Editor's note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published on April 5, 2017.
1972 Clean Water Act1 It was passed to regulate pollutants discharged into U.S. waterways and set standards for surface waters. The law was meant to ensure clean water for swimming and fishing in the United States, but after more than 40 years of regulation and oversight, our waterways are in serious trouble.
When tap water is extracted from these waterways, it can test positive for a variety of chemicals, including fluoride, radiation, heavy metals, agricultural runoff, and disinfection byproducts.
Unfortunately, that’s a short list. Of the more than 300 chemicals currently found in U.S. drinking water, more than half are unregulated.2 Every year across the United States, warnings are raised about toxic drinking water for a variety of reasons.
Fish and other wildlife also show the effects of uncontrolled water pollution, and there is reason to believe that chemical pollution is affecting human health as well.
Pollution sources are diverse and range from agricultural runoff and industrial discharges to old pipes, firefighting foam and drugs, and even chemicals used in water treatment processes.
The amount of untreated wastewater released into the environment is enormous.
But as polluted as America’s waterways are, the global problem is even worse. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report, released in March 2017:3
“Continuing with 'business as usual' means allowing the overwhelming neglect to worsen. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of global wastewater (more than 95 percent in some developing countries) is discharged into the environment untreated. The consequences are astounding.”
Because our waterways are connected and pollution moves, the problem is not limited to the areas where dumping occurs. Water contaminated with bacteria, nitrates, solvents, and phosphates is discharged from rivers and lakes into the ocean, with devastating consequences.4
For example, the southern resident killer whale pod5 The species, also known as orca, which lives in Puget Sound off the coast of Washington, has been in steady decline. No calves have been born since 2012, and the herd’s population has reached a critically low 78.6 In 2014.
In a paper published in 2017,7 Scientists have detailed how the whales' lungs were teeming with microbes, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi, posing a pathogenic risk to the Sound's already struggling whale population.
Scientists believe that most of the bacteria collected from the whales' lungs when they surfaced came from human waste.
“It is noteworthy that the city of Victoria, B.C., less than 30 miles from the study area, has no secondary wastewater treatment facilities and instead discharges primary treated wastewater from its approximately 360,000 residents into the Salish Sea.
There may be a correlation between lack of secondary treatment of wastewater flowing into the Salish Sea and the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in breath samples. The scientists wrote:8
Contributing to ocean sewage in Washington State
Secondary wastewater treatment kills more pathogens before it is discharged into rivers and oceans. But while a regional wastewater treatment plant is planned for Victoria, BC, there has been no such facility for decades. But poorly planned wastewater treatment is not the only problem causing environmental problems.
On February 9, 2017, a power outage broke down a pump that diverts effluent from a wastewater treatment plant in King County, Washington. This caused flooding at the treatment plant that serves Seattle.
By the time the automatic doors blocked the inflow of sewage, the damage to the plant was catastrophic.9 15 million gallons of raw sewage overflowed into the plant, submerging ceiling light fixtures.
After the gates closed, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage were diverted into Puget Sound, as the flow was diverted into an emergency diversion. After the flood, 235 million gallons of raw sewage and 30 million gallons of raw sewage were dumped into Puget Sound. This forced an already endangered pod of orcas and thousands of other marine animals to live and feed in the polluted waters.
World Water Day, Focusing on Global Issues
The Washington disaster, while unfortunate, is by no means unique. In 2017, a private wastewater treatment company was indicted on charges of intentionally falsifying wastewater samples and tests that contaminated groundwater near Boston, Massachusetts.10
To draw attention to the need for fresh water and the protection of water resources, the United Nations adopted a resolution in 1992 to proclaim March 22 as World Water Day.11
The consequences of drinking contaminated water are serious. The E. coli contamination of the Walkerton, Ontario water supply in 2000 is an example of what can happen when someone without proper formal training is put in charge.12
The small rural community of Walkerton, which relied almost entirely on groundwater, was devastated by an E. coli outbreak when cow manure flowed into shallow water supply wells.
Five years later, the system administrators pleaded guilty to criminal charges. More than 2,300 people became ill and seven died from contamination, initially blamed on foodborne illness. People were then advised to drink more water to avoid dehydration. It was three more days before the water supply was questioned and a boil order was issued.
An estimated 12 to 18 million cases of waterborne illness occur in the United States each year. According to Dr. Joan Rose, a professor of microbiology, the answer to this problem will be a massive and costly investment in water supply infrastructure.13
“…in the United States alone, it is estimated that $70 per person per day will be needed for 10 years. In developing countries, it is much higher. Access to clean water is a central stabilizing factor in societies, and lack of access destabilizes societies.
