TOXIC CHEMICALS AND DRINKING WATER

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SEAWATER ENCROACHMENT. When ground water is removed faster than it can be naturally replaced in coastal areas, salt water sometimes enters the water table. This problem has already occurred at many sites along the Atlantic coast I and is likely to become more common in other areas.

PIPELINES AND STORAGE TANKS. Deteriorated or damaged gas and oil supply lines, and leaky storage tanks, can result in the entrance of large quantities of petroleum products into ground water. (Some of the most notorious cases have involved old, rusted-out tanks at filling stations.)

HIGHWAY SALT: Storage piles for the salt that is used to melt ice in northern states have been cited, as sources of the excessive sodium found in some private wells. Furthermore, the use of such salt on the highways is a widespread, though less concentrated, cause of water contamination.

MINING: Surface and ground-water supplies can become contaminated through mining activities. Stories of the acidification of streams in Appalachia are now legion, and underground mining has caused some serious ground-water pollution.

IS YOUR WATER POLLUTED?

The traditional tests for water safety include measuring bacteria (such as the familiar coliform indicator) ... and sometimes hardness, total suspended solids, and nitrates. Most of the people we've talked with have found that their local health inspectors are unable to go beyond such rudimentary tests ... and when you find out what it costs to check for just the most common toxic elements and chemicals, you'll understand why. For example, to have samples examined for just the 16 substances included in the EPA's Interim Safe Drinking Water Standards costs at least $500, and testing for basic volatile organic chemicals runs a minimum of several hundred dollars more.

As you can see, then, it's not too practical to have your drinking supply examined for every potential contaminant. Instead, the best approach is probably to attempt to determine what could be polluting your water (the sources listed above are likely worth checking out). At that point, if you have reason to believe that a particular contaminant could be present, you might be able to persuade your neighbors that it would be worthwhile to chip in toward a $50-$200 test for that single substance.

CAN YOU TREAT YOUR OWN?

Methods are available for removing many pollutants from drinking water, but the technology used must be suited to the specific problem you're trying to solve. Aeration, granulated activated carbon (GAC), and reverse osmosis (see MOTHER NOS. 61, 62, and 63 for detailed information on home-scale water treatment) are all techniques currently recognized by the EPA to be effective against some of the chemicals listed under the Interim Regulations and the Suggested No Adverse Response Levels (see the accompanying chart). In many cases, however, there is no generally accepted treatment method (that frequently mentioned chemical trichloroethylene is an example of a substance that can't presently be removed).

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