An Assessment of Water Quality in the Houston Main Water System

1 06-07-2020 Water Quality Houston, Texas The water supply for Houston, Texas is obtained from a total of six public water systems, the Houston main system, Willowchase, Kingwood Utility District 5, District 82, District 73, and Belleauwoods. This essay will focus on the quality of the Houston main water system, which supplies the majority of the city and the highest amount of average produced daily water. With an average of 453.7 million gallons of water produced every day and approximately 2.2 million people served, the Houston main water system is a vital part for the citizens of the city (Houston public works, 2018). The water for this system is obtained from 104 wells that tap into the groundwater and from surface water sources, which include the San Jacinto river and the Trinity river. The overall quality of the water in the city of Houston is excellent but the water quality report from 2018 also shows some problems with low level contamination of the drinking water supplied to households across the city at times. While most water contaminants were within the allowed limits as set by the EPA, the quality report showed periods of elevated levels over the allowed amount for some contaminants, including arsenic, aluminum, and lead (Houston public works, 2018). These contaminants were not permanently elevated but were sometimes detected at levels that were too high. The problem with these elevated levels is that these substances can potentially harm humans and animals that consume the water and are exposed to higher than recommended amounts. For example, high doses of arsenic can cause nausea and vomiting, cancer, skin damage, and circulatory problems 2 (CDC, 2017). It is not known if ingestion of higher levels Aluminum through drinking water is harmful to human health, but it is believed that it may cause Alzheimer’s disease, however, further studies have to be conducted (ATSDR, 2015). Lead is probably the most problematic contaminant, because there is no safe blood level of lead and it can cause health problems even if ingested in small amounts. For this reason, the EPA has set the standard for lead contamination in drinking water at zero and even a low-level contamination can be problematic (EPA, 2019). Lead, if ingested can cause kidney damage, blood disorders, problems with the nervous system, and even coma or death (CDC, 2013). There are different ways these contaminants access the water sources throughout the city. Point source pollution is one major issue in the city of Houston due to the countless petroleum refineries and chemical plants along the coastline and other bodies of water. There are strict regulations to how the water used in these facilities must be treated, but accidents or malfunctions happen and can cause the contaminants to seep into the surrounding waters. Another problem is the release of harmful particles into the air, through burning processes, etc. that then travel into the water through rainfall. Houston is also at risk for non-point source pollution of the water due to its geographical location. Sitting right on the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is vulnerable to severe storms and hurricanes that can cause damage to refineries or push sewer water into the surface water sources and pollute it with harmful material, such as fecal matter and other wastewater contaminants. This has been a problem in the past. There are several water management practices the city of Houston engages in to minimize water pollution. To prevent contaminated water from refineries and plants to enter the drinking water sources, the facilities have strict guidelines as to how water has to be treated before it can be discharged into the environment. The water is treated in a three-part process that 3 ensures the removal of contaminants from the water and further filtration for safe water discharge (IPIECA, 2020). There are also facilities that have implemented a zero water discharge program in which water is reused and recycled and it prevents any contaminated water to enter the environment (Barrington, Prior & Ho, 2013). Houston is also restoring its sewer system to prevent the spill of wastewater into drinking water sources and treatment plans. This action is a result of a lawsuit that was filed by the EPA against the city of Houston after a storm caused wastewater to surge into a treatment plant and led untreated solids to mix with treated water (Walton, 2019). The restoration of the sewer system is to ensure that wastewater cannot enter drinking water sources in the future and prepare the city better for severe weather events that always pose a risk for water contamination. Another management practice is to protect the source water on a daily basis. The city is monitoring and assessing the water quality of the drinking water sources and enforces programs that reduce the pollution and contamination of these water sources. These programs ensure clean water which potentially cuts down on the necessity of further supplementary treatment of the water before it is supplied to the households across the city. Early detection of contamination is important for faster and less extensive treatment which can also cut costs (Houston public works, 2020). All these steps are important to ensure the health of the citizens across the city and provide clean drinking water that is ready to use. But it also shows, that even with the most sophisticated technology and the strictest rules, contaminants can still enter and contaminate the drinking water sources. Water quality monitoring is the most important tool to detect contamination early and initiate proper treatment of the water supply in case of contamination. It is also important to alert the public of potential dangers and release information of steps to take to protect the health and safety of the people.