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A review by brandonpytel
Troubled Water: What's Wrong with What We Drink by Seth M. Siegel
4.0
In his second book, Siegel explores drinking water in the U.S. and the surprising lack of regulation of the industry. In the wake of environmental disasters linked to water – Parkersburg, Flint, Newark, Hoosick Falls (where the book starts) – Siegel dives into how we got into these messes, how regulatory agencies and politicians failed us, and how we ended up with dangerous drinking water linked to cancer and other health problems.
Part of the root of the problem is the lack of regulatory oversight. The EPA only regulates 90 contaminants, which is far too little compared to the thousands of chemicals being produced (and more being produced each year). The sheer number of plastic water bottles seems to indicate a general distrust of municipal drinking water utilities, which drives other problems like plastic pollution, argued Siegel.
Going over the history of regulatory drinking water oversight and legislation in the U.S., combined with the history of lead pipes in America’s infrastructure and the inefficiency of tens of thousands of water utilities, Siegel details the steps that led to this mess and how governments, municipalities and private utilities all ended up playing different (often inefficient) roles in delivery safe drinking water to citizens.
Meanwhile, this inefficiency of the system is seen in the problems that arrive in cities — from microplastics to new chemicals to lead to pharmaceuticals, all of which enter our water and aren’t responded to until after the effects have shown up in populations.
Overall, Siegel argues for a more proactive response to drinking water contaminants, rooted in more testing. But it’s an uphill battle. For such a big environmental issue, drinking water has a surprisingly small number of advocates or advocacy organizations. Mindsets need to be changed, solutions like reusing wastewater need to be explored, and water utilities need to be consolidated. Only then can we all be guaranteed contaminant-free water that is safe to drink.
Part of the root of the problem is the lack of regulatory oversight. The EPA only regulates 90 contaminants, which is far too little compared to the thousands of chemicals being produced (and more being produced each year). The sheer number of plastic water bottles seems to indicate a general distrust of municipal drinking water utilities, which drives other problems like plastic pollution, argued Siegel.
Going over the history of regulatory drinking water oversight and legislation in the U.S., combined with the history of lead pipes in America’s infrastructure and the inefficiency of tens of thousands of water utilities, Siegel details the steps that led to this mess and how governments, municipalities and private utilities all ended up playing different (often inefficient) roles in delivery safe drinking water to citizens.
Meanwhile, this inefficiency of the system is seen in the problems that arrive in cities — from microplastics to new chemicals to lead to pharmaceuticals, all of which enter our water and aren’t responded to until after the effects have shown up in populations.
Overall, Siegel argues for a more proactive response to drinking water contaminants, rooted in more testing. But it’s an uphill battle. For such a big environmental issue, drinking water has a surprisingly small number of advocates or advocacy organizations. Mindsets need to be changed, solutions like reusing wastewater need to be explored, and water utilities need to be consolidated. Only then can we all be guaranteed contaminant-free water that is safe to drink.