The Safe Drinking Water Act created new quality standards for tap water in the U.S. when it was signed in 1974.
It makes sure dozens of contaminants are regulated, including the recent addition of PFAS or “forever chemicals.” But there’s more concern now over water supply.
Chad Seidel, a water engineer and president of Corona Environmental Consulting in Colorado, says climate change and aging infrastructure pose the biggest threats.
"It's going to take vigilance to keep that up to date and avoid the risk of failure. And by doing so, we can make sure that everybody has safe, affordable and reliable water for everybody, everywhere, all the time," Seidel said.
Seidel says he’s concerned that declining investment in water infrastructure could jeopardize pipes, treatment plants, and the people who keep them running.
"We're seeing more and more instances of water systems on the verge of failing, and in some cases failing altogether, to maintain their water supply to their communities, and I think that risk is significantly greater for both public health and just our own communities thriving than the concern over other contaminants that we maybe haven't yet regulated," Seidel said.
-
The illness features symptoms like fever, joint aches and fluid in the lungs. Sickened river rafters and boaters are using social media to discover they're not alone in it. -
FEMA has awarded about $700,000 to Arizona and the Havasupai Tribe to fund hazard mitigation projects. The money came from a program the federal agency had nixed but was reinstated by the courts earlier this year. -
State environmental regulators have given the owner of a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon the green light for higher levels of arsenic in groundwater under the facility. -
City leaders disagree with the Arizona Water Banking Authority about how to dole out Colorado River water from underground storage. -
The credits are through Central Arizona Project Water. Municipalities have looked to Harquahala Valley to support their water systems in the last year.
