Not So Safe Tap Water: NY Times Finds 40% of Water Systems Violated Clean Water Act

We're constantly told that tap water is safe, more heavily regulated even than bottled water.

In theory, that may be true. But in practice even the EPA chief admits that "the nation’s water does not meet public health goals, and enforcement of water pollution laws is unacceptably low," according to a new investigation by The New York Times that found that the Clean Water Act is essentially a law without teeth. Many community water supplies are contaminated with unsafe levels of harmful chemicals, carcinogens and dangerous pollutants. And residents of those communities are unaware of just how dangerous their drinking water is because most harmful pollutants in water are odorless and tasteless.

The Times obtained hundreds of thousands of water pollution records through Freedom of Information Act requests to every state and the EPA, and compiled a national database of water pollution violations that is more comprehensive than those maintained by states or the EPA.

In addition, The Times interviewed more than 250 state and federal regulators, water-system managers, environmental advocates and scientists.

That research shows that an estimated one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails to meet a federal health benchmark in other ways.

The Times report includes anecdote after anecdote (backed up with scientific data) of communities where drinking water cleanliness and safety falls below federal standards.

Jennifer Hall-Massey knows not to drink the tap water in her home near Charleston, W.Va.

In fact, her entire family tries to avoid any contact with the water. Her youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest where the bathwater — polluted with lead, nickel and other heavy metals — caused painful rashes. Many of his brother’s teeth were capped to replace enamel that was eaten away.

Neighbors apply special lotions after showering because their skin burns. Tests show that their tap water contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system.

Still think tap water is safe?

An estimated 19.5 million Americans fall ill each year from drinking water contaminated with parasites, bacteria or viruses, according to a study published last year in the scientific journal Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. That figure does not include illnesses caused by other chemicals and toxins...

The Times’s research also shows that last year, 40 percent of the nation’s community water systems violated the Safe Drinking Water Act at least once, according to an analysis of EPA data. Those violations ranged from failing to maintain proper paperwork to allowing carcinogens into tap water. More than 23 million people received drinking water from municipal systems that violated a health-based standard.

The NY Times piece is an excellent piece of public service journalism, as the reporters were able to offer irrefutable evidence to state and federal regulators that they were failing in their duty to enforce the Clean Water Act.

We've been told for years that our water is safe. Every time we go to the tap, we're signaling our confidence in our government to protect us from the harmful contaminants and pollutants that can wind up in our water.

But we need to rethink that trust in light of these findings.

Are you confident enough in your tap water to gamble your health or your child's health on it?

Before you do, we'd encourage you to check out the Times' national database of water pollution. You can find out which companies in your state, city and ZIP code have violated the Clean Water Act and how often. And remember that in many instances, companies have not faced any consequences for polluting your water.

You may be find that the tap water you thought was safe really isn't.

And remember 7-year-old Joshua Massey and his little brother, Clay, who can't even take a bath in the water flowing out of their tap without developing painful rashes. Is there any way that their tap water is safe to drink?