Environmental Issues: Water

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All Documents in Water Tagged drinking water

California Water: Is Your City Planning for the Future?
Overview

Is our water clean enough for our children to drink? Does it contain fertilizers or other dangerous chemicals? What if someday we turned on the tap and nothing came out? Some sources of California water are safe and sustainable. Some create significant health and environmental challenges.

Hydraulic Fracturing Can Potentially Contaminate Drinking Water Sources
Fact Sheet

Communities across the country are concerned about the risks that oil and gas production using fracking poses to drinking water sources, and scientists and environmentalists are increasingly concerned about groundwater and surface water contamination that may be associated directly or indirectly with fracking. NRDC opposes expanded fracking until effective safeguards are in place.

Clean Water Saves Lives
Fact Sheet

Every day in the United States, most people walk a few feet to a clean and private bathroom, and turn on the tap: a flow of fresh, clean drinking water gushes out. At the same time, there are women and girls all around the globe who are not as fortunate. Women and girls are often responsible for collecting water for their families, a task that takes hours each day and can limit time for other things, such as school. Instead of turning on the tap, they have to make a dangerous trek of more than three and a half miles, on average, to gather water for their families. The water they collect, while desperately needed, is not always clean or safe for human consumption. When they need to use the bathroom, they often retreat to the forest or bush because there is no toilet available, which then contaminates the very water they are drinking. Get document in pdf.

Clearing the Waters
From the Chesapeake to California, NRDC is fighting to restore America’s threatened waterways
Overview

The United States has made significant progress cleaning up the nation's waterways since Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, but much more remains to be done. Although some of the most obvious signs of contamination have disappeared, other sources of pollution persist, and water resources are frequently overtaxed, particularly in the West.

21st Century Water Planning: The Importance of a Coordinated Approach
Testimony

Testimony of Nancy K. Stoner, co-director of NRDC's water program before the House Science Committee, March 4, 2009. Get document in pdf.

Arsenic in Drinking Water
FAQ

Answers to questions including: How can I find out whether my drinking water contains arsenic? Can I buy a filter that will remove arsenic from my water? I drink bottled water -- do I have to worry about arsenic?

Bottled Water
FAQ

Answers to questions including: Is bottled water safer than tap water? How can I find out where my bottled water comes from? If I drink tap water should I use a filter and what types of filters are most effective?

Consumer Guide to Water Filters
How to find the right water filter for your home.
Guide

Some filters aim to produce clearer, better-tasting water, while others work to remove contaminants that could affect your health. This guide will help you determine what type of filter might be right for your home.

Tap Water Quality and Safety
Questions and answers based on NRDC's report grading the quality of drinking water in U.S. cities.
FAQ

Answers to questions including: How can I find out about the quality of my tap water? What can I do to protect the drinking water in my town? What filter will best protect my family from getting sick?

What's On Tap?
Grading Drinking Water in U.S. Cities
Report

This June 2003 NRDC study of drinking water quality in 19 U.S. cities finds that pollution and deteriorating, outdated plumbing are sometimes delivering drinking water that might pose health risks to some residents, and unless steps are taken now, tap water will get worse. The report issues grades to each municipal water system studied in water quality and compliance, source water protection, and right-to-know compliance, and outlines a plan for protecting the nation's drinking water supply.

Bottled Water
Pure Drink or Pure Hype?
Report

A petition to the FDA and attached report on the results of NRDC's four-year study of the bottled water industry, including its bacterial and chemical contamination problems. The petition and report find major gaps in bottled water regulation and conclude that bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap water.

Summary Findings of NRDC's 1999 Bottled Water Report
While bottled water marketing conveys images of purity, inadequate regulations offer no assurance.
News

Sales of bottled water have exploded in recent years, largely because of a public perception of purity. But bottled water sold in the United States is not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water, according to an NRDC study. There are actions that those who are particularly concerned about the quality of their tap water can take.

Under Attack: New York's Kensico and West Branch Reservoirs Confront Intensified Development
Report

A report finding that encroaching development and inadequate protection by city and state officials threaten New York City's two most important reservoirs.

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