Have you thought about where your water comes from? What would do without it? You turn the tap and there is fresh, clean, potable water. The only time it may enter your mind is during the inconvenience of a water shortage, with limited lawn watering and car washing, or the occasional boil water advisory. But what happens if the water is gone, or contaminated? You could use a UV water treatment system to disinfect the water coming into your home, but what if the water never reaches the system? As you’re reading through this article, pause and think about life without clean water.
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, but a zero goal, though laudable, is at present an unattainable goal. The policing of lead in drinking water is generally in the hands of the local utility company until testing reveals lead levels higher than 15 ppb (parts per billion) in 10% of the samples collected in the distribution system. This means the action level for remedial action is 15 ppb. The frequency and number of samples collected is determined by the service population of the utility, history of analysis results, and the success of remedial measures, if they prove to be required. Remedial measures may be avoided by implementing some measures as ongoing treatment regimens, whether there is a problem or not. The chief remedial or preventive actions involve implementing and maintaining a corrosion control program to prevent leaching of regulated metals, such as lead and copper, into the product.
In February 2021, a large winter storm impacted Texas and surrounding states. These areas suffered greatly from the loss of essentials that included food, utilities, and drinking water. Involved states suffered losses in the billions of dollars along with at least 57 storm-related deaths just in Texas.
Loss of electricity was central to most suffering and loss of other dependent utilities. In the extreme cold, loss of heat sources for homes and businesses either provided directly by electricity or natural gas left people in danger of succumbing to the cold. Some families died from using their vehicles to warm themselves in closed garages or using their gas stoves to warm their houses.
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