Upgrading Security - The Drinking Water - page 255

12
Upgrading Security
You may say Homeland Security is a Y2K problem that doesn't end
January 1 of any given year.
—Governor Tom Ridge
Worldwide conflicts are ongoing and seem never ending. One of the most
important conflicts of our time, including the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, is in fact conflict over scarce but vital water resources. This conflict
over water, unfortunately, may be a harbinger of things to come.
Introduction*
There are approximately 160,000 public water systems (PWSs) in the United
States, each of which regularly supplies drinking water to at least 25 per-
sons or 15 service connections (USEPA, 2004). Of the total U.S. population,
84% is served by PWSs, while the remainder is served primarily by private
wells. PWSs are divided into community water systems (CWSs) and non-
community water systems (NCWSs). Examples of CWSs include municipal
water systems that serve mobile home parks or residential developments,
and examples of NCWSs include schools, factories, churches, commercial
campgrounds, hotels, and restaurants.
DID YoU KNoW?
As of 2003, community water systems served by far the largest propor-
tion of the U.S. population—273 million out of a total population of 290
million (USEPA, 2004).
Because drinking water is consumed directly, health effects associated
with contamination have long been major concerns. In addition, interrup-
tion or cessation of the drinking water supply can disrupt society, impacting
human health and critical activities such as fire protection. Although they
* Much of the information presented in this chapter is adapted from Spellman, F.R., Handbook
of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations , 2nd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2008.
259