In chapter three of 'Protecting New Jersey's Environment', the author informed me about the dark-side of the water treatment here in the U.S, along with the history of water. I learned from this chapter that clean water, even now is hard to guarantee because small parasites can slide through filtration and it would take forever to analyze every droplet of water. That is slightly terrifying. It worries me because I don't drink from tap water. I drink from our deliveries of Poland Spring. I either drink from the bottled water (which has it's own consequences) or from the water spout that is attached to the Poland Spring Unit. This made me anxious because what if the water I depend on contains these horrible parasites? It's just a very scary thought.
This chapter mainly focused on New Jersey's personal struggle with finding clean water. There was a lot of drought in New Jersey (which I never knew). In this particular chapter focused on water quality, the author focused on the Boonton Reservoir and Jersey City's struggle to find a reliable and 'clean' water source. Although the story of Jersey City's struggle was shocking and fascinating, I really found some interesting facts about the present that shocked and scared me.
Once again, I was shocked by how late water legislature came into place. I know that a lot of the legislature depended upon the amount of technology we had at a particular point in time. Left and right bills are being put into action because we are discovering more and more about the water we are drinking which is another scary thought. Another thing that shocked me and honestly disturbed me was that people still drink chlorinated water, and that number is high. It's like millions of people. That is something I did not think still happened, so that was definitely a wake up call for me.
Last but not least, I am shocked by the amount of chemicals that are in our water. I don't have much to say about it because it is very hard to digest. Honestly, this topic has scared me and knowing that carcinogens are in the water is terrifying. Another thing that really shocked me was the amount of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that go into our water supply. We drink that. And that is scary.
Will we ever have "clean" drinking water? What do you think?