Dear Friends,
As you may have seen, the NYT has published some new kind of
foolishness about a topic I hold near and dear to my heart: water access in
America. “Unfiltered Fervor: The Rush to Get Off the Water Grid” is about how wealthy people are drinking untreated
water.
Publishing this story gives this topic attention, fueling
distrust of government by presenting the raw water movement on equal footing to
scientific fact. Tacitly
condoning consumption of unfiltered water that has not passed rigorous drinking
standards gives this practice validity. Drinking water at a surface spring is
more likely to seriously harm than to be beneficial to health.
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| Stick with a "look, don't drink" policy when going to unknown creeks. |
American’s has some of the safest water because
of our extensive processing of subsurface water. Ground water, both municipal
and private wells, are monitored and tested at regular intervals to ensure
safety.
By portraying “raw water” as a phenomenon by
entrepreneurs selling an “off the grid” lifestyle this article also draws
attention away from the misallocation of capital that desires to create a dangerous
product for the rich rather than ensuring everyone in America can drink their
tap water for today and tomorrow.
Rather than fund production of this one guy who admits to trespassing and stealing water could capital not flow to any of these issues?
- Incorporating
desalinization for cities with changing water availability due to sea level
rise.
- Replacing
lead water pipes in Flint, MI with steel water pipes.
- Using
publicly available data to target municipal treatment facilities for specific problems
and hiring engineers, geologists and scientists to create more efficient
treatment systems so toxins like hexavalent chromium didn’t exist in public
water
- Creating
and sustaining public health non nonprofits that focus on community access to
safe, clean water
We cannot claim to be a first world nation when
people cannot access safe drinking water-- one of the things that we've done
mostly right for a long time. Giving attention and money to any regressive, dangerous
ideas is investing in the ruin of our nation.
The
anti-municipal water movement that has united the anti-establishment fringe
groups from both the left and right. However, the ‘establishment’ being
protested with "Live water" is not the President, Congress, or Washington DC,
but local civil servants in our communities, whose meetings are generally open to the
public.
In
California, the State Water Control Board regulates all of the municipal and
county agencies that provide water directly to residents. Working with the
state and federal EPA, the Water Board ensures the safety and access to water
all Californians’ are entitled to. These water boards require an extensive, multi-month vetting process
before hiring anyone.
My home
city, Oakland, has established the aggressive goal of zero waste by 2020. They are using multiple tactics; educating restaurants and
auto businesses on best management practices for preventing pollution,
establishing an illegal dumping hotline, and disseminating freely
available information about the difference between sanitary sewer vs
storm drain systems.
By
contrast, the interviewed entrepreneurs are rushing to get off the grid with
their water consumption. As Mr. Singh says he is concerned about “drinking toilet water with birth control drugs” they would
be much better served to participate in pre-existing programs by the Department of Toxic Substance Control to educate and promote cessation of improper pharmaceutical disposal.
We know
from science and medicine that drinking “raw water” is a bad idea. Yet in the
article, six proponents of untreated water are quoted before a medical
professional advises against it. This narrative lends equal footing between the
raw water movement and the medical and scientific communities, establishing
false equivalency; science can be disregarded when it contradicts the emotions
of the beholder.
Many
Americas view scientists as lofty elites, whose conclusions are opinions, up
for debate. Promoting raw water with this article lacks the integrity The New
York Times stands for in its mission statement. If the NYT’s intention
is to support science, scientists and scientific thought then the editors of
this publication need to do better in ensuring articles like this do not work
against that priority.
Sincerely,
Sara Be
A
Geologist Who Drinks Tap
P.S. This song goes out to Flint, MI.
P.S. This song goes out to Flint, MI.
