Policy Solutions

All Policy Documents Tagged drinking water

Atrazine: Poisoning the Well
How the EPA is Ignoring Atrazine Contamination in the Central United States

Report

In a new report, NRDC brings together for the first time the results of surface water and drinking water monitoring required by the U.S. EPA to create a more comprehensive analysis of atrazine pollution across the Midwestern and Southern United States. We found that the U.S. EPA's inadequate monitoring systems and weak regulations have compounded the problem, allowing levels of atrazine in watersheds and drinking water to peak at extremely high concentrations.

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.

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This June 2003 NRDC study of drinking water quality in 19 U.S. cities finds that pollution and deteriorating, out-of-date plumbing are sometimes delivering drinking water that might pose health risks to some residents -- and unless steps are taken now, tap water will get worse.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 three problem areas -- 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.

Arsenic and Old Laws
A Scientific and Public Health Analysis of Arsenic Occurrence in Drinking Water, Its Health Effects, and EPA's Outdated Arsenic Tap Water Standard.

Report

A scientific and public health analysis of arsenic occurrence in drinking water, its health effects, and EPA's outdated arsenic tap water standard. A report analyzing data collected by water systems in 25 states between 1980 and 1998 and compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The study finds that millions of Americans drink tap water from systems that have been shown to contain arsenic, a known toxin and carcinogen, at average levels that pose unacceptable cancer risks.

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.