Here in the United States, it is assumed, and in most cases, rightly so, that obtaining clean drinking water would be no problem. Every city supplies water right out of the tap, which must meet certain quality standards. Each State is completely different, so I am only going to speak for the region I live in, Southeast Louisiana.
Recently I read @PaulPavlinovich ’s post World Wide Water Quality Map Six Months On Is Your City On It?
I had also just watched esisode 2 of “Down To Earth” on
Netflix entitled, “France” which explored the unique Paris clean water supply which is available to all.
I thought I would like to share what is unique to my area.
For instance, we have because rain, flooding and our unique ecosystems, several are monitored by a non profit called Pontchartrain Conservatory Water Quality Results.
Water Quality Weekly Data Report
There are 8 sites that they test weekly. Two of those are the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, and the other Bayou Castine, on which I live. The Pontchartrain Conservatory has been working for 30 years to clean Lake Pontchartrain and 8 other waterways. They were previously on Clean Water Act’s 303 (d) Impaired Water Bodies List. Lake Pontchartrain was removed from the EPA’s Impaired Waterways list in 2006. However, the weekly testing frequently reveals that the water is not safe for swimming. These areas are not for drinking consumption.
On July 21, 2020 the fecal coliform level was 1020 on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, dangerously above safe levels, ( which are < 200 for recreational contact and < 1 for drinking water Fecal Coliform Bacteria In Water )
about a mile from my home. Luckily in Bayou Castine, on which I live, it was 157.
Another water quality issue is that other times Bayou Castine will be full of harmful algae.
Rob Masson: WVUE VIDEO FACEBOOK
Exposure to this can make humans and pets ill. My neighbors dog drank from the bayou when algae was blooming and became very ill, but survived.
Harmful Algae Bloom Illnesses
The importance of this is that there are children’s beach play parks at Lake Pontchartrain, swimming areas, boating fishing, seafood harvesting and multiple homes on the water. On Bayou Castine, the same, as well as kayaking, stand up paddle boarding as well as multiple ecosystems.
But as I mentioned before, these are not the drinking water supply. So what about the drinking water quality? Well there are a couple of ways we get our water. Some of us have “city water”, WHICH IS NOT FREE. You must pay a monthly water bill. How safe is this water? Well that depends. There are many reports that the water in New Orleans, which comes from the Mississippi River, is not safe. Some say it has unsafe doses of lead.
New Orleans Lead Water Hidden Report
Others claim that it is fine, but “Boil Water Advisories” are issued when harmful substances are found in the water.
New Orleans Boil Water Plan
This happens regularly in the various places I have lived in Louisiana. In just one example, when I lived in Pearl River, Louisiana, there was brain eating amoeba in the water supply, and here is an article
Brain Eating Amoeba Found In Louisiana Water Third Time In Three Years
that shows it happens repeatedly.
Here is a concerning list showing all the contaminats found in the water supplies across Louisiana.
Tap Water State Of Louisiana
As you can see there are widespread violations.
The town I live in now is only 2 miles by 7 miles total land mass. But there are boil advisories several times a week in different areas. And these would only be in those areas with city water. How does this happen? Well we recently had one because our fire hydrant broke and the sewer lines and fresh water lines became mixed. Problem was no one notified us. I saw some men digging a hole and yelled “Hey what y’all doing?” And then had to call City Hall to find out we should boil our water for 4 days and not brush our teeth or wash are dishes in it! Then they brought me some tags which I gave to my neighbors. Another time, same situation, no notification, someone accidentally rolled over a pipe.
Sometime the Parish (Louisiana has Parishes, not Counties like the rest of the United States) will post a boil water advisory on their Facebook page for a neighborhood. I check that daily ?. Of course we flood frequently on the bayou , with 4 feet of water and alligators swimming under my raised house, so we keep at 6 gallons of bottled spring water at all times.
So now I have discussed “city water”. But much of Louisiana is rural and does not have it, but relies on a well and septic tank. In fact before Hurricane Katrina, I owned my own home, which had a well and septic tank in this same area. The way my small town is divided at this end, is by the road running through it, which has the shore Lake Pontchartrain on one side. So if you live on the “Lake side” you are in the city, the other side, you are outside city limits, lol, even though your address is still Mandeville. So… you have to get your own water, filter it, get rid of your sewage on your own. And unless you sell your property, no one is monitoring you at all. So you are supposed to have your well so deep and your septic so far from your well etc. And you should have your well water tested frequently. But that also costs money.
Louisiana Government Index
Louisiana Government Engineering Private Well Water
I’m going to leave the rest to your imagination. I once visited someone whose well water was actually brown, just outside of New Orleans.
So even in the US, the question of water quality can be an issue. At my former home the soil was full of high levels of iron and red clay. We had a very expensive filter on it, but our clothes still came out orange in the wash. However many people believe well water is the best because it is full of minerals.
According to The CDC, (The Center For Disease Control)
CDC Healthy Water Observances
“The United States has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world” and “Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.”
EPA Coronavirus And Drinking Water
however they also state, “EPA regulations do not apply to privately owned wells, although some states do regulate private wells. As a result, the 43 million Americans who get their water from private wells are responsible for ensuring that their tap water is safe from contaminants.
In contrast:
[USA News Report US Water Contaminated With Forever Chemicals](https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2020-01-22/us-drinking-water-widely-contaminated-with-forever-chemicals-report states ) “ The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group.”(January 22,2020)
I hope my post has given you some insight into the water quality of my area.
