Clean up contamination to restore water quality

Issue 10 • Week of March 20, 2022

Today is World Water Day, observed annually since 1993 by the UN to highlight sanitation needs amid sustainable development. Yet groundwater is this year's theme and water contamination in the US sadly remains a problem. The Clean Water Act of 1972 ambitiously set three goals to protect our water quality:

1. All US waters be fishable and swimmable by 1983
2. Elimination of water pollution in the US by 1985
3. Prohibition of discharge of toxic amounts of toxic pollutants

None have ever been achieved.

Multiple documentaries and even a recent drama have reminded us of water pollution's causes and effects. Instead, most business headlines highlight the massive growth of the bottled water industry and its associated cost to consumers while editorials chide people for their wasteful pursuit of convenience -- ignoring the studies that have shown water quality as a contributing factor in this rise since safety is a concern for a majority of Americans (granted, sometimes erroneously).