Harvey's polluted floodwaters pose as a threat to human safety and the environment, according to experts. Out of 2,300 water systems contacted by federal and state regulators only 1,514 were fully operational, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported on Sunday. 160+ systems issued notices recommending people to boil their water before drinking it and 50 were closed down. In a statement, federal and state environmental officials said that their main concerns were healthy drinking water available for people and "Ensuring wastewater systems are being monitored, tested for safety and managed appropriately." Almost 85% of Houston's drinking water is taken from rivers and reservoirs said Robin Autenrieth. It's a very tough time for people in Houston to deal with the floodwaters because they are trying to clean the water and make sure it isn't passing infections and illnesses through the system.
This article relates to U.S. history because when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans it had a negative effect on their drinking water just as Hurricane Harvey had a negative effect on Houston's drinking water. It's very ironic how Hurricane Harvey may have done at least one favor for the environment by churning the Gulf's waters and sending an influx of oxygen from the surface to the depths.
''A temporary silver lining", said Nancy Rabalais of Louisiana State University. But that also happened after 2005's Hurricane Katrina, she added. "And within a week, the low-oxygen area had redeveloped."
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/harvey/2017/09/04/fecal-matter-fuel-pesticides-water-spell-danger-harvey-victims
I think that it's super important that there is healthy, safe drinking water for the people in Houston. Hurricane Harvey has just caused a huge upset in Texas and the problems need to be solved as quickly as possible, so people won't have to struggle.
ReplyDeleteThis is why hurricanes are so dangerous. At first, everyone thinks about the flooding and wind damage. People don't tend to realize the full extent of the damage until it is too late. Water contamination is just one of the many problems that Hurricane Harvey has caused, and it will be a long time before there is a full recovery.
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