As a microbiologist, I believe that a safe drinking water supply is a fundamental building block for a healthy and successful society.”
Should wastewater be treated and discharged, or should it be reused?
The cost problem is only growing every year as the infrastructure is not addressed. Instead of dumping wastewater back into the environment, the UN suggests harvesting nutrients and usable materials before treating and reusing the water.
The argument for wastewater reuse is based on sustainability and cost savings. The Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant has already started the process, as seen in the video above. The World Water Development Report 2017 states:14
“Wastewater can also be a cost-effective and sustainable source of energy, nutrients, organic matter, and other useful byproducts. The potential benefits of extracting these resources from wastewater extend far beyond human and environmental health, impacting food and energy security and climate change mitigation.
“In the context of a circular economy, where economic development is balanced with natural resource conservation and environmental sustainability, wastewater is a widely available and valuable resource.”
Wastewater can be a reusable source of phosphorus
One of the important resources found in wastewater is phosphorus. This mineral is essential for plant growth, so many fertilizers contain phosphorus. Unfortunately, the demand for this mineral is growing twice as fast as the population. It is widely distributed throughout the world, but is found in limited areas in concentrated form.
However, wastewater contains significant amounts of phosphorus, which is one of the main ingredients in detergents. Removing and reusing phosphorus from wastewater not only increases the supply, but also reduces the risk of algal blooms, which are becoming common in lakes and rivers. When nutrient-rich phosphorus is discharged into waterways, algae bloom, consuming dissolved oxygen in the water and killing fish.
The UN suggests that removing and recovering phosphorus, nitrogen and other nutrients from wastewater could prevent overgrowth in lakes and rivers, providing a unique business opportunity to recover a finite resource essential for agriculture.
Michigan Tracks E. coli Water Pollution
Walkerton, Ontario, is not alone in its fight against E. coli in the watershed that supplies groundwater and drinking water to the community. In a unique attempt to track water contamination threats in the watershed, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has created an online tool to identify areas where water quality is impaired by E. coli contamination.15
E. coli is an indicator of fecal contamination from human or animal waste, and is also an indicator of other pathogens in water. The tool, Michigan E. coli Pollution and Solution Mapper,16 It is not intended to track the immediate consequences of water contamination in rivers or beaches, but rather to indicate whether acceptable levels of E. coli have been exceeded in groundwater in the area in the past.
Joan Rose is a water quality expert at Michigan State University. She has found that where there is fecal contamination, there are often harmful viruses. Rose warns that even boating in such waters is dangerous, saying:17
“We can find about 150 viruses in fecal contamination. We find viruses like hepatitis and salmonella. Even people who are boating in contaminated water can get sick. They can ingest it if they touch the water and then touch their mouth or eyes.”
Symptoms of E. coli infection can appear 1 to 4 days after exposure and include abdominal pain, sudden, severe diarrhea that may be bloody, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.18
Most healthy adults will recover spontaneously with supportive treatment, but young children and the elderly are at risk for life-threatening kidney failure or severe dehydration from the infection.
Filtration at home – a necessity rather than a luxury
Most water sources are heavily contaminated, so it is important to filter your water before use. If you have well water, it is a good idea to have it tested for contaminants. You can obtain a local drinking water quality report for your public water supply from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.19
If you live in a home or community with older water pipes, or near a military base or other installation that uses firefighting foam containing perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), your water is more likely to be contaminated.
If you can afford to buy just one filter for your home, most experts recommend a shower filter. This is because showering atomizes contaminants and chlorine in the water, directly entering your body through your lungs. Drinking water gives your body a chance to eliminate toxins through your excretory system.
Ideally, the best way to do this is to filter the water both at the point of entry into your home and at the point of use. That means installing filters where the water enters your home, in your kitchen sink, and in your shower.
If your water comes from a municipal source, it will also affect your indoor air quality due to chlorine evaporating from toilets, showers, bathtubs, dishwashers, and washing machines. The evaporated chlorine forms chloroform gas and chlorine vapor, which increases the risk of asthma, respiratory inflammation, and respiratory allergies. It is important to open windows for 5 to 10 minutes every day in summer and winter to remove the gas and improve indoor air quality.
One of the best water purifiers I have found so far is the Pure & Clear Whole House Water Filtration System which uses a 3 stage filtration process: a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter, and an advanced carbon water filter.20 — Filters out chlorine, detergent by-products and other contaminants.
