September 4, 2008 
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 7:40 pm and is filed under FAQ. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Q: Who is responsible for ensuring that our tap water is safe?
A: A combination of federal, state and local government agencies, along with the water utility company that delivers your tap water.
Q: If tap water is unsafe for drinking, why does the government allow it?
A: Because it would cost a lot of money to make it safer; because many elected and appointed officials support industries that pollute water; and because many water utility companies resist their responsibility to make tap water safer.
Q: Isn’t the purpose of water utilities to provide safe water?
A: Yes, but many of them, particularly the small systems, are oriented toward eliminating immediate health threats from the water (such as harmful micro-organisms), and it is expensive to remove even trace amounts of pollutants that affect long-term health.
Q: I’ve heard that industry, agriculture and the military are still polluting water. Why doesn’t the government force them to stop discharging pollutants into water supplies?
A: It would cost a great deal of money for these sectors to stop discharging all pollutants and, rather than finding solutions to the problem, special interests pressure the government to allow the polluters to continue.
Q: So, in spite of the taxes I pay, it sounds like I have to be responsible for the safety of my drinking water?
A: The various levels of government are responsible for safe drinking water, and they have done much, but not enough, to improve it. Because of this, you are, by default, ultimately responsible for ensuring that you and your family have safe drinking water. The most economical and environmentally-friendly way to do this is to install a water filtration system in your home whether it’s a basic in-line water filter that attaches to your faucet or a more advanced unit like one of many reverse osmosis systems available. Even businesses are now able to install botteless water coolers that filter the water on-site either through an ultrafiltration process or reverse osmosis treatment.