Here
are some of the unwanted "extras" that NRDC
found when we examined the drinking water of
19 American cities:*
|
Water Quality |
 |
Rocket fuel
-- perchlorate, harmful to the
thyroid and possibly carcinogenic --
is in the water of 20 million
Americans. At times high levels have
been measured in Los Angeles,
Phoenix and San Diego. |
 |
Lead,
which can cause brain damage and
decreased intelligence in children,
gets into drinking water from
corroding pipes and faucets; Boston,
Newark and Seattle exceeded the
national action level for lead |
 |
Germs,
including coliform bacteria and
Cryptosporidium, a microscopic
disease-carrying protozoan. NRDC's
study found that many cities should
be concerned about their water
supply's vulnerability to such
contamination. |
 |
Arsenic,
recently judged not safe at any
level in drinking water, is still
present at significant levels in the
drinking water of 22 million
Americans. |
 |
NRDC's study revealed that periodic
spikes in contaminant levels
are on the rise, a sign that aging
pipes and water-treatment facilities
often can't handle today's
contaminant loads (for example,
after a major storm or an industrial
spill). In recent years, Atlanta,
Baltimore and Washington, D.C., all
issued boil-water alerts in response
to such spikes. |
|
|
|
Right-to-Know Reports |
 |
For three straight years
(1999-2001), the covers of
Washington, D.C.'s right-to-know
reports blared "Your Drinking Water
Is Safe!" but the city's water had
significant levels of chlorination
by-products, lead, bacteria and an
unexplained spike in cyanide. |
 |
When Newark, New Jersey's water
failed to meet the EPA's action
level for lead, its right-to-know
report buried a health warning and
detailed information on the
situation deep in the report. |
 |
Phoenix's right-to-know report
failed to mention violations of
drinking water rules that the city
had reported to the U.S. EPA; it
also deeply buried crucial, required
information about the health effects
of arsenic and nitrates in the
city's tap water in a small print
footnote. |
|
|
|
Source Water Protection |
 |
Cities that rely on river water
sources can be vulnerable to
pollution from farms, industrial
sites, sewer overflows, urban
runoff, and spills. |
 |
Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and
many other cities and towns rely
heavily on the Colorado River for
drinking water -- but the Colorado
is inadequately protected and is
laden with contaminants from
agriculture, urban and suburban
runoff, and industry (including the
Henderson, Nevada Kerr-McGee site
that leaks perchlorate into the
river). |
 |
Groundwater supplies can also be
vulnerable to contamination.
Fresno's groundwater is becoming
seriously compromised by
agricultural and industrial
pollution, including nitrates;
Albuquerque's groundwater is
overtaxed and threatened by
pollutants from numerous sources. |
Click for
answers regarding water quality issues in
your area.
Return to Water
* NRDC surveyed the following cities:
Albuquerque, NM; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD;
Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO;
Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Houston, TX; Los
Angeles, CA; Manchester, NH; New Orleans,
LA; Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix,
AZ; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA;
Seattle, WA; Washington, DC. |
