Most Drinking Water Polluted by Dirty Infrastructure

"As the United States becomes a nation of 300 million, the country’s older cities face the reality of overpopulation, crumbling infrastructures, and the health concerns raised by both, especially those related to the availability of fresh water.

Eric Goldstein, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, has stated that the water distribution systems of cities such as Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and New York are in urgent need of repair.

The antiquated water delivery systems in thesecitiesare comprised of nearly 1 million miles of piping, mostly made ofiron. As the iron pipes corrode, cleanwaterflowing through them becomes contaminated with rust. Over time the pipes also rupture, causing not only water loss, but the introduction of pollutants and diseases from the ground.

“Investigations conducted in the last five years suggest that a substantial proportion of waterbornediseaseoutbreaks, both microbial and chemical, are attributable to problems within distribution systems,” said the National Research Council in a report released in December for the Environmental Protection Agency.

There are 170,000 public water distribution systems at work nationwide, and municipalities spend more than $50 million each year to supply cleandrinkingwater in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.

“If you clean up water and then put it into a dirty pipe, there’s not much point,” said Montana State University microbiologist and waterresearchscientist, TimothyFord. “I consider the distribution system to be the highest risk and the greatest problem we are going to be facing in the future,” said Ford.

Jack Hossbuhr, executive director of the American Water Works Association, estimates that the cost of replacing existing pipelines over the next 20 to 30 years is going to cost water utility companies some $250 to $350 billion.

Some critics of current water delivery techniques feel that replacing the infrastructure is not a total solution.

“I advise everyone to avoid drinking water from the tap, no matter how clean the city claims it to be,” said consumerhealthadvocate Mike Adams. “Even when cities claim their water is clean, they may still add toxic fluoride chemicals and chlorine, which we know promotes bladder cancer. Filtering your water is crucial for protecting your health.”

Via: http://www.naturalnews.com/021504_drinking_water_pollution.html

This is a problem all over the United States. Drinking water is being contaminated by extremely old pipes which rupture and this leads to different types of pollutants and diseases from the ground. Drinking water also is being contaminated by pipes that are made out of iron, overtime the iron rusts making the drinking water polluted with rust. This is a huge problem, if the infrastructure used is contaminated our drinking water a variety of problems could arise. As well as health issues being a problem, money is also a problem. Of course the infrastructure has to be replaced in order for clean water, but the costs for this to happen could be enormous, with that said, some believe that this is not a full solution to the issue; some say it is possible to avoid that option and for everyone to stop drinking tap water, but that is not practical. This issue is a critical one which needs to be fixed in order for people to have safe drinking water. 

River Pollution China

"Residents of a town in southern China have been rushing to buy bottled water after excessive levels of carcinogenic cadmium were found in a river source of drinking water, state media said on Thursday in the latest health scare to hit the country.
Pollution of waterways by toxic run-offs from factories and farms is a pressing issue in China, prompting the authorities to call for policy tightening to cut heavy metal pollution, though the problem shows no sign of going away.

Cadmium levels at the Longjiang River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Wednesday were three times the official limit, Xinhua news agency said, pointing the finger of blame at a mining company.

Excessive levels of cadmium were detected last Sunday, the news agency said, adding that the authorities had injected 80 tonnes of aluminum chloride, a neutralizing agent, into the river in a bid to eliminate the health risk.

China closed a chemical plant in central Hunan province in 2009 after residents protested over cadmium pollution that killed two people and affected hundreds of others.

Despite Beijing's frequent pledges to reduce pollution, local officials often put economic growth, revenue and job creation ahead of environmental concerns."

Via http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/26/us-china-water-pollution-idUSTRE80P0HV20120126

This is a major issue in not just China but most of Southern Asia is having water pollution problems and it is a serious health concern at the current time due to the large amount of the world's population living in that area and many areas not having access to safe tap water could bring serious problems in the future for that area.  Thankfully in China it is not too bad but in India, they just released a study that stated they, India, have the most air and water pollution in the world.

Water Pollution Conference 2012

"Water Pollution 2012 is the 11th International Conference in the series on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Water Pollution. The meeting, which started in 1991, has always been very successful and provides a forum for the discussion and exchange of information between scientists, managers and academics from different areas of water contamination. The conference creates an international venue for interdisciplinary discussion and dissemination of work related to water quality and environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads and the inappropriate management of water resources. A worldwide increase in water demand for communities, industries and agriculture has placed great importance on water science and management practice. The future development of most countries will depend decisively upon how the increased demand for water will be satisfied, and how the economic and environmental costs for the demand will be met.
The environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies requires a framework based on scientific results for its regulation and control. The changes in water quality due to pollutant discharges allow for more efficient ways of controlling and treating waste loads.
Environmental problems are essentially multidisciplinary and require engineers, scientist and managers to work together on a wide variety of issues. Hence it is essential to promote the exchange of information between the different parties involved in water pollution problems."

Via: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/12-conferences/water-pollution-2012.html

So this is an upcoming major conference that is for scientists to come to and share their expertise on solutions that could help reduce the environmental and waste problems that come from water pollution. This conference is aimed at being worldwide with almost all major countries such as the US, Canada, Britain and others.  Hopefully this conference will help to find some ideas to slow the amount of water pollution and find safe effective ways to purify water.