WaterForum is moderated by Ken Bannister, founder of Groundwater-Digest, and it is currently the world's largest groundwater discussion forum. Ken seeks to broaden current discussions held on Groundwater-Digest to include other areas of interest in the water resources field. A broad range of members from academia, industry, government, and the general public, as well as wide ranging geographic diversity provide an interesting and helpful exchange of information. New membership is valued and your input is welcomed. The following is provided as a overview of contemporary public drinking water conditions in the United States, with the thought that this might serve to encourage the implementation of self-reliant water systems in HASS developments.
Water contamination is a major problem.
The industrial economic magic that feeds prosperity has a dark side. Every minute of every day U.S. commercial, industrial, and agricultural enterprises dispose of over 70 tons of hazardous chemical waste. Despite EPA regulations and all-out clean up efforts, a significant portion of this waste still finds its way into our surface and ground water. The relative TDS requirements for different applications is shown in the following table, which reflects the current water treatment industry standards. TDS is concerned with relatively non-toxic substances, such as salt.