Call to Action for Safe Water

 Hello Class, thank you for staying for the journey and learning about safe water in Lubbock County and the importance of this vital health right. 


One of the leading issues in safe water is water systems and hazardous substances that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Public water systems that serve minority communities and small and rural water systems face unsafe levels of hazardous chemicals due to aging water infrastructure and lack of funds (Mcdonald et al., 2018). The EPA has no oversight over private water systems such as private wells that millions of Americans drink from and contain high levels of harmful chemicals such as arsenic that are unsafe for human consumption and increase the risk of disability and death (Greco et al., 2019). There is evidence that there are chemicals unregulated by the EPA that increase the risk of harm to the human body such as aluminum and there are no regulated levels that are enforced in public water systems (Krupińska, 2020).


Organizations that are fighting to protect our right to safe drinking water are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). My hope is that this information can help residents of Lubbock County and give them the resources they need to fight for safe drinking water and find ways to protect themselves in the meantime by using the correct filter for their water, boiling their water, water purification tablets, and reverse osmosis machines. 


Organizations Responding to the Call: 

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) | US EPA 

The Safe Water System | CDC 

Drinking Water Quality - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - www.tceq.texas.gov 

Water & Environmental Programs | Rural Development (usda.gov) 




Environmental Health Issue: Safe Water




Discussion Prompt: What action do you plan to take after learning about the environmental health issue of safe water?


References:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2022). Safe Drinking Water Act. Retrieved from Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) | US EPA

Greco, S. L., Belova, A., Haskell, J., & Backer, L. (2019). Estimated burden of disease from arsenic in drinking water supplied by domestic wells in the United States. Journal of Water & Health, 17(5), 801–812. https://doi-org.proxy.tamuc.edu/10.2166/wh.2019.216

Krupińska I. (2020). Aluminium Drinking Water Treatment Residuals and Their Toxic Impact on Human Health. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 25(3), 641. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25030641

McDonald, Y. J., & Jones, N. E. (2018). Drinking Water Violations and Environmental Justice in the United States, 2011–2015. American Journal of Public Health, 108(10), 1401–1407. https://doi-org.proxy.tamuc.edu/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304621




Comments

  1. Paola_TAMUCAugust 9, 2022 at 3:47 PM

    Hello Victoria,
    Thank you for sharing with us your research regarding safe water! It is important to be informed at all times to ensure that we are aware of the water quality in our communities. It is crucial to come to town meetings to request information and ask about our counties' actions to protect our water supply.
    I once had a conversation with someone working for a government organization. This person told me that community members must speak up; that is the only way government entities take action in important matters. I think that if each one of us had come together and made our voices heard, many issues would have been solved.
    Regarding your question, my action plans are to continue learning about environmental issues, participate in information sessions in my community, continue researching more about environmental issues, get to know the people in charge of taking care of our water supply, and probably join environmental groups in my area.
    We can do much to protect our water, but we need to start by educating ourselves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria TrevinoAugust 11, 2022 at 4:26 PM

      Hello Paola,
      I agree going to the town meeting and requesting information is one of the most helpful things a citizen can do to protect their water. It can be difficult to speak up, but it's important to fight for our rights in regards to our environmental health.

      Delete
  2. Anil PanthaAugust 10, 2022 at 6:48 AM

    Hello Victoria, such a pleasing presentation. Water pollution is the worst thing we can know about. We need to keep it clean at all cost. A water source can be permanently damaged by contamination. Water supplies will need to be switched off if it is not practicable to disinfect the contaminated water. Maintaining clean water is both simpler and more affordable than attempting to clean up dirty water. My action plan will be get to know the persons in charge of looking after our water supply, continue learning about environmental issues, take part in community information sessions, conduct additional environmental research, and perhaps join environmental organizations in my region. Our main aim should be to continue to work for cleaning water supply chain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria TrevinoAugust 11, 2022 at 4:31 PM

      Hello Anil,
      Thank you for your comment! While not all hazardous substances in water is man-made and some of it is naturally occurring it is still awful to know just how much damage humans have done to water and continue to do. Water is not an unlimited resource and we need to take care of the sources we do have now to keep it clean and safe to drink for the sake of our health. I think those are great actions to take to fight and protect our water.

      Delete

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