Living in the United States, we’d like to think that our tap water is perfectly safe to drink. Unfortunately, many of the systems that are used to treat and deliver our water are extremely out of date, which is causing all sorts of problems every single day. In order to help you understand how this affects you, today we’re going to talk about our nation’s aging water infrastructure and what you can do to protect your water from possible contamination issues!
Our nation’s aging water infrastructure: the problems
Believe it or not, many of the water systems that are currently used across the country were built over a century ago! As you might expect, this has caused all sorts of problems with the pipes and treatment plants that are supposed to deliver clean and safe water to your home.
Just how big of a problem is our nation’s aging water infrastructure? Every year, there are approximately 240,000 water main breaks across the country. In addition, a significant water line bursts on average every two minutes somewhere in the US. Not only are these water main breaks expensive to repair, but they also allow dangerous pollutants to seep into our drinking water supplies.
The American Water Works Association estimates that the cost to restore our nation’s water infrastructure to acceptable levels will require at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years. This hefty price tag has forced many politicians to continually push the issue aside.
How does our nation’s aging water infrastructure affect you?
As we mentioned above, the water main breaks that are all-too common in the United States allow pollutants to get into our drinking water supplies. According to an article in the New York Times, as many as 20 million people become ill per year due to drinking water that has been contaminated due to water main breaks.
Another problem with our nation’s deteriorating and aging pipes is that pollutants are able to seep into our water supplies after the water has already been to the water treatment plant. When this happens, you have no layer of protection from these pollutants unless you have some sort of water treatment system installed in your home.
Installing a water filtration system will protect your home’s water
Unfortunately, the problems caused by our nation’s aging water infrastructure look to be around for the foreseeable future. So what can you do to keep your water and your family protected? Install a water filtration system in your home!
The whole-house and point-of-use water filtration systems that we offer here at EPA Water will remove the dangerous contaminants that can get into your water. Even if there is a problem with the water systems in the town where you live, a water treatment system will provide you with the peace-of-mind that the water in your home will remain safe.
If you have any questions about our nation’s aging water infrastructure, or if you’d like a water treatment system serviced or installed in your home, contact EPA Water Consultants, your Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey dealer of water treatment systems. We provide service all over Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including towns like Ivyland, Jamison and Jeffersonville, PA.
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