Water is abundant in central Illinois, so we think about
it frequently. We appreciate the fact
that it is plentiful, unless it is flooding our basements, overflowing the
banks of the Illinois River or its tributaries, or surfacing through the ground
due to a water main break. We enjoy boating in it, catching fish from it,
swimming through it (even polar dives), ice skating on it, enjoying a cool
glass of it, and are pleased it can be used to transport products efficiently
to and from our area. Since water makes up nearly 70% of our body weight, 80%
of our brain tissue, and 71% of our Earth’s surface (only 3.5% of that is
freshwater), it is important that we keep water at the top of our mind.
The subject of water quality has gained significant
attention recently – both nationally and locally – which reminds us not to take
this natural resource for granted.
Water Quality Failure Example
The Flint, Michigan water quality issue involving
elevated lead levels in their drinking water certainly raised our awareness of
potential water quality issues that could impact our health. With improved treatment
technologies and high-tech water sampling and analysis techniques, we would
think these types of danger would be limited to our history books. Numerous
regulations have been instituted to protect both our drinking and surface
waters, but there are still opportunities where these safeguards can fail, as
is the case with Flint’s water system.
