2008 Woodie Awards
What are you putting in your mouth?
Contaminants creep into water supply, tap water is safer than bottled, experts say
Darlene Wagner, Reporter
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: News
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Bottled water actually comes from tap, said Tom Holloway, chief engineer at the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct specific tests on drinking water.
"Tap water is safer than bottled water because the Food and Drug Administration oversees their process, and they do not have as stringent testing requirements," he said.
Bottled water poses another concern. Holloway said some chemical plastics break down and leak into bottled water when it is exposed to heat for a long period of time.
As for other contaminants, The Associated Press concluded in March that 40 percent of the nation's water supply contains traces of pharmaceutical drugs, both prescription and nonprescription.
Holloway explained that contaminants are introduced to the water supply as runoff when oils, pesticides and sewage leak into our water supply from the pavement and soil.
Holloway said when it comes to tap versus bottled, convenient does not always mean safe. He said the water from the Meander Reservoir is tested and treated daily with chlorine to kill viruses and bacteria before anyone drinks it.
Dan Sahli, director of environmental and occupational health and safety at YSU, said the water on campus is very safe.
"We depend on the test results from the Youngstown Water Department," said Sahli.
Sahli said samples of campus tap water are taken and tested on a complaint basis.
"We test for lead or bacteria," he said, adding that there have not been any complaints regarding the water supply on campus for several years.
Martin Scott, professor and chair of Civil/Environmental and Chemical Engineering
and Lauren Schroeder, professor emeritus of biological studies, have conducted test on water samples at the reservoir and concluded that the water supply is safe. The two are currently conducting studies to identify micro-organisms and analyze algae and sediments.
According to Dr. Scott, we have one of the best watersheds. The concentration level of prescription drugs in our water supply is very "tiny."
"We are lucky in this area because we are not downstream from any sewage treatment plants," he said.
Eugene Leson, the city water department's chief engineer, said our water is very safe.
"I'm confident it is very safe. For me, drinking bottled water is a preference, however, I do drink tap. City water has more entitled requirements and is tested more thoroughly than bottled water," he said.
According to the city of Youngstown's Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report for 2006, the MVSD treats approximately 26 million gallons of water per day. Treatment includes chemical additions for softening, disinfection, fluoridation, taste and odor control, filtration, mixing, settling and pumping.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Leslie Brown
posted 4/09/08 @ 6:11 PM EST
I had the water line replaced to my house on the North Side of Youngstown last Fall, and the plumber who was doing the work told me that the water pipe under the road that connects to my house's water line is lead and it's like that all over the North Side. (Continued…)
Pure Water
posted 4/10/08 @ 6:47 AM EST
Saying that bottled water is tap water is like saying that human beings are white. But there are humans that are not white. There is a bottled water that is not called spring water. (Continued…)
Pure Water
posted 4/10/08 @ 6:52 AM EST
People can buy water distillers and water purifiers and store the water in glass bottles. Just because people do not know about something does not mean that is does not exist. (Continued…)
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