Environmental issue - Research Paper Example

EPA is also responsible for introducing water quality standards against which water containments can be measured and its use can be regarded as admissible. According to the statistics provided by EPA, there are more than 160, 000 public water systems that are responsible for providing drinking water to American users (EPA n.p). However, the question arises if this law and its clauses are strict enough to prevent and control contamination of drinking water through nature and man-made resources.

One of the major reasons behind drinking water contamination is hydraulic fracturing (Tiemann and Vann 38). Although hydraulic functioning is admissible by many states due to increasing requirement of energy sources however environmental agencies and NGOs have been raising their concerns about effects of drilling and fracturing methods on the nearby water supplies. Along with increasing consumers’ complaints, there have been number of studies that have supported the findings related to negative impacts of hydraulic fracturing over drinking water.

Tiemann and Vann further assert that EPA is responsible for safety of drinking water; therefore it should also be given authority over natural fuels extraction methods. Conflicts between two federal bodies will only result in delays in procedures required for protection of drinking water supply. . Another reason shared by Duhigg (n.p) behind drinking water contamination is dumping of industrial waste in drinking water reservoirs. However, states do not have the authority to levy any fines or punishments on these industrial units.

Hence, suitable authority given to state government is fairly important if EPA and American Federal government wish to secure the drinking water supply (ECOIssues n.p). In addition to that, water contamination is higher due to use of fertilizers and dumping of animal feces in the farms especially in the states where farming is a main source of income. SDWA does not apply to private water suppliers however research of EPA has found strong level of contamination in bottled water supply as well (Duhigg n.p). Another major issue that has lead to low prevention of drinking water contamination is limited authority of EPA on protection of underground resources.

Where pumping of environmental CO2 into ground has been projected as a viable solution for green houses gases emission and depletion of ozone, there are no major researches that can provide a final verdict over impact of such gas pumping in the ground and its related impact on quality of drinking water (“Selected Regulatory and Legislative Issues” 20). Another major issue raised by Tiemann is limited infrastructure funding (3). Since public water systems require continuous maintenance and upgrading, the concerned departments and state offices require a consistent flow of funds to meet requirement of SDWA.

Failure to do so would result in formation of funding gap that would lead to compromised public water supply. These concerns grow further when communities are involved. Due to high number of public communities, it is difficult for state governments to ensure that SDWA has been