However, because of new federal regulations the water will be purer than ever. There's one catch - improving the quality will probably cause dramatic increases in the price most Texans pay for drinking water. The issues involve questions about human health and safety, environmental regulations, and how much the public is willing to pay. The regulations require increased levels of treatment to guard against bacteria, lead and copper, radioactive substances, manmade chemicals, and other types of contaminants. The SDWA Amendments and the forthcoming EPA regulations have their critics.
Some utilities charge they are too tough and expensive.
Contaminants and cancer-causing chemicals introduced through drinking water make up only a small portion of the total amount of such substances humans are exposed to in a lifetime, they argue. Studies which suggest that large doses of toxic substances cause diseases in bacteria and laboratory animals have been criticized because some say that lower doses in real world conditions may not produce human health problems. It's hard to say. Data on drinking water quality in Texas are sketchy. There have been few instances of contamination by man-made pollutants, although groundwater contamination by uranium has been noted in McCullough, San Saba and Concho counties.