 11, with concerns immediately arising about the vulnerability of the nation's public-drinking-water systems, Congress appropriated $89 million to help utilities with reservoir security, and $4 billion more is being sought. Safeguards against vandalism hopefully will be effective, but it's probably more likely that we'll encounter water contaminated by industrial, agricultural and household wastes that can put our health at risk.

A national study of stream-water samples released in March 2002 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) revealed 95 chemicals found in a variety of drugs, detergents, disinfectants, insect repellents, plastics and shampoos, including 33 suspected hormone disruptors. In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that 6 percent of the nation's water systems had violated health standards for at least one of 90 regulated contaminants. Now, with water supplies facing the added pressure of drought across the U.S., it's clearer than ever that we need to reduce pollution from farms, industry and households, and conserve this vital resource. In the meantime, here's how to make sure that your family has safe water to drink:

3 Steps to Ensuring Clean Tap Water

1. Read your water report.

"The easiest way to find out what's in your drinking water is to get a copy of your water quality report," says Erik Olson, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Water-quality reports are the annual "consumer confidence reports" that local utilities are required to send to all homes. Contaminants vary for each water supply, but some of those most frequently found, according to Olson, include:

--Trihalomethanes (THMs), chemicals formed when chlorine used to disinfect water reacts with organic matter--such as animal waste, treated sewage or leaves and soil--may increase the risk of cancer, damage the liver, kidneys and nervous system and increase rates of miscarriage and birth defects.

--Atrazine, a weed killer used on most corn crops, can cause organ and cardiovascular damage and is a suspected hormone disruptor.

--Coliform bacteria, not harmful in themselves, may indicate the presence of dangerous microbes such as Cryptosporidium, which can be life-threatening to people with weak immune systems.

--Lead, a toxic heavy metal, can damage developing brains and nervous systems. "Every homeowner, especially if they have children under six, should have their water tested for lead," Olson warns. Although lead may not be present at the source, it can leach into your water from lead-containing pipes in your home. As a precaution, until water has been tested, parents should employ a lead-removing filter or use only cold water to drink, cook or prepare infant formula after first running it for two minutes to flush pipes.

2. If your water has unacceptable levels of one or more contaminants, buy a water filter that reduces them (see box, below).

3. Help to conserve and protect clean water.

Ultimately, protecting rivers, streams and wetlands is our best defense against water pollution. You can refuse to use yard pesticides and fertilizers, which run off or seep into groundwater, and you can dispose of leftover paints and other household chemicals through your community's hazardous-waste-collection program taher than pouring them down the drain. Use biodegradable cleansers and detergents, and buy food that's organically grown, in accordance with watershed-buffering practices.

The average faucet flows about three gallons of water per minute, so don't leave the tap running while you brush or wash. Turning on the shower only to wet down, soap up and rinse off reduces water use from as much as 40 gallons down to 5. A low-flow shower head, which costs less than $5, can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four, the EPA estimates. Water gardens in the evening or early morning to reduce evaporation to sun, allow longer (hence less thirsty) grass and landscape with plants that are native to your area (requiring about half as much water).

Filtering It Out

Be sure to select a filter that is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to reduce the specific contaminants found in your water.

For example:

*The faucet-mounted Pur Ultimate FM-4010L costs $50, with an annual filter replacement cost of $96, and reduces a long list of substances, including lead, THMs, microbes, atrazine, chlorine, mercury, styrene, MTBE, perchloroethylene, toluene and more. Note, however, that such all-absorbing filters may clog more quickly, especially where water contains sediment.

*The Brita Pitcher Carafe costs $20, with filter changes running $27 a year, and catches lead, chlorine, copper, zinc, mercury, cadmium, xylenes, benzene, perchloroethylene and toluene.

Why Not Bottled Water?

1. It's expensive: "Bottled costs much more than tap water on a per gallon basis," says EPA spokesperson Cathy Milbourn.

2. It's not necessarily safer. "The regulatory program is not as strict for bottled water as for tap water," explains the NRDC's Olson.

3. Unhealthy chemicals can migrate from plastic bottles into the water, as Consumer Reports reported in August 2000.

4. An estimated 1.5 million tons of plastic are manufactured from petrochemicals each year to package water, according to an April 2001 report by the World Wildlife Fund. In 1999 alone, about 1 million tons of plastic bottles wound up in U.S. trash bins, the EPA estimates.

Resources:

For watershed protection how-to's: Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water, www.safe-drinking-water.org, 202-895-0420, ext. 109.

If you need a drinking-water report, contact your water utility or the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791, or go to www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm.

To order Consumer Reports' water filter ratings, call 800-896-7788 or see www.consumerreports.org.

Check filter certifications with the National Sanitation Foundation, 800-NSF-MARK, www.nsf.org.

Lead tests cost $17 from Clean Water Lead Testing Inc., 828-251-6800, www.leadtesting.org. New York City residents can order free tests through 718-DEP-HELP.