Yep, I happen to reside in a section of North America that, most days, has plenty of moisture. In fact, it's storming outside as I speak. By simply visiting the USGS website (http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/) I can verify this fact any time I like. Sounds pretty good, especially if you consider the areas of the USA that live in water stress, designated in red, of course, on the USGS map. Huh, I'm in a blue state for more than one reason—- pretty cool.
Speaking of blue state, or blue-type thinking, I'm glad that our president and congress were able to get something, albeit a two-run single rather than a grand slam, passed beyond the partisan blame-blathering and fear promotion. In this regard, both sides can own some responsibility. Yet, my personal perspective focuses on a simple truth lingering beneath the radar, and continues, relatively speaking, to receive scant attention: our water delivery infrastructure is beaten down, and the quality / safety of the hydration it provides is possibly a source of significant revenues to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Why? Read on...
I strongly suggest reading an ongoing feature in The New York Times called "Toxic Waters," authored by Charles Duhigg. Here's a fun fact derived from a recent article:
About 117 million Americans get their drinking water from sources fed by waters that are vulnerable to exclusion from the Clean Water Act, according to E.P.A. reports.
Here is a link to full article: http://www.nytimes.com/...
With minimal thought, research and connecting not-obscure dots, it is obvious our country's wellness deserves higher positioning on the scale of "national issues" than is currently afforded. I took a quick look for U.S. budget numbers, and it's plain frightening:
EPA budget is $10.5 billion, while DoD is $680 billion.
Now consider additional numbers reflective of the above budgets:
Cumulatively, over 5,400 American military casualties, and nearly 37,000 wounded in our current wars. And what of the untold numbers of dead and wounded citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan?
Now, here within our borders, approximately one-third of our citizenry is at risk of long term health problems due to poor monitoring of our water works, and the public companies responsible for delivering safe water to us.
My humble opinion, we are both the cause and the solution to this silent problem. Of greater concern, we the people are possibly being distracted from a harsh truth, and it is at our great peril for this to continue.