CITY OF BRUNSWICK
Water and Wastewater Department
P. O. Box 550
Brunswick GA 31521-0550
William C. Francis
Voice: (912) 267-5509
Fax: (912) 261-8288
E-mail: wfrancis@brunswickga.org
In this country, we expect that when we turn on the tap, there will be all the water that we need. We also expect that it will be high quality, safe for drinking. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of professionals, this is generally true. Over 90% of water systems in the United States consistently meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stringent health-based drinking water regulations, according to the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) there are 326 million cubic miles of water on Earth. Of this, 97% is salt water. Of the remainder, 2% is frozen, leaving only 1% of Earth's water that is fresh and in liquid form.
There are 54 thousand community water systems in the US and that these systems provide 90% of Americans with tap water (according to AWWA).
The first water treatment plant to deliver water to a town was built in 1804 in Paisley, Scotland. Within three years, filtered water was being piped to Glasgow. Jersey City Water Works became the first utility in America to chlorinate water in 1908. As the use of chlorine disinfection became widespread, the numbers of typhoid dysentery and cholera cases were decreased dramatically.
In 1914, the U.S. Department of the Treasury promulgated the country's first drinking water bacteriological standard. As the number of people and the population density increase, needs for higher levels of treatment increase as well.
AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr released a statement December 15, 2004. Hoffbuhr was quoted as saying, "December 16 marks the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Signed into law in 1974, the SDWA set national regulations to limit drinking water contaminants and established monitoring, reporting, public notification, and source water assessment requirements for thousands of water systems across the country."
"Today, we can proudly say that more than 90% of water systems in the United States provide water that meets all of EPAšs stringent standards. This kind of accomplishment would not be possible were it not for the partnership forged among water professionals and federal and state regulators. This spirit of cooperation and dedication to public health preceded the Safe Drinking Water Act and remains critical to the ongoing development and implementation of the act.
Protection of the public health extends to the other side of the faucet. Water that leaves the faucet and goes down the drain goes somewhere. If sewers are available, they take the used water to a treatment facility to be cleaned up before it is discharged or re-used. Without sewers, residential plumbing usually goes into some form of on-site treatment, usually a septic tank. Septic tanks do not provide nearly as much treatment as typical wastewater treatment plants and care must be taken in deciding where to put them to minimize pollution caused by release of the partially treated sewage.
In 1972 (two years before the Safe Drinking Water Act), the Clean Water Act created the grants program that has resulted in elimination of most water pollution that can be traced to sources such as sanitary sewer systems. Although there were treatment plants before the Clean Water Act, there were many sanitary sewers that discharged untreated or partially treated sewage directly into streams and rivers.
More regulations are being planned to protect the public health and the environment. Behind the scenes twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, highly trained water professionals run the facilities required to meet these growing regulatory requirements. Most people take their work, their professionalism, and their commitment for granted every time a faucet is turned and a toilet is flushed.
There are many health problems in less developed nations because of a lack of any water infrastructure. Many people have no safe drinking water and no sanitation. Every 15 seconds, a child under the age of five dies needlessly from a water-related illness.
There are several charitable organizations working to help in this area. Water for People is one of these groups; it is widely supported by water professionals with time, money and even equipment.
We are truly fortunate to be able to trust our water and wastewater professionals and the facilities they operate and maintain to provide the best levels of service and protection to public health and the environment. The City of Brunswick Water and Wastewater Department embraces this as our mission and works diligently on your behalf.
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For more information on the web: American Water Works Association http://www.awwa.org Full text of December 15, 2004 Press Release http://www.awwa.org US Geological Survey Water Page http://water.usgs.gov Environmental Protection Agency Water Page http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ Water Environment Federation http://www.wef.org/ Interactive Educational Resources http://www.wef.org/publicinfo/interactive.jhtml Fact Sheets http://www.wef.org/publicinfo/factsheets/ Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association http://www.gwpca.org Water for People Site http://www.water4people.org/ |
Provided by the City of Brunswick Water and Wastewater Department as part of a series of public education articles.
Prepared December 2004