Thinking About Technology During Drinking Water Week

By Katie Henderson

This week is national Drinking WaterWeek, and it�s a good time tohighlight drinking water technology, acritical component to safe drinking waterin the United States.

A few years ago, my husband and I wentcamping in Montana. My husband likes tofind ingenious gadgets and gear foroutdoor recreation. Right before the trip hehad bought a portable water sterilizationgadget that uses ultraviolet (UV) light topurify water. We decided to give it a tryduring our hike. I have to admit, it seemeda little like science fiction! Of course, this little gadget only had to treat a liter of water. The averageAmerican household uses about 1100 liters of water every day. Public water systems must meetnearly 100 different standards to deliver safe water using a variety of technologies, including UVtreatment.

I continue to marvel at theimprovement of water technology overthe last century. Public health expertssay that water technologyimprovements � like chlorinetreatment and filtration � aresome of the most important publichealth innovations of the last century.One hundred years ago, waterbornediseases like typhoid, cholera, anddysentery were much more common.They are very rare in the U.S. todaythanks, in a large part, to drinkingwater technology.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which requires EPA toestablish national standards for drinking water quality and treatment for all public water systems.Public water systems must comply with SDWA as they treat and monitor your water, maintain thesystem�s infrastructure and equipment, and keep consumers informed. The little UV gadgetwe used on our camping trip is a tiny version of the sophisticated processes involved in deliveringyour drinking water.

About the author: Katie Henderson is an ORISE Participant in the Drinking Water ProtectionDivision of the Office of Water. She received her Master�s degree from Utah State University,where she wrote her thesis on water infrastructure challenges in the west. She likes to travel, bakecookies, and promote environmental justice.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed inGreenversations are those of the author.They do not reflect EPA policy,endorsement, or action, and EPA does notverify the accuracy or science of thecontents of the blog.

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