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Think Before You Drink Your City Water
STEPHANIE SABEERIN
As a small island, water is accessible to all New York City residents as a means for drinking,
cooking, showering, and leisure activities such as swimming and fishing. The state has worked
diligently to make New York less polluted and cleaner, especially in regards to our drinking
water, which is known as one of the cleanest water supply systems in the nation. However,
attention needs to be paid to what methodology is being used to maintain this reputation and the
impact that in can have on our health. Crystal-clear water that is chemical, metal, and bacteria-
free is utopian, but the government has implemented programs that aspire to bring New York
water a little closer. The question that remains is whether these programs—the chemicals used
and the water pipelines itself—will have any residual effects on residents.
New York receives over one billion gallons of water a day from 19 reservoirs and three
controlled lakes located in the Catskills and Croton area. The New York City 2013 Drinking
Water Supply and Quality Report thoroughly explains how the government maintains such clean
and high-quality water for its residents. The government initiated a 10-year Filtration Avoidance
Determination program (10-year FAD) that works to reduce the pollution of water through
watershed protection. There is an Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility in Westchester County that
disinfects up to 2.4 billion gallons of water a day through the utilization of 56 disinfection units
that filtrate 40-million gallons per day, as outlined in the New York City 2013 Drinking Water
Supply and Quality Report.
The report also highlights that the water from the Catskills, Delaware is not filtrated because it is
not required or necessary through the use of watershed. However, the water is disinfected using
chemicals like chlorine, ultraviolet light, phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, and fluoride.
Chlorine and ultraviolet light are used to prevent microbial risks; phosphoric acid reduces the
amount of metal and lead that can contaminate the water by creating a protective film on pipes;
sodium hydroxide reduces lead exposure due to corrosively, too, and raises the pH level. Lastly,
fluoride promotes dental health protection.
Although the chemicals used to disinfect the water that runs through pipes does have its benefits.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that these chemicals, as well as many others have
damaging effects. “Water on Tap, What You Need to Know” provides a full list of water
contaminants, ranging from acrylamide to xylenes, and the potential damage they can have on
the human body. The specific chemicals found in water will differ based on the type of
environment: Agricultural communities are more prone to Methoxychlor, while industrial
communities will find an abundance of Trichloroethane. New York, because of the vast and aged
grid of piping that runs below the city, is more susceptible to metals like copper and lead.
Additionally, the chemicals used as disinfectants—fluoride and chlorine—have negative
impacts, too.

“Water on Tap, What You need to know and general information on EPA.gov describes the
damage these chemicals can do and how they make their way into the water supply. Chlorine
and fluoride are additives that our government uses to control microbes and promote strong
teeth. However, the long-term effects of these two additives include eye and nose irritation,
stomach discomfort, and bone disease. Chlorine dioxide is a similar additive to chlorine used to
reduce the risk of microbe contamination, but effects infants specifically who can become
anemic and experience nervous system defects. Copper and lead contaminations are also outlined
in the report. Each are a direct result of the corrosion of plumbing systems. Copper can have
short-term effects like gastrointestinal problems, but long-term exposure results in liver or
kidney damage. Lead can also lead to kidney problems and high blood pressure for adults, while
delaying the development of children and infants mentally and physically, leading to deficits in
their ability to learn and pay attention.
New York State has tried to install procedures to reduce contaminants that enter into the water on
its pathway from the reservoirs to a household. Initially, water that leaves the Catskills is lead-
free, but this does not mean that the water in your morning water bottle is lead free. In
“Important information about lead in your drinking water” an article posted on the Department of
Environmental Protection’s website, it states that “Although regulations have been put in place to
reduce the lead in plumbing, your residence may still contain plumbing and fixtures with lead
content if they were installed before these rules came into effect.”
In a separate article posted on the Department of Environmental Protection’s website, “Helpful
tips on reducing your potential exposure to lead in your drinking water”, residents are advised on
what they can do to reduce the level of contaminants in their water from pipes and corrosion. The
easiest tip is to run tap water for 30 seconds prior to using it. When water is settled in pipes for
an hour and not used, lead makes its way into the water, which is why you will find higher
concentrations of lead when you wake up in the morning and brush your teeth, or when you take
a shower when you get home from work. Additionally, faucet strainers need to be soaked and
cleaned because lead can build up in them. Lastly, try to avoid using hot water from the faucet,
especially for baby formula or cooking: lead dissolves quicker in hot water.
Some parts of New York use pipes that are older than other areas, which has a drastic impact on
the amount of copper and lead that can make its way to your household water supply from
corrosion. The best thing to do is ask, get informed, and test your own water. Residents can call
311 and request a water testing kid. Ideally, you should test your water first thing in the morning
to see how much lead is contaminating your pipes overnight and test after a cold shower to
determine how clean water is once you’ve let the water run for over 30 seconds to reduce
contamination. These are simple steps you can take to avoid high levels of contamination. The
government is also working to reduce these risks. However, any change made, like adding
chemicals as disinfectants, will have a result on our health, sometimes negative. The objective is
to be aware, be informed, and take actions that will increase residents’ healthy living.

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Think Before You Drink Your City Water

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