The Water State Project begins at Oroville Dam on the Feather River and ends at Lake Perris near Riverside. It includes 22 dams and reservoirs, a Delta pumping plant and a 444-mile-long aqueduct that carries water from the Delta to southern California, through the San Joaquin Valley. This is the major source of water supply for most of southern California. The project is operated by the California Department of Water Resources and is then imported as surface water by The Henry J. Mills Filtration Plant.
The Colorado
River passes through seven states, many Indian reservations and Mexico. Most of
this waster goes toward irrigating crops in the southeastern corner of the California,
but the Colorado also is an important source of water for urban southern
California. This river is 1,440 miles long and its water supply is distributed by
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California through its Colorado River
Aqueduct. They are a wholesale agency and serve 18 million customers.
Groundwater
does not come from underground lakes like many people think. It comes from
underground water that fills in spaces between sand, gravel, silt and clay in
water-bearing formations known as aquifers. Groundwater makes up for 30 percent
of California’s annual water supply and up to 60 percent in drought years. The
groundwater used for my area specifically comes from the Sunnymead Well which
is blended with the Mills Well.
Our
water company is Eastern Municipal Water District
Water Co. and they rank in the 23rd percentile of the National Average. On a
scale from 1 to 10, 1 being drinkable and 10 being outstanding, the water in my
area ranked at 2.3.
… Of the chemicals tested for, 21 were found. This chart lists those chemicals and potential health effects. The ones in red are above health guidelines.
Biochemical or Cellular Level Changes, Cancer, Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity, Ecotoxicology, Endocrine Disruption, Irritation, Neurotoxicity, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation
Bromodichloromethane
Cancer
Bromoform
Cancer,
Ecotoxicology, Neurotoxicity, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity,
Persistence and bioaccumulation
Dibromochloromethane
Cancer
Total trihalomethanes
(TTHMs)
Cancer
Dichloroacetic acid
Cancer,
Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity, Ecotoxicology, Irritation, Miscellaneous,
Neurotoxicity, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity, Persistence and
bioaccumulation
Total haloacetic acids
(HAAs)
Cancer
Chloroform
Biochemical
or Cellular Level Changes, Cancer, Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity,
Ecotoxicology, Endocrine Disruption, Irritation, Multiple, additive exposure
sources, Neurotoxicity, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity,
Persistence and bioaccumulation
Alpha particle activity
No
Known Health Effects
Arsenic (total)
Allergies/Immunotoxicity,
Biochemical or Cellular Level Changes, Cancer, Ecotoxicology, Endocrine
Disruption, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Neurotoxicity, Occupational
Hazards, Organ System Toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation
Perchlorate
Impairs
thyroid gland function
Radium-228
Organ
System Toxicity
Nitrate
Organ
System Toxicity
Trichloroacetic acid
Cancer,
Ecotoxicology, Irritation, Miscellaneous, Occupational Hazards, Organ System
Toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation
Dibromoacetic acid
Cancer
Monobromoacetic acid
Cancer,
Ecotoxicology, Miscellaneous, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity
Monochloroacetic acid
Cancer,
Ecotoxicology, Irritation, Miscellaneous, Occupational Hazards, Organ System
Toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation
Nitrate & nitrite
Organ
System Toxicity
Barium (total)
Biochemical
or Cellular Level Changes, Cancer, Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity,
Ecotoxicology, Neurotoxicity, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity,
Persistence and bioaccumulation
Combined Uranium (pCi/L)
Cancer,
Ecotoxicology, Occupational Hazards, Organ System Toxicity, Persistence and
bioaccumulation
Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
No
Known Health Effects
For bottled water, the federal agency
in charge of regulations is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According
to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GOA), the FDA’s and EPA’s
standard of quality regulations for water are almost the same except for one
major difference. This difference is DEHP; it is an organic compound used in
the manufacturing of polyvinyl chloride plastics. DEHP is known as an endocrine
disruptor, in other words, it is known to interfere with the hormone system in
animals and humans. The FDA
does not have the authority to require bottlers to use certified laboratories
for water quality tests or to report test results, even if violations of the
standards are found. Labeling of bottled water under federal and state
requirements are similar to those for food but still, the information provided
to consumers is less than what the EPA requires of public water systems. Not
only does bottled water affect us the consumers but it also affects the
environment. GAO found that 3/4 of water bottles produced in the U.S. in 2006
were not recycled and just thrown away to landfills. Also, the U.S. energy
demand for bottled water is much more energy intensive than the production of
public drinking water.
After
so much research, I think I’ll just stick to tap water. Not only does it pass
stricter requirements but also avoids nasty chemicals from plastic. Tap water
always has reports available for look up whereas bottled water doesn’t. Another
main reason to avoid bottled water is to minimize the amount of pollution and
wasted energy. Yes, bottled water is at times more convenient but in the end it’s
not worth the repercussions.
Works
Cited
