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Excerpt from Elevated Living (written by me)
Water is the cradle of life for every animal and plant on Earth;
too often it is regarded as something that could be done away with or replaced. We have reached a point in human history where governments and corporations no longer consider the damage being done to this precious resource.
Concerns Of Water Quality
In August 2015, about 3 million gallons of water waste spilled from the Gold King Mine after contractors were hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to excavate an old mine. The waste was laden with more than 875,000 pounds of Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and other heavy metals and was transported through the Animas and San Juan River system to Lake Powell.
It goes without saying that this was an environmental disaster for all local communities who depended upon this river and its tributaries to drink from. Unfortunately, the river is still contaminated to this day and the water there remains undrinkable.
A reality not yet considered by most Americans is that tap water is not always much better. In Flint, Michigan, the pipes are still so rusted over that many of the children and population suffer from Lead poisoning. Relying on spending an exuberant amount of money on bottled water to do simple everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, or bathing.
This has been the reality for this community since 2014, though it was the year before that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department sent Flint a letter terminating their water service contract. Which led officials to source the local water from areas that have undergone Fracking.
How can a natural resource that so essential to life on this planet be regarded with such carelessness?
Nestle, one of the largest corporations in the world, has not had a permit to collect water in drought-stricken California for over 25 years, yet it still collecting MILLIONS of gallons per year. This bottled water is then sold to Flint, Michigan in order for them to just survive. Is the picture becoming clear to you? Water is the most essential natural resource to humans and it is regarded as a commodity.
Chairman Of Nestle, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Believes That “Access To Water Is Not A Public Right.”
America’s entire water infrastructure is under attack on a daily basis, from the prescriptions drugs flushed into toilets, to spills from mines, or just general disregard of responsibility by government or corporations. It’s treated as a resource that should be private, even though the damage that’s done soon becomes everyone’s problem.
The United States can boast a grade of D+ 5 when it comes to the drinking water infrastructure and quality. Although as a first world country, we should be grateful to have water on command, no human should be forced to rely upon a poor infrastructure or an even worse corporate view of privatization.
So, as a citizen of this country, and in some states bound by water laws that restrict gathering rainwater on private property, what are the options for drinking water that is healthy for you?
Filtration
The first and most obvious solution would be to install some sort of water filtration system for your home. Brands that immediately come to mind are Pur or Britta and their respected filters, although they may filter substances like Lead or other heavy metals, it doesn’t address pollutants like pharmaceuticals or fluoride.6 Fluoride is a common substance found in water, rationalized by the reasoning that it prevents tooth decay, though studies regarding American teeth health have been contradicting. If you were to check the back of your fluoridated toothpaste, it warns to call poison control if ingested. This is the same amount of fluoride that present in a typical glass of tap water.