7 Things you need to know about your drinking water
Current events in Flint, Michigan remind us all that the drinking water we take for granted is not always as safe as everyone assumes. Here are seven things everyone should know.
- Every year in the United States there are an average of 19.5 million cases of waterborne illnesses from drinking water. Most of these are non-life threatening, but that is not an insignificant number.
2. Boiling water can protect you from microbial contamination in your drinking water, but it will concentrate contamination from nitrates or lead, making those types of contamination even more dangerous. Be sure to follow notices from your local health authorities regarding boiling your drinking water.
3. Drinking water treatment facilities typically have seven to 14 days for water purification chemicals on site. If there were to be a disruption in trucking (natural disaster, civil unrest, zombie apocalypse), drinking water reserves would be exhausted within 14–28 days.
4. From 1995 to 2000, the United States spent $50 billion on capital investments to fund water quality improvements. The EPA calculates that if we do not increase the current level of funding, there will be a significant gap in funding needed to maintain drinking water infrastructure by 2017. The tragic events of Flint, Michigan could be more common in years to come.
5. The average American household uses 90 gallons of water per day. Contrast with with the average European 53 gallons per day, and the average Sub-Saharan household uses 3–5 gallons.
6. A human can only survive approximately three days without clean drinking water.
7. Considering all these factors, it is prudent to be prepared in case something happens. It is recommended that you have have at least one gallon of water per person in your household per day, maintaining at least a three day supply. Don’t forget your pets either.
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