In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act in hopes of establishing a basic structure for regulating safe drinking water. The goal with this act was to regulate the amount of pollution that was discharged into the waters. In 1948, Congress passed Federal Water Pollution Control Act which later expanded into what is now the Clean Water Act. It is quite obvious that the government has been putting a decent effort into providing safe drinking water for the citizens. If the government is making an effort then why is there still unsafe drinking water in parts of the country?
In the United States, there are more than 6,000 chemicals that pollute the drinking water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there has only been one new pollutant …show more content…
It is said that the United States has some of the safest drinking water in the world. After the contamination with a coal-washing chemical, the citizens slowly start to lose trust in the government. Congress had been holding hearings on the incident. This showed that the government at least cared about safe water for the residents. The most that was being done was a criminal investigation was started over the incident. There was not any evidence that the government was doing more. The water in West Virginia was still contaminated with oil chemicals. Where is the government when one of its states needs them? This shows the citizens that the government puts this subject last on the list of priorities. In January 2014, Charleston had a similar issue with drinking water. 10,000 gallons of a chemical called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) had leaked into the Elk River from an aboveground storage tank. Within a week after the incident over 400 people were being treated for rashes, nausea, and vomiting. This was the cause from unsafe drinking water. More and more incidents occurred. Yes, the government held hearings to try and solve the issue at hand; but that is all that was done. Citizens of Charleston are still refusing to drink the cities’ water from the …show more content…
According to the Koshland Science Museum, each person that lives on Earth requires 20 to 50 liters of clean, safe water each day. This is needed for activities like drinking, cooking, and keeping themselves clean. Having polluted water is not just dirty but it can also be deadly. Millions of people die each year due to diseases from unsafe drinking water. With the government doing the bare minimum, more people every day can suffer from diseases like cholera. If there is excessive amounts of microbes or chemicals that come from human and animal waste, it can make any water unsafe to consume. It can also be the cause of water-related diseases. Water sources need to be protected or else the quality of the drinking water
In the United States, there are more than 6,000 chemicals that pollute the drinking water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there has only been one new pollutant …show more content…
It is said that the United States has some of the safest drinking water in the world. After the contamination with a coal-washing chemical, the citizens slowly start to lose trust in the government. Congress had been holding hearings on the incident. This showed that the government at least cared about safe water for the residents. The most that was being done was a criminal investigation was started over the incident. There was not any evidence that the government was doing more. The water in West Virginia was still contaminated with oil chemicals. Where is the government when one of its states needs them? This shows the citizens that the government puts this subject last on the list of priorities. In January 2014, Charleston had a similar issue with drinking water. 10,000 gallons of a chemical called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) had leaked into the Elk River from an aboveground storage tank. Within a week after the incident over 400 people were being treated for rashes, nausea, and vomiting. This was the cause from unsafe drinking water. More and more incidents occurred. Yes, the government held hearings to try and solve the issue at hand; but that is all that was done. Citizens of Charleston are still refusing to drink the cities’ water from the …show more content…
According to the Koshland Science Museum, each person that lives on Earth requires 20 to 50 liters of clean, safe water each day. This is needed for activities like drinking, cooking, and keeping themselves clean. Having polluted water is not just dirty but it can also be deadly. Millions of people die each year due to diseases from unsafe drinking water. With the government doing the bare minimum, more people every day can suffer from diseases like cholera. If there is excessive amounts of microbes or chemicals that come from human and animal waste, it can make any water unsafe to consume. It can also be the cause of water-related diseases. Water sources need to be protected or else the quality of the drinking water