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The
United States has one of the safest water supplies in
the world.
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99.5%
of all fresh water on earth is in the ice caps and glaciers
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Only
3% of the earth's water is fresh water |
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There
are approximately 170,000 public drinking water systems
in the United States. Each of these systems regularly
supplies drinking water to at least 25 people or 15 service
connections. |
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The
United States has one of the safest water supplies in
the world. |
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The
majority of our nation's water suppliers are small systems
serving 25 to 3,300 people |
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Most
people in the US (263 million) get their water from a
community water system. |
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On
average, a family of four uses 255 gallons of water indoors
per day. Outdoor water use can double or triple this amount!
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It
takes 1,630,000 gallons of water to feed an American for
a year |
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Americans
use about 12 billion gallons per day in public water supplies
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A
survey coordinated by the Centers For Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 41% of wells may be
contaminated with coliform bacteria. |
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When
a water supplier takes untreated water from a river or
reservoir, the water often contains dirt and tiny pieces
of leaves and other organic matter |
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Many
communities add fluoride to their drinking water to promote
dental health. However, excessive exposure to this inorganic
chemical, can cause skeletal damage, as well as a brownish
discoloration of teeth. |
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Small
water systems have the most trouble meeting the EPA's
standards for safe drinking water. |
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Small
systems accounted for almost 87% of the 5,400 systems
with maximum contaminant level violations in 1991. Microbial
violations accounted for the majority of these cases,
putting 12 million people at risk. |
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Thousands
of water-related pathogen-induced cases of illness, characterized
by vomiting and diarrhea are reported annually. |
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More
than 60,000 toxic chemicals are now being used by various
segments of industry and agriculture. When used or discarded
improperly, these chemicals can pollute ground and surface
waters used as sources of drinking water. |
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Many
potential drinking water contaminants are of natural origin.
Arsenic occurs naturally as an impurity in various minerals
and in the ores of certain commercially mined metals.
If untreated, arsenic exposure can cause liver and kidney
damage |
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Radionuclides,
which are known human carcinogens, exist in water supplies
serving as many as 100 million people. Uranium is a radionuclide
and can cause cancers in the bone and can have a toxic
effect on kidneys |
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Millions
of people may be exposed to lead, resulting in potential
risk of central and peripheral nervous system damage,
particularly to infants and fetuses. |
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Lead
is not typically found in source water, but rather at
the consumer's tap as a result of the corrosion of the
plumbing or distribution system |
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The
EPA estimates more than 40,000,000 people in the United
States use water that contains harmful levels of lead. |
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Failure
to distribute water quality reports to customers is a
violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act right-to-know
law, which can result in costly fines |
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Public
water systems must notify their customers when they violate
EPA or state drinking water standards (including monitoring
requirements) or otherwise provide drinking water that
may pose a risk to consumers' health. |
