Welcome to our sarcastically titled blog post, where we'll dive into the often-overlooked importance of clean water. In a world where access to clean water is often taken for granted, recent events have highlighted just how crucial it is to prioritize this essential resource. Have you ever wondered why your skin is always dry, and your face is broken out despite the hundreds you just dropped on that fancy face cream? Or how about why you always have that dull headache, foggy brain and belly issues regardless of how clean you are eating or much you are hydrating? Speaking of hydration.... How about the hundreds of dollars we spend on quality hair products that should make your hair look and feel amazingly hydrated only to have it feel like a high-end version of straw?
Welp..........Let's start by revisiting the Flint water crisis, shall we? A shocking event in history that shook the nation. We all see a ton of bad news these days and at times it all just seems to be one big bad blur.... but this particular event in time I remember vividly. I can still remember the images of the kids forced to bathe in brown water and mothers pleading for help on TV because they were afraid to mix their infants formula even after boiling for the recommended time and could not get access to bottled water.
Back in 2014, Flint, Michigan, switched its water supply source to the Flint River, leading to a public health disaster. The water was contaminated with lead, a toxic substance that can cause serious health issues, especially in children. The crisis exposed the dire consequences of
neglecting water quality and infrastructure. Lead contamination isn't limited to Flint, MI unfortunately and here are some troubling statistics for you to digest.
Aging Infrastructure: Much of the water infrastructure in the United States is aging and in need of repair or replacement. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), over 240,000 water main breaks occur each year in the U.S., resulting in billions of gallons of treated drinking water being lost.
Investment Needs: The ASCE's 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure gave the nation's drinking water infrastructure a grade of C-, indicating mediocre conditions and significant maintenance needs. Now I know this is data from 2 years ago, but I pay attention and I have not heard of any major campaigns to get a handle on this. The report estimated that an investment of $1 trillion is required over the next 25 years to upgrade and maintain the country's water systems adequately.
Lead Service Lines: One of the critical concerns in water infrastructure is the presence of lead service lines, which can leach lead into drinking water, especially in older homes and buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are 6-10 million lead service lines still in use across the country. Do you live with lead service lines? I found a couple of great resources online that can be found HERE. Comment below and let us know if this helped! Do you live with lead pipes and were not even aware of it?
Wastewater Treatment: The EPA's Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) identifies over $270 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20 years. This includes upgrading treatment plants, controlling stormwater runoff, and improving water quality in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.
Rural Challenges: Rural areas often face unique challenges in maintaining water infrastructure, including limited funding, aging systems, and fewer resources for upgrades and repairs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides grants and loans to rural communities for water infrastructure projects but gaps in funding persist.
Climate Resilience: Climate change poses additional challenges to water infrastructure, including more frequent and severe droughts, floods, and extreme weather events. Adapting water systems to be more resilient and sustainable in the face of climate impacts requires significant investment and planning.
Public Health Implications: Ok put your cheaters on for this topic. The words are going to get bigger and harder to pronounce and NO, I am not happy about it either. The quality of water infrastructure directly impacts public health. Contaminated water can lead to outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as Legionnaires' disease or cryptosporidiosis. I admittedly have never heard of these diseases, so I did some digging, and they sound pretty scary! Legionellosis, recognized as an acute bacterial disease, whose etiological agent is Legionella bacteria, has two very well defined and different epidemiological and clinical forms: legionnaires disease (legionnaires Pneumonia) and Pontiac Fever (Non-pneumonic Legionellosis). Ok, I realize I may start to lose people with words that I can't even pronounce so in a nutshell, this causes headaches and muscle aches that quickly turn into breathing difficulties and gastrointestinal issues. The disease is similar to pneumonia but more severe. Cryptosporidium also known as "crypto" and no we are not talking bitcoin is an apicomplexan genus of alveolates which again without all the fancy words are parasites!! In fact, Crypto is the second most common cause of diarrhea in children. Symptoms can be very severe and cause severe stomach pains and cramps, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, fever and weight loss.
So now that I have most likely scared the "crypto" out of you, you may be asking yourself, "how can we fix this or how do I keep my family safe and healthy? Well unless you are a philanthropist with over a trillion in the bank, it's unlikely that we as individuals can do much to improve the infrastructure overnight. What we can do is invest in the very best water filtration systems available for our homes. We have taken a look at what is on the market today and below are our top pics for not only quality but affordable options. Whether you would like a great counter unit or a full-on filtration system that runs through your home, these items will give you the peace of mind you are seek.
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