What's in Your Water?

Safe drinking water is every consumer’s concern.  In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes standards and regulations for various contaminants in public drinking water which include disease causing bacteria and chemicals.  This is known as the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).  Water services provided to households by their respective cities, towns, municipalities, regions are responsible for providing consumers with the water quality report which indicates the presence of bacteria, chemical contaminants in comparison to the EPA’s established parameters.  According to these reports, tap water is expected to contain "reasonable" amounts of these contaminants. According to the EPA, approximately 92% of community water systems receive drinking water that meets these parameters.  However, beyond the water source, aging structures consisting of outdated or corroded piping that affect the water quality produced in households would be the consumer’s responsibility to maintain.  There have also been incidents especially in recent years namely the Flint / Michigan Water Crisis of 2014, Newark / New Jersey Lead Water Crisis of 2016, and Jackson / Mississippi Water Crisis of 2022 that remains unresolved to this day that remind us that safe water is not always guaranteed.