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Old systems
called risk
to water purity
Chicago Tribune
- 6/12
Aging
pipes and outdated treatment plants threaten the nation's drinking
water systems, says an environmental group that reviewed 19 cities.
The
Natural Resources Defense Council also said, however, that in
most cities, drinking-water purity has improved slightly in the
last 15 years and that Chicago earned an "excellent"
rating for water quality and compliance with regulations in 2001.
Erik Olson, author of a report by the council, warned that treatment
plants, many of them using nearly century-old technology, are
not up to the task of cleaning up contaminants. Pipes carrying
water often are old, in some cities dating back more than a century,
Olson said.
In
the water-quality ratings, five cities--Denver, New Orleans, Manchester,
N.H., Baltimore and Detroit--were deemed "good" and
eight were rated "fair." They were Houston, Los Angeles,
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Newark, N.J., San Diego, Seattle and Washington.
While
no city received a failing mark, five were given grades of "poor":
Albuquerque, N.M., Boston, Fresno, Calif., Phoenix and San Francisco.
An
analyst with the National Rural Water Association, which represents
22,000 utilities and communities, took issue with the report.
"There's always been an issue of replacing infrastructure,"
Mike Keegan said, "but now there's more and better infrastructure
in the country" than ever. Compliance with regulations and
standards has been improving, he said.
A
spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency said that the
vast majority of cities meet water-quality standards.
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