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Potable Water: Sources, Problems, and Solutions
Caroline MilesGeography 543
What You Will Learn TodayThe two sources of potable (drinking-quality)
waterSome ways that we pollute our water systems
Example from Flint, MISolution to deal with potable water access
Example from India
The Two Drinking Water SourcesSurface water
Rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirsGround water
Aquifers
What is Hattiesburg’s drinking water source?
USGS. 2016. Hydrology. Retrieved February 28, 2016 from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/hydrology.html.
An Aquifer!Specifically, from the
Mississippi Embayment Aquifer System
USGS. 2015. Aquifer Basics. Retrieved February 25, 2016 from http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquiferbasics/uncon.html
But What is An Aquifer? USGS says,
“A formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that contains sufficient saturated, permeable material to yield significant quantities of water to wells and springs.”
USGS. 2015. Aquifer Basics. Retrieved February 25, 2016 from http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquiferbasics/uncon.html
USGS. 2014. Water QualityPoster. Retrieved February 26, 2016 from http://water.usgs.gov/outreach/Posters/water_quality/grade.html
How we pollute the waterPoint Sources
Factories- smoke stacks, drainage into water sourcesWastewater treatment plants
Non-point sourcesRunoff from parking lots, farms, garbage leachate…
What are some water pollution sources around Hattiesburg?
NOAA. 2008. A Brief History of Pollution. Retrieved March 1, 2016 from http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/02history.html.
Tap Water Trust IssuesSafe Drinking Water
Act (1974) allowed the EPA to set contaminant level limits in public drinking water systems
It was put in place to keep Flint, MI from happening
EPA. 2015. Safe Water Drinking Act Summary. Retrieved March 1, 2016 from http://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-safe-drinking-water-act.
The Flint Water Crisis Still HappenedLead in the waterEPA max lead levels:
15 ppbFlint levels: 27 ppb
(EPA)But VA Tech
registered a sample at 158 ppb
Ingraham, Christopher. 2016. This is how toxic the Flint water really is. The Washington Post. January 15. Retrieved February 28, 2016 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/15/this-is-how-toxic-flints-water-really-is/
Map source: Musser, K. 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016 from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/poisoned-water-in-flint-what-you-need-to-know/
What went wrong?Pollutants in the Flint
River were really highThey over-treated the
water with chlorineThe water was more
acidic and corroded old lead pipes
This put lead in the drinking water
Carmody, Tim. 2016. How the Flint River Got So Toxic. The Verge. February 26. Retrieved February 27, 2016 from http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/26/11117022/flint-michigan-water-crisis-lead-pollution-history
Photo credit: Sanborn, J. 2016. Flint’s Water Crisis Explained in 3 GIFs. Time. Retrieved March 1, 2016 from http://time.com/4191864/flint-water-crisis-lead-contaminated-michigan/.
How to fix Flint?The infrastructure
will have to be redone to eliminate the corroded lead pipes
This is expensive and will take time but it is what has to be done
Semuels, Alana. 2015. Aging pipes are poisoning America’s tap water. The Atlantic. Retrieved February 22, 2016:http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/dont-drink-the-water/399803/ Granlund, D. 2016. “Flint Michigan Lead in
Water..” Retireved March 1, 2016 from https://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/97486e44-78a1-4ebd-b435-0047318fdecc.html
Solutions in the Mean Time? AMRIT filtersNanotechnology
filters out heavy metals (such as lead, arsenic, and mercury) plus can be used to filter out microbes
Suggested use in Flint, MI after success in India
Janin, Alex. 2016. This $16 water filter could save 100,000 lives a year. Takepart. Retrieved February 24, 2016:http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/02/24/16-dollar-water-filter-save-100000-lives-year
AMRIT Filters $16 for the family-
sized filter, lasts a year
Does not need electricity to work
Cleans microbes and chemicals from water
Source of potable water for Developing World
Serving up to 500,000 in India currently
Janin, Alex. 2016. This $16 water filter could save 100,000 lives a year. Takepart. Retrieved February 24, 2016:http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/02/24/16-dollar-water-filter-save-100000-lives-year
Additional ResourcesUSGS Water http://www.usgs.gov/water/
EPA http://www.epa.gov/learn-issues/learn-about-water
Hattiesburg water http://www.hattiesburgms.com/government/departments/water-sewer/