Dr. John Snow and the Drinking Water Discovery >
Do You Know Where Your Drinking Water Comes From?
Clean
drinking water is one of the world's most precious resources.
In the United States, clean drinking water is something that
we don't think about enough. Usually, it's free of contaminants
and isn't a source of illness. However, drinking water-related
outbreaks do occur. In fact, their numbers are increasing, as
CDC data for the latest reporting periods of 1999-2000 show*.
In parts of the developing world, clean water has never been
easy to come by. As a result, millions of people become ill
every year and millions more die from parasites, bacteria, viruses,
and other contaminants found in drinking water.
Take
a moment to consider the following questions about drinking
water:
1
Are you one of the 52% of Americans who depend on ground water
for your drinking water, either from a public source or private
well?
If
you receive your drinking water from a private well, we suggest
that every year you schedule a well checkup. Why is this important?
Over half of the disease outbreaks linked to drinking water reported
to CDC in 1999-2000 were ground water-related. Most occurred
because the wells were either improperly built or maintained.
For
more information on wells and healthy drinking water, see
2
Does your water come from a public source such as ground water
(a well) or surface water (a river)?
If so, contact your water utility. Ask for a copy of their Consumer
Confidence Report (CCR), sometimes also called a Water Quality
Report. Water providers now must produce this report every year.
It tells you what substances have been found in the water and whether
or not it's safe to drink. Your cities Water
Quality Report may be posted on the Environmental Protection
Agency's website. See the EPA
Consumer Confidents Reports page for details.
3
Learn more about healthy drinking water.
Go
to the National
Ground Water Awareness Association website for information
about ground water, well safety, and maintenance.
Note:
CDC is not responsible for the content of Web pages found at these
links. Links to nonfederal organizations are provided solely as
a service to our users. These links do not indicate an endorsement
of these organizations by CDC or the federal government.
|
