The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is committed to ensure that the water provided to the city of Atlanta meets all the required standards by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The Department has been conducting several tests on the potential contaminants in the city yearly. The water is treated to ensure that it complies with the minimum range of contaminants allowed by Environmental Protection Agency and Foods and Drugs Administration. The quality water report presented in 2017 showed that the regulated drinking water was marked safe for human consumption because the trace elements were within the maximum contamination range level. However, the report notes that high levels of trihalomethanes was discovered in the distribution system recording 81ppb which is higher than the recommended 80ppb. The report highlights the source of the contaminant to originate from a by-product of water chlorination. The department reports that the violation affected around 16 customers but the reports that the compliance has been restored. The report also mentions that even though the department supplies quality water, the residents could experience elevated levels of lead and copper in the water. The high concentration result from the home plumbing components. The department recommends that lead exposure could be achieved through flushing the tap water and let it run for about 2 minutes. The department has come up with a $ 1 billion capital improvement plan aimed at minimizing leakages as much as possible through its Leak Detection Program (Department of Watershed Management, 2017). The paper focuses on the sources of contamination and effects of the contaminants on human health and environment. It further recommends strategies that could be adopted by management to uphold the quality of water.
The department of Watershed Management has highlighted that unregulated river and drinking water contain several contaminants before treatment. The surface water is contaminated by microbial flora which exist in the form of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa
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. Such contaminants are suspected to be originating from septic systems, sewage treatment plant, and wildlife (Damià, 2007). The contaminants may lead to the residents of the city of Atlanta to experience waterborne diseases. Another form of contaminants that is prevalent in the city is inorganic contaminants. These contaminants include salts and metals and can be naturally occurring or originate from storm water run-off or discharges from domestic and industrial waste water. Organic chemical contaminants can originate from urban storm water runoff, septic systems or gas stations and include volatile and synthetic organic chemicals (Wu, Zhang, & Zhang, 2010). Pesticides and herbicides are another form of contamination and can originate from residential uses, agriculture and storm water runoff (Choudri, Charabi, & Ahmed, 2018) .The other form of contamination originates from radioactivity which can occur naturally or result from the production of oil and gas.
Although most people experience contamination at almost the same levels, it is worth to note that some levels of contamination may not be harmful to human health. On the same note, some people may be vulnerable to contamination than others. Such people include those with cancer, organs transplant patients and those infected with HIV/AIDs. The effects of the contaminants may also affect the development of neonates (Rauh, Horton, Miller, Whyatt, & Frederica Perera, 2010). It is further important to keep in mind that the contamination is not only found on tap water but also bottled water (Jovic-Jovicic, et al., 2014). If not taken care of, this could lead to challenges on the survival of human beings too. Bacteria cause illnesses to livestock and people leading to poor health. Radioactive materials also affect human health and lead to degradation of the environment.
There are different methods that can be used to effectively manage pollution. For instance, vegetating riparian areas that surround waterways can minimize pollution that is caused by agricultural storm water. This is so because vegetation along stream banks can help prevent erosion. On the same note, limiting the amount of fertilizer and pesticides used helps in reducing pesticide pollution. Another method of controlling pollution is by maintaining septic systems in good order. This helps in preventing bacteria and viruses from getting into storm water runoff. On top of that, residents should be encouraged to report any spills or causes of pollution noted to the local authorities in order for them to take action immediately.
In conclusion, the Department of Watershed Management is working hard to see to it that the system that is being used is highly cost-effective and efficient. The DWM is also trying to minimize pollution in the city of Atlanta by implementing strategies that reduce pollution. $1 billion has been set aside to facilitate the reduction of water contamination. All these efforts are put in place to ensure quality water is supplied to the residents of Atlanta. However, it is of much importance to note that the contaminants found in the water do not necessarily lead to infections and are not only found in rain water but also in other forms e.g. tap water and bottled water. Nonetheless, the DWM assures all the water users that the contaminants that remain in the water are safe for human consumption and therefore there is no need for worry.
References
Choudri, B., Charabi, Y., & Ahmed, M. (2018). Pesticides and Herbicides. Water Environment Research , 1663-1678.
Damià, B. (2007). Monitoring Surface Water Pollutants. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry , 387(4): 1423.
Department of Watershed Management. (2017). Water Quality Report 2017 . Retrieved from Fulton County GA. gov: http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/images/stories/WR/water/CCR/Water_Quality_Report_2017.pdf
Fischer, K., Fries, E., Körner, W., Schmalz, C., & Zwiener, C. (2012). New developments in the trace analysis of organic water pollutants. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology , 11-28.
Jovic-Jovicic, Milutinovic-Nikolic, M, Z., Mojovic, Bankovic, Ivanovic-Sasic, . . . Dojcinovic. (2014). Organobentonites as multifunctional adsorbents of organic and inorganic water pollutants. Journal of the Serbian Chemical Societ , 253-263.
Rauh, V. A., Horton, M. K., Miller, R. L., Whyatt, R. M., & Frederica Perera. (2010). Neonatology and the Environment: Impact of Early Exposure to Airborne Environmental Toxicants on Infant and Child Neurodevelopment. Neoreviews , 11:363-369.
Wu, B., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2010). Health Risk from Exposure of Organic Pollutants Through Drinking Water Consumption in Nanjing, China. Bulletin of Encironmental Contamination and Toxicology , 84(1): 46-50.
