Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the treatment systems continues to be a concern. For the threat of lead, what is
required is a chemically sound lead sampling protocol and an appropriate maximum
contamination level (MCL) set as a regulation. It would also help if there was a
systematic plan to eliminate all lead pipes and
xtures.
Most developed countries have strong regulations against the presence of
pathogens and once lead is eliminated, the next frontier in water quality will be the
elimination of chemical contaminants such as pesticides (e.g. atrazine), herbicides,
pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. This is a problem when the source
water comes from multi-use watersheds like the Great (North American) Lakes.
Europe has made more progress; most European jurisdictions have moved away
from surface water as a source and switched to groundwater, which by itself is a
natural form of
; groundwater is often free of contaminants except
where there are known contaminants, such as iron and manganese.
It could be argued that smaller countries like Denmark and the Netherlands can
afford to be aggressive in assuring better quality of water. For that reason we have
chosen Germany as a case study of what can be done to improve drinking water
quality by avoiding some of the long-term risks. Germany has a population of 82.6
million (in 2014). It offers some important lessons both for North America and for
the developing world on how water supply could and should be managed.
I hope that the coverage of these important topics in the delivery of clean water
will stimulate discussion on what can be learned from Germany to help improve
drinking water quality everywhere, including the developing countries. Thus, the
topic is oriented toward
“
treatment
”
filling the knowledge gap and showing the potential for
improvement. As such it is likely to be of interest to water system owners, man-
agers, water engineering consultants, and regulators all over the world. The com-
parative dimension may also appeal to some readers, to see how some jurisdictions
manage their water supply as a public service producing a product essential to life.
References
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Dore M, Simcisko P (2013) Projecting future climate scenarios for Canada using general
circulation models: an integrated review. In: Younos T, Grady C (eds) Climate change and
water resources. Springer, Berlin, pp 3
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27
Dore M, Singh R (2013) Projected future precipitation scenarios for a small island state: the case of
mauritius. In: Younos T, Grady C (eds) Climate change and water resources. Springer, Berlin,
pp 47
66
EU, Council of the European Union (2007) Energy efficiency and renewable energies. Presidency
conclusions of the Brussels European council (8/9 March 2007). EU, Brussels, pp 20
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22
ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) (2008) Climate
icrisat.org/Media/2007/media14.htm
.
Accessed 29 May 2014
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