August Is National Water Quality Month: 5 Things You Need To Know

ACROSS AMERICA — The annual observance of National Water Quality Month has rarely if ever been more important than it is this August due to a confluence of factors ranging from “forever chemicals” to new limits on federal wetlands protections to extreme climate.

The history of Water Quality Month dates back to the Clean Water Act of 1972, which made it illegal to dump high amounts of toxic materials into bodies of water. The Safe Water Drinking Water Act in 1974 added more protections for groundwater and public water systems.

The intent of Water Quality Month is to raise awareness about the importance of water to humans, marine life and the plants and animals that rely on lakes and rivers for water.

This year’s observance comes amid multiple threats to the safety of U.S. drinking water.

What States Have The Best Water Quality?

There are multiple ways to measure this, but the well-regarded rankings from U.S. News & World Report put Hawaii, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Massachusetts, respectively, in the top five for the quality of their drinking water. The air and water quality rankings are a subcategory in U.S. News’ Best States rankings.

The water quality rankings reflect the number of federal Safe Drinking Water Act violation points against public water systems per 1,000 customers served by those systems. The Environmental Protection Agency uses a weighted point system to track compliance with the law, including in the areas of managing contaminants and treatment

Impaired Waters In National Parks

Most Americans’ drinking water comes from freshwater sources, and they’re in trouble too, even in places set aside for their natural beauty. Not all the 420-plus national park sites have waterways, but of the 356 that do, more than half are considered “impaired” by the Environmental Protection Act under the Clean Water Act.

The EPA has a search tool to check for impaired waterways anywhere in the United States.

Fewer Wetlands Protected Now

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court unwound protections that have safeguarded the nation’s waters for more than 50 years. In Sackett v. EPA, the court limited the agency’s ability to regulate land development to those wetlands adjacent to “waters of the United States.”

The decision has been hailed as a win for private property rights, a nettlesome issue since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. Environmental groups say water quality is bound to suffer with about half of the 118 million acres previously regulated losing their federal protections essential to clean, affordable drinking water, public health and flood protection.

‘Forever Chemicals’

We’re learning more about the effects of “forever chemicals” — a class of synthetic compounds linked to cancer and other health problems —that the U.S. Geological Survey estimated is found in nearly half of the tap water supplies in the United States, both public and private.

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first federal drinking water limits on PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, which remain in the human body for years and don't degrade in the environment. A final decision is expected later this year or in 2024.

But the government hasn’t stopped companies that use the chemicals from dumping them into public wastewater systems, Scott Faber, a senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, told the Associated Press last month.

“We should be treating this problem where it begins, instead of putting up a stoplight after the accident,” Faber said. “We should be requiring polluters to treat their own wastes.”

States have adopted a patchwork of PFAS-related regulations.

The EWG previously identified 2,858 locations in 50 states and two territories where PFAS have been found in public and private water systems. A searchable map helps people find out if PFAS have been detected where they live.

The Threat Of Climate Change

Climate change threatens communities’ ability to provide a safe, affordable supply of drinking water, especially with a projected increase in heavy downpours. Such events can increase pollutant runoff and sedimentation in rivers, lakes and streams, complicating the treatment of water utilities and increasing the costs of treatment.

Increased erosion and sedimentation can not only diminish water quality, but also block stormwater management systems and decrease storage capacity, according to the EPA.

Drought associated with climate change is expected to intensify, reducing short-term water sources, such as reservoir or lake levels, and affecting longer-term storage, such as mountain snowpack. Drought can also increase drinking water treatment costs because contaminants become concentrated in source waters.

Related:

• Record Heat Illuminates Plight Of Poorest Americans Without AC
• Here's How Hot And Extreme Summer Has Been — And It's Only Half Over