12-16-09 interesting water tect news

Las Vegas’ drinking water among worst in nation	<<>
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
LAS VEGAS – The water provided by the Las Vegas Valley Water District ranked 98th out of 100 cities studied, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Riverside, California and Pensacola, Florida were the only two cities to rank below Las Vegas, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group, based in Washington, D.C. Las Vegas’ drinking water contains trace amounts of 30 different chemicals, including arsenic, bromate, lead and radon, the article noted. According to the story, although the water delivered to 1.3 million valley residents contains a “chemical cocktail” of regulated and unregulated substances, it does meet all federal safety standards. “This water is considered legal and safe, and that’s because we consider all these chemicals individually,” said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of policy for the group. “Over the long haul, it raises serious questions about the quality of the water if you're going to be drinking it over a lifetime.” The environmental watchdog group spent the last three years compiling an online database of water quality reports and sampling data from 48,000 communities across the United States, the article noted. The water utilities of Arlington, Texas, Providence, Rhode Island and Fort Worth, Texas were ranked the highest. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.