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Understanding US Water Legislation & Effects of Bottled Water

Learn about US water laws and the environmental impacts of bottled water. Discover the Clean Water Act goals, successes, and impact on drinking water quality. Explore the debate on whether bottled water is a solution. Study for upcoming unit test.

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Understanding US Water Legislation & Effects of Bottled Water

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  1. Objective: SWBAT identify the goals of US water legislation and articulate the environmental impacts of bottled water. Do Now: Define estuary and identify three characteristics that make it a productive ecosystem. Agenda: • Ch. 20 Quiz • Water Laws • Is Bottled Water the Answer? Life’s Work: Study for Unit Test next Tuesday (11/19) Thursday 11/14/13 Week at a Glance:

  2. U.S. Clean Water Act of 1972, 1977 Water Legislation • Sets standards for allowed levels of 100 key pollutants and requires polluters to get permits that limit how much of these various pollutants they can discharge Has two basic goals: • To eliminate the discharge of pollutants in U.S. waterways • To attain water quality levels that make these waterways safe for fishing and swimming

  3. Successes of the Clean Water Act • Percentage of Americans served by community water systems that met federal health standards went from 79% to 94% • Percentage of US streams found to be fishable and swimmable went from 36% to 60% • Percentage of US population served by sewage treatment plants went from 32% to 74% • Annual wetland loss decreased by 80% 1972 to 2002

  4. Water Legislation • The U.N. estimates that 5.6 million Americans drink water that does not meet EPA standards. • 1 in 5 Americans drinks water from a treatment plant that violated one or more safety standard. Using Laws to Protect Drinking Water

  5. Water Legislation • Requires the EPA to establish national drinking water standards (maximum contaminant levels) for any pollutants that may have adverse effects on human health • Currently limits levels of 91 pollutants or contaminants in U.S. tap water • Many health scientists call for strengthening the Act, but water-polluting industries are calling to weaken it U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

  6. Is Bottled Water the Answer? • The US has some of the world’s cleanest drinking water, but half of all Americans are afraid to drink tap water • In 2009, Americans spent $11 billion to buy billions of plastic water bottles • Bottled water costs between 240 and 10,000 times as much as tap water, and it uses between 100 and 2,000 times more energy • More than 40% of the expensive bottled water that Americans drink is just bottled tap water • Each year, the number of bottles thrown away, if put end to end, would circle the Earth’s equator 8 times Tapped Out

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