Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/634167
Health and Wellness Magazine • 63 How and where is water tested? For the large communities along the Front Range, water is tested "from source to tap," Falco says, typically through a "sophisticated" filtration process that's routinely checked to make sure "those filters are doing the job all the time." Water is tested as it leaves the treatment plant, within the distribution system, and at select taps. Adds Falco: "It's a significant effort." What is it tested for? Drinking water is tested for a "wide range of potential contaminants," including bacteria, organic compounds, nitrate compounds, and metals (such as lead and copper). Chlorine levels are also tested, Falco says, to "ensure that an adequate amount is added to kill or inactivate" bacteria, viruses and parasites that can make people sick. What about home filters? Can using those contribute to water safety? For most of us, "from a health perspective, it's probably not needed," Falco says. If your house has a lead or copper pipe system that's leaching metal into your drinking water and is too costly to replace, a filter could address the situation. But also note, he stresses, that filters should be maintained according to manufacturer guidelines, or they can foster bacteria and cause exactly the kind of illnesses people are trying to avoid. How does Colorado's tap water compare to other states? Much of the Front Range's drinking water comes from snowmelt and high mountain streams. "For most of the folks in the populated areas, Colorado is in tremendous shape," Falco says. "But even for folks who live around mines or farming areas, their water supplies are often selected from other streams or sources that aren't impacted by those kinds of contamination." What are Colorado's water safety concerns? Falco says there are a "few spots" in the state where nitrates and naturally occurring radio-nuclides — radium and uranium — are a concern. People who live in those communities get public notices from their water providers, and many use alternate sources, such as private wells or bottled water. Does all tap water contain fluoride? In Denver, yes. Despite some opposition, Denver's water board voted in late August to continue adding fluoride, long used to reduce tooth decay, to the drinking water of its 1.3 million customers. Elsewhere it depends. "That's a local decision," Falco says, adding that some water supplies have naturally occurring levels of fluoride and therefore don't need augmentation. (To find out if fluoride is added to your drinking water, contact your provider.) How do private well owners address water-safety concerns? Falco recommends that people with wells have their water tested annually, as well as after any "natural event like a fire or flood." There are many online resources for private well owners. Falco recommends: wellowner.org. Wouldn't it just be safer to drink bottled water? For most of us, Falco says, our tap water meets the Safe Drinking Water Act standards. "It's interesting to me that so many folks still consume bottled water. It's hard for me to know what kind of health-based rationale there would be for selecting (bottled water)." Taste is another thing entirely: "Some people just prefer that taste." Are there other concerns about bottled water? Drinking bottled water raises a significant number of energy and waste concerns (see "Quick Facts" sidebar) and brings with it the cost factor. "It varies, but if you compare the cost of tap water vs. bottled water, it's an incredible difference." Most estimates put the cost of bottled water at 300 to 2,000 times the cost of tap water. What if people want to know more about water? By July 1 each year, Coloradoans should receive a consumer- confidence or drinking-water-quality report from their local water supplier. (For more information, contact your water provider, listed at water.epa.gov/drink/local.) Ron Falco, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment The practice of community water fluoridation started in 1945 in Michigan, after data showed a 60-percent decrease in decayed, missing or filled teeth. Some water sources are naturally fluoridated. IS YOUR WATER FLUORIDATED? Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "My Water's Fluoride" page, which includes data on many communities in Colorado. If not listed, call your water provider. QUICK FACTS • Bottled water costs up to 2,000 times the price of tap water. • Not all bottled water contains fluoride, which helps prevent tooth decay, especially in children. • It's estimated that as much as 50 percent of all bottled water is actually tap water. • Americans buy enough bottled water to lasso the globe an estimated five times. More than 75 percent are not recycled. Source: Scientific American