For anyone who doesn't know, a watershed is a body of water that your regions ground water drains to. For instance I live in Green Brook, and my water drains to the Raritan River. This water is the water that then goes to treatment facilities and then to my house.
To check the quality of your watershed:
www.scorecard.org
To see which pollutants are found most in your watershed (remember that a lot of these pollutants make their way into your drink water)according to the EPA.
http://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_index.control?p_area=NJ
(choose your watershed and click on the nearest stream)
If you use public water, to see which contaminants are found most in your water and which ones are found above health limits, visit:
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/findings.php
If you use well water, and this may be surprising because a lot of people think that well water is very pure, read through this.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/pwta/pwta_report_final.pdf
And to see how many wells in your town are contaminated:
http://www.nj.gov/dep/pwta/welladdendum.htm
A lot of these problems occur because we don't think. We use fertilizers and household chemicals that constantly enter the ground water and make their way to our water sheds. The government goes very easy on industry, and industry often disposes of chemicals directly into the ground. If you live in a highly agricultural area, pesticides, and nutrients from animal waste easily make their way. Not only does this effect our tanks, but the excess nutrients draining into our oceans are one of the main contributing factors regarding the destruction of reefs. Nutrients cause algae, algae deplete nutrients, algae die, algae decompose, the aerobic bacteria that decompose the algae depletes the oxygen, ocean life dies.
Here is some additional reading material in case your interested.
Buxton, H.T. and D.W. Kolpin. 2002. Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams. USGS, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program.
http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/pdf/FS-027-02.pdf
”Toxic Waters,” Charles Duhigg. September 12, 2009. The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?emc=eta1
“Drugs In US Drinking Water,” March 10, 2008. Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100038.php
And for those who think bottled water is a safe alternative (drinking wise):
“Your ‘Pure’ Bottled Water Has Contaminants, Too,” Associated Press, November 12, 2008, MSNBC.com.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27185076/
“Summary Findings of NRDC’s 1999 Bottled Water Report,” 1999. Natural Resource Defense Council.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp
To check the quality of your watershed:
www.scorecard.org
To see which pollutants are found most in your watershed (remember that a lot of these pollutants make their way into your drink water)according to the EPA.
http://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_index.control?p_area=NJ
(choose your watershed and click on the nearest stream)
If you use public water, to see which contaminants are found most in your water and which ones are found above health limits, visit:
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/findings.php
If you use well water, and this may be surprising because a lot of people think that well water is very pure, read through this.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/pwta/pwta_report_final.pdf
And to see how many wells in your town are contaminated:
http://www.nj.gov/dep/pwta/welladdendum.htm
A lot of these problems occur because we don't think. We use fertilizers and household chemicals that constantly enter the ground water and make their way to our water sheds. The government goes very easy on industry, and industry often disposes of chemicals directly into the ground. If you live in a highly agricultural area, pesticides, and nutrients from animal waste easily make their way. Not only does this effect our tanks, but the excess nutrients draining into our oceans are one of the main contributing factors regarding the destruction of reefs. Nutrients cause algae, algae deplete nutrients, algae die, algae decompose, the aerobic bacteria that decompose the algae depletes the oxygen, ocean life dies.
Here is some additional reading material in case your interested.
Buxton, H.T. and D.W. Kolpin. 2002. Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams. USGS, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program.
http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/pdf/FS-027-02.pdf
”Toxic Waters,” Charles Duhigg. September 12, 2009. The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?emc=eta1
“Drugs In US Drinking Water,” March 10, 2008. Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100038.php
And for those who think bottled water is a safe alternative (drinking wise):
“Your ‘Pure’ Bottled Water Has Contaminants, Too,” Associated Press, November 12, 2008, MSNBC.com.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27185076/
“Summary Findings of NRDC’s 1999 Bottled Water Report,” 1999. Natural Resource Defense Council.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp