by Chad Cowgill

Created on: October 02, 2009

Water is the most prevalent part of the human body. As such, it must constantly be replenished in order for us to maintain our health and our life. Although 75% of the earth is covered in water, only about 2.8% can be considered drinkable (PBS). Of the waterways found in the United States, the biggest pollutant is agriculture runoff. Irrigation and farming contribute 70% of US water pollution (

Population Reports). Although business waste from factories and manufacturing continues to gain market share of the pollution pie, pesticides and fertilizer are the most harmful to our liquid environment. These chemicals soak through the soil and are carried by water into our surface and groundwater sources. Eventually this contaminated water is pulled into our water treatment plants for filtering and then carried by gravity or pushed by pressure into our neighborhoods.

The Environmental Protection Agency takes steps to insure that the water coming into our homes remains healthy and drinkable. Rigorous testing is done to our water supply to protect us from the harmful effects of growing crops and cow dung. In fact 92% of the US water systems are above the EPA standards (Bottlemania). But does the EPA do enough and are they monitoring for all or enough of the harmful chemicals that make it into our kitchen and bathrooms?

Our water is tested for more than 100 contaminants. However, innovation and development are advancing faster than the government. There are over another 100 chemicals still pending testing requirements. New pesticides are produced every year and businesses are pumping out manufacturing waste containing never before seen byproducts due to demand for fresh products made by new chemical processes. So how does the government keep up with this quick pace and the ever increasing concern of the US population?

One idea is better oversight of the testing and filtering process at our water treatment plants. This can be accomplished by having more stringent accountability. Another idea is raising taxes and charging more for water use to cut back on water usage and also to obtain more funding to increase testing, including testing for new contaminants. We must constantly be making scientific discoveries and advancements to improve our filtration and screening processes. Also public awareness must be heightened. Homes contain their own pollutants that US citizens must try to minimize from entering their water supply once it is in their control. The experts have growing worries about our water supply and the effect it has on our health and well being. By heeding their cautions we should be able to adapt our water management so that we are protecting ourselves and our families from the harmful effects of growing the delicious fruits and vegetables that we so enjoy.

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