What Can Be Done To Water Security?

Wastewater
Wastewater treatment is important for preventing disease and protecting the environment. Wastewater is treated by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and by private facilities such as industrial plants. There are approximately 2.3 million miles of distribution system pipes and approximately 16,255 POTWs in the U.S. 75% of the total U.S. population is served by POTWs, while the remainder is served by decentralized or private septic systems. POTWs treat 32 billion gallons of wastewater every day.

EPA's initial security focus has been on POTWs. The distribution of POTWs by size and percentage of population served is shown below. POTWs with existing flows greater than 10 million gallons per day (mgd) are considered large; they number approximately 533 systems. POTWs with existing flows between 1 and 10 mgd are considered medium; they number approximately 2,665 systems. POTWs with existing flows of less than 1 mgd are considered small; they number approximately 13,057 systems. For purposes of determining population served, 1 mgd equals approximately 10,000 persons served.

The graphic below shows that while 80% of the systems treat less than 1mgd, these systems provide wastewater treatment to only 11% of the population served by POTWs. In contrast, systems that treat more than 1 mgd provide wastewater treatment to 89% of the population served by POTWs.

Disruption of a wastewater treatment system or service can cause loss of life, economic impacts, and severe public health incidents. If structural damage occurs, wastewater systems can become vulnerable to inadequate treatment. The public is much less sensitive to wastewater as an area of vulnerability than it is to drinking water, however wastewater systems do provide opportunities for terrorist threats.

Water Saving

We all use dish washers, clothes washers, even showers. But have you ever asked yourself – Am I wasting water? Well here are some reasons to save and keep water smoothly flowing, and will help the community, a lot!

• Only run your dishwasher when it is full to make the best use of water, energy and detergent. A full dishwasher is more efficient than washing the same load by hand.
• Cut down on the amount of rinsing you do before loading the dishwasher. Most modern dishwashers do an excellent job of cleaning dishes, pots and pans all by themselves.

• When purchasing a new appliance, look for one offering several different cycles. This will allow you to select more energy and water efficient cycles when heavy duty cleaning is not required.
• Take a quick shower rather than a bath and save an average of 20 gallons of water.
• Install a water-efficient showerhead with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute. (Replace an existing shower head if a one gallon bucketplaced under the flow takes less than 20 seconds to fill.)

• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving and save more than 5 gallons per day.
• Instead of waiting for tap water to get cold enough for drinking, keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator. All told, consumers can save as much as $100 per year in water bills by making these simple household improvements. Likewise, fixing leaks also saves additional repair costs from water damage.