The EPA, in fact, is required by law to preserve trade secrets revealed in paperwork that chemical companies submit to the government. So some perils of chemicals in the water supply may never be known. The good news is that from a practical perspective, the technology does exist to give every American cleaner water, as is the case in Europe, where regulations of pesticides and chlorine usage are much tighter. But that's in the future, of course. F or now, many American politicians and water experts believe taxpayers are not willing to pay for better water treatment.
Some experts privately say that the nation's water system is about as good as it can be.
They say no voters ever clamor for better water, but that some communities do angrily protest EPA regulations. But those organizations are hopelessly outmaneuvered both by some 60,000 community water systems nationwide and by industry lobbying groups, all of which quietly lobby for looser rules.