Passage 2 Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
數(shù)百萬(wàn)美國(guó)人在飲用臟水 《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》
[00:02]Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
[00:07]More than 20 percent of the nation's water treatment systems
[00:11]have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act
[00:16]over the last five years,
[00:18]according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.
[00:22]The water system in Ramsey, N.J.,
[00:25]has illegal concentrations of arsenic and the solvent tetrachloroethylene,
[00:31]both linked to cancer.
[00:34]That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents.
[00:40]But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people
[00:46]has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals or radioactive substances,
[00:52]as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.
[00:57]Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred.
[01:02]But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems
[01:08]that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials,
[01:14]including those at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
[01:19]which has ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards.
[01:23]Studies indicate that drinking water pollutants are linked to
[01:27]millions of instances of illness within the United States each year.
[01:32]In some instances, drinking water violations were one-time events,
[01:38]and probably posed little risk. But for hundreds of other systems,
[01:43]illegal pollution persisted for years, records show.
[01:48]On Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee
[01:52]will question a high-ranking E.P.A.
[01:55]official about the agency's enforcement of drinking-water safety laws.
[02:01]The E.P.A. is expected to announce a new policy for
[02:05]how it polices the nation's 54,700 water systems.
[02:11]"This administration has made it clear that clean water
[02:15]is a top priority," said an E.P.A. spokeswoman, Adora Andy,
[02:21]in response to questions regarding the agency's drinking water enforcement.
[02:26]The E.P.A. administrator, Lisa P. Jackson,
[02:30]this year announced a wide-ranging overhaul of enforcement of
[02:34]the Clean Water Act, which regulates pollution into waterways.
[02:39]"The previous eight years provide a perfect example of what happens
[02:44]when political leadership fails to act to protect our health
[02:49]and the environment," Ms. Andy added.
[02:51]Water pollution has become a growing concern for some lawmakers
[02:56]as government oversight of polluters has weakened. Senator Barbara Boxer,
[03:02]Democrat of California, in 2007 asked the E.P.A.
[03:06]for data on Americans' exposure to some pollutants in drinking water.
[03:11]The New York Times has compiled and analyzed millions of records
[03:16]from water systems and regulators around the nation,
[03:19]as part of a series of articles about worsening pollution in American waters,
[03:25]and regulators' response.
[03:28]An analysis of E.P.A. data shows that Safe Drinking Water Act violations
[03:34]have occurred in parts of every state. In the prosperous town of Ramsey, N.J.,
[03:41]for instance, drinking water tests
[03:44]since 2004 have detected illegal concentrations of arsenic, a carcinogen,
[03:50]and the dry cleaning solvent, which has also been linked to cancer.
[03:56]In New York state, 205 water systems have broken the law
[04:00]by delivering tap water that contained illegal amounts of bacteria since 2004.
[04:08]However, almost none of those systems were ever punished.
[04:14]Ramsey was not fined for its water violations, for example,
[04:18]though a Ramsey official said that filtration systems
[04:22]have been installed since then. In New York, only three water systems
[04:28]were penalized for bacteria violations, according to federal data.
[04:33]The problem, say current and former government officials,
[04:37]is that enforcing the Safe Drinking Water Act has not been a federal priority.
[04:44]"There is significant reluctance within the E.P.A.
[04:47]and Justice Department to bring actions against municipalities,
[04:51]because there's a view that they often lack cash,
[04:54]and fines would ultimately be paid by local taxpayers,"
[04:58]said David Uhlmann, who headed the environmental crimes division
[05:02]at the Justice Department until 2007.
[05:06]"But some systems won't come into compliance unless they are forced to,"
[05:10]added Mr. Uhlmann, who now teaches at the University of Michigan law school.
[05:16]"And sometimes a court order is the only way to get local governments to spend
[05:21]what is needed."
[05:23]A half-dozen current and former E.P.A. officials said in interviews
[05:29]that they tried to stimulate the agency to enforce the drinking-water law,
[05:34]but found little support. "I proposed drinking water cases,
[05:39]but they got shut down so fast that I've pretty much stopped even looking
[05:44]at the violations," said one longtime E.P.A. enforcement official who, like
[05:49]others, requested anonymity for fear of injury.
[05:54]"The top people want big headlines and million-dollar settlements.
[05:58]That's not drinking-water cases."
[06:01]The majority of drinking water violations
[06:04]since 2004 have occurred at water systems serving fewer than 20,000 residents,
[06:11]where resources and managerial experience are often in short supply.
[06:16]It is unclear precisely how many American illnesses
[06:20]are linked to polluted drinking water.
[06:23]Many of the most dangerous pollutants regulated
[06:26]by the Safe Drinking Water Act have been tied to diseases like cancer
[06:31]that can take years to develop. But scientific research indicates
[06:36]that as many as 19 million Americans
[06:39]may become ill each year due to just the viruses
[06:43]and bacteria in drinking water. Certain types of cancer
[06:48]such as breast cancer - have risen over the past 30 years,
[06:52]and research indicates they are likely tied to pollutants like those
[06:57]found in drinking water.
[07:00]The violations counted by the New York Times
[07:03]analysis include only situations
[07:07]where residents were exposed to dangerous pollutants,
[07:09]and exclude violations that involved paperwork or other minor problems.
[07:15]In response to inquiries submitted by Senator Boxer,
[07:19]the E.P.A. has reported that more than three million Americans
[07:23]have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water
[07:27]with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements,
[07:32]both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.
[07:37]In some areas, the amount of radium detected in drinking water
[07:42]was 2,000 percent higher than the legal limit, according to E.P.A. data.
[07:48]But federal regulators fined or punished
[07:52]fewer than 8 percent of water systems that violated the arsenic
[07:57]and radioactive standards. The E.P.A., in a statement,
[08:01]said that in a majority of situations,
[08:03]state regulators used informal methods like providing technical assistance
[08:09]to help systems that had violated the rules.
[08:14]But many systems remained out of compliance, even after aid was offered,
[08:20]according to E.P.A. data. And for over a quarter of systems
[08:25]that violated the arsenic or radioactivity standards,
[08:29]there is no record that they were ever contacted by a regulator,
[08:33]even after they sent in paperwork. Those figures are particularly worrisome,
[08:39]say researchers, because the Safe Drinking Water Act's limits on arsenic
[08:44]are so weak to begin with. A system could deliver tap water
[08:49]that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing cancer from arsenic,
[08:55]and still comply with the law.
[08:57]Despite the expected announcement of reforms,
[09:00]some mid-level E.P.A. regulators say they are skeptical
[09:05]that any change will occur.
[09:07]"The same people who told us to ignore Safe Drinking Water Act violations
[09:12]are still running the divisions," said one mid-level E.P.A. official.
[09:17]"There's no accountability, and so nothing's going to change."
