Clean Water

Water is the most essential element to good health. Water makes up 2/3 of human beings’ body weight and without water people would die within a few days. Water acts as a lubricant, base for saliva, joint rotation, regulating temperature, for elimination of waste and metabolism. The brain is 95% water, the lungs are 90% water and our life force, blood, is 82% H2O (2 parts hydrogen, 1 part oxygen). Needless to say, living creatures need good clean disease-free water to drink.

Fighting water contamination is a huge environmental issue as attested by Wisconsin’s struggles. According to the Clean Water Action Council (CWAC), many of Wisconsin’s rivers and water tables have been found contaminated with traces of chloroform, chloramine and trihalomethane. Parts of northern WI have also found high levels of arsenic, lead, fluoride, iron and radium. Polybrominted Dipenyl Ether (PDE) which is used in flame retardants used in rugs, pillows and other articles has been discovered in Lake Michigan fish, Mother’s milk, waste waters and sewage sludge in the Great Lakes areas of the Midwest, United States. These levels just keep increasing up the food chain. PDE has been banned in several European countries and California is first state in US to start phasing it out.

Contaminated water will cause disease, destruction and death to the ecosystem that support animal and plant life if not controlled. The biological communities including all faunal (animals), floral (plants) and microbial (microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae and plankton) will be affected.

Many states and communities are fighting budget and staff cuts in the continuing fight for better water conditioning plants and practices. Compromised water quality, standards and weak laws for public health and wildlife protection are key weaknesses in Wisconsin’s struggles, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Politics and government mandates play a big part as well.