Water.  It's always just a twist of the faucet away.  But how often do you actually think about it?  Where does it come from?  How does it get to your house?  And - most importantly - when it gets to your house, is it really safe to drink?

Many of the United State's water transportation systems were built between the 1930's and 1950's, when color TV had just been invented, Roosevelt was president (again) and the average home cost less than $4,000.00.

In addition to drinking water that's flowing through old and corroding pipes, there's pollution to consider.   How clean is the water that goes into those pipes in the first place?  According to the Sierra Club's findings, the Clean Water Act of 1972 was so successful that today about 60% of our rivers and 55% of our lakes are safe for swimming and fishing, compared with just 36% in 1972.   That's great news, but what about the water that comes from the other 40% of our rivers, lakes and watersheds?

In recent years, we've been told that bottled water is a cleaner, safer alternative to tap water.  But studies conducted by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have shown that many brands of bottled water contain elevated levels of arsenic, bacteria, or other contaminants, making it worse to drink that tap water.

Fortunately, there's a light at the end of the aqueduct: the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).  The SDWA authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set national standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally occurring and man-made contaminants. The EPA, state agencies, and water systems work together to make sure that these standards are met.  In addition to protecting drinking water sources and enforcing stringent treatment standards, water utilities (whether public or private) are required to send their customers an annual drinking water quality report.
 
If you have any concerns that your area's water is unsafe, contact your local water utility (the folks that send your water bill).  Otherwise, the EPA operates the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) that can answer questions about the regulations and programs developed under SDWA, and provide federal and state contacts for specific information.
 
If you want additional assurance that the water from your tap is safe, there are organizations that will test the water in your home.  For more information about in-home water testing, check the EPA's list of State Certification Officers for Drinking Water Laboratories to find a certified state laboratory.  Also, organizations like the Children's Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) can provide a lot of useful information to consider if you intend to test your water.

Checking your annual water quality report and testing your water are good ideas, but what can you do in the meantime?  Rather than buying costly and environmentally unfriendly bottled water, many people use home water filtration systems.  There are many different systems to choose from.  (For a quick comparison, check out WaterFilterComparisons.com.)  These filters help to remove chlorine and heavy metals such as lead and mercury from tap water, making the water safer and better tasting.  Also, the filters are becoming much easier to recycle.  For example, Britta® has partnered with Preserve®, to collect and recycle filters for Britta® pitchers.
 
It is important to be concerned about the water coming out of your tap and about protecting the rivers and lakes your water comes from.  Fortunately, information is readily available, groups like the NRDC and the Sierra Club offer great ways to get involved in protecting your community's water supply and companies like Britta® and Preserve® make it easy and affordable to filter your water and protect the environment by recycling.  So relax, and have a drink!  You'll be glad you did.