Water Filter Systems Blog & Water Quality Issues

Link: http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/0573079565/articles/waterworld/volume-27/issue-10/departments/washington-update/usgs-examines-trace-elements-in-untreated-water-supplies.html

Oct 3, 2011. Water World.  Trace elements in Untreated Water Supplies, By Patrick Crow, Washington Correspondent

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that about 20% of untreated water samples from public, private, and monitoring wells across the nation contain concentrations of at least one trace element such as arsenic, manganese and uranium at levels of potential health concern.

USGS said at public wells, regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contaminants are removed from the water before people drink it, but they may not be removed at unregulated private wells. Click for the complete article.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115805.htm

September 28, 2011.  ScienceDaily. As a crippling drought grips much of the Southern and Southwestern United States, the population continues to grow and water resources become scarcer. One way to address the water problem is by a combination of modern engineering and ancient social principles, outlined in a new paper on rainwater harvesting that will be presented at the 2011 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition.  Click for more.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/business/global/19iht-green19.html?_r=1

Austrin, TX.  The worst drought in recorded history of Texas damages cotton crops and has ranchers selling off cattle may also hurt power plants, which need vast amounts of water to cool their equipment. Click for more.

September 11, 2011. New York Times. Pharmaceuticals (drugs) in drinking water uptade with a new story from Hillary Rosner in the New York Times. Five years after the federal government convened a task force to study the risks posed by pharmaceuticals in the environment, it is no closer to understanding the problem or whether these contaminants should be regulated under the Clean Water Act. Click for the complete article.

If you were ever curious about your city's water quality and how they comply with the EPA Water Quality Act, you can search the EPA for violations in your area.  Click to visit the EPA's Enforcemant and Compliance Drinking Water History database.  Here, you can search your city and check if they meet the EPA's water quality requirements for safe drinking water.  If there's a violation, you'll see it.  For example, some areas of Texas have had higher than normal arsenic levels in their ground water, which has also leached into the municipal water system.  If the arsenic goes higher than the EPA's MCL (maximum contaminant level) then they will be in violation, and the violation will be reported in this database.