Monday, May 22, 2017

NRDC Reviews Quality of Drinking Water in the U.S.

Earlier this month the National Resource Defense Council, NRDC, reported that almost a quarter of the U.S. population, spread across all 50 states, received their drinking water from public water suppliers that reported violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2015. The Safe Drinking Water Act regulates not only threats to health, but also has requirements for water quality, testing, and reporting. The NRDC report found that 27 million people, or slightly over 8% Americans, were served by a drinking water system with health-based violations. In addition 15% of Americans obtain their drinking water from private wells that are unregulated and predominately untested.

The health-based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act rules that were found by NRDC were most frequently caused by: disinfection byproducts which are known to cause cancer; coliform bacteria; the failure to properly treat surface and groundwater to remove dangerous pathogens; nitrates and nitrites that can cause “blue baby syndrome”; and lead and copper.

The report found the 12 states with the most offenses based on population were (in order):
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Pennsylvania
4. New Jersey
5. Georgia
6. Washington
7. Ohio
8. California
9. Arizona
10. Kentucky
11. Wisconsin
12. Maryland

Though Maryland was on the list of top 12 violators, in the Washington DC metropolitan area their performance was much better, and you will notice on the map below that Prince William County was a regional sore spot with 4 violations impacting 14,525 residents of our county. 


The analysis by NRDC found that in 2015 there were more than 80,000 reported violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act by community water systems. Of these violations more than 12,000 were health-based violations in some 5,000 community water systems serving more than 27 million people. Very small systems found in rural or sparsely populated areas account for more than half of all health-based violations, and nearly 70% of all violations.

Repercussions for violations were virtually nonexistent. Nearly nine in 10 violations were subject to no formal action, and just 3.3 percent faced financial penalties for the violations. It is also very possible that under-reporting and lax enforcement could mean the true number of violations is much higher.

We have turned away from enforcing our Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. We have good regulations, but if they are not enforced they can not protect us. Clearly, we cannot manage this from Washington D.C. Communities need to insist and ensure that our water supply companies are compliant with the regulations and supplying their customers with safe drinking water. In addition, the water infrastructure, pipes, reservoirs, pump stations, and treatment plant upgrades, has been neglected. For the large part the water systems are only reacting to the latest service interruption –repairing pipes after they break. This also needs to change. We can no longer afford to neglect our water supply and infrastructure.

In total, there are approximately 155,000 public drinking water supply systems across the country. Most Americans (just under 300 million people) receive their drinking water from one of the nation’s 51,356 larger community water systems. The remainder receive drinking water from private wells or small supply systems. The larger community water systems have an average pipe replacement rate of 0.5% per year. That means that it will take an estimated 200 years to replace the system – more than double the useful life of the pipes.

NRDC was founded in the 1970’s by a group of law students and attorneys and worked alongside other groups for the passage in 1974 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, SDWA, consisting of rules that regulate about over 90 contaminants often found in drinking water. Back then I was working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over the years I have not always agreed with NRDC’s approach or their emphasis, but it seems they have once more returned to the fundamentals of making sure that our nation’s citizens have access to safe drinking water. 
The findings of the NRDC report are quoted below:

Combined Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rules-Exposure to these contaminants can lead to cancer and may be linked to reproductive impacts such as miscarriages and birth defects. In 2015, there were 11,311 violations (4,591 health-based) at community water systems serving 25,173,431 people (12,584,936 health-based). Formal enforcement measures were taken in 12.4 % of all cases and 23.0 % of health-based cases.

Total Coliform Rule-The presence of coliforms in drinking water indicates that possible presence of organisms that can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and headaches in otherwise-healthy people. It is an indication of how sanitary the water is. In 2015, there were 10,261 violations (2,574 health-based) at community water systems serving 17,768,807 people (10,118,586 health-based). Formal enforcement was taken in 8.8 % of cases (and 8.3 % of health-based cases).

Combined Surface, Ground Water, and Filter Backwash Rules-Exposure to some of these pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium or Giardia, can cause severe gastrointestinal distress, nausea, and diarrhea or death in vulnerable populations. In 2015 there were 5,979 violations (1,790 health-based) at community water systems serving 17,312,604 people (5,336,435 health-based). Formal enforcement was taken in 13.7 % of cases (28.2 % of health-based cases).

Nitrites and Nitrates Rule-Exposure can lead to blue baby syndrome in infants (potentially leading to death in extreme cases), developmental effects, and cardiovascular disease. In 2015, there were 1,529 violations (459 health-based) at community water systems serving 3,867,431 people (1,364,494 health-based). Formal enforcement action was taken in 11.3 % of all cases (and 27.9 % of health-based cases).

Lead and Copper Rule-Exposure to lead  generally comes from pipes and plumbing infrastructure. Lead is particularly toxic to children and can cause serious, irreversible damage to their developing brains and nervous systems. Lead exposure can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women, as well as fertility issues, cardiovascular and kidney effects, cognitive dysfunction, and elevated blood pressure in healthy adults. In 2015, there were 8,044 violations (303 health-based) by systems serving 18,350,633 people (582,302 health-based). Formal enforcement action was taken in 12.0 % of the cases (and in 14.2 % of health-based cases).

Radionuclides Rule-Exposure can lead to cancers and compromised kidney function. In 2015, there were 2,297 violations (962 health-based) in community water systems serving 1,471,364 people (445,969 health-based). Formal enforcement was taken in 11.7 % of all cases (and 16.1 % of health-based cases).

Synthetic Organic Contaminants Rule-Exposure can cause cancers, developmental effects, central nervous system and reproductive difficulties, endocrine issues, or liver and kidney problems. In 2015 there were 6,864 violations (17 health-based) serving 2,669,594 people (301,099 health-based). Formal enforcement action was taken in 7.3 % of cases (and 5.9 % of health-based cases).

Inorganic Contaminants Rule- Exposure can lead to increased cholesterol, kidney damage, hair loss, skin irritation, and cancer. In 2015, there were 1,505 violations (291 health-based) in community water systems serving 1,312,643 people (83,033 health-based). Formal enforcement was taken in 5.2 % of cases (15.1 % of health-based cases).

Volatile Organic Contaminants Rule-Exposure can lead to cancers; developmental, skin, and reproductive issues; and cardiovascular problems. Exposure can also cause adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems. In 2015 there were 10,383 violations (15 of them health-based) at community water systems serving 3,451,072 people (5,276 health-based). Formal enforcement was taken in 6.1 % of cases (and 26.7 % of health-based cases).

Public Notification Rule-All community water systems are required to directly deliver information about their drinking water quality to each customer once a year. In 2015 there were 13, 202 violations by community water systems serving 8,381,050 people. Formal enforcement action was taken in 10.3 % of cases.

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