Who We Are
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. . .”
. . . said Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers rated our nation’s wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water systems a “D” minus. This is the lowest grade in any infrastructure category. The most alarming conclusion is the next lowest grade is FAILURE. Over the last fifty years, America has not invested in new practices and technologies that can enhance our infrastructure and our environment. Failing and outdated gray infrastructure is only part of the problem.
Toxic Waters
Rain Water Overflow
The New York Times provided some frightening facts about our aging domestic water infrastructure:
- More than 20 percent of water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the E.P.A.’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected.
- The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.
- Many sewer systems are frequently overwhelmed with raw and untreated sewage spilling into local waterways.
- Power plants are the nation’s greatest source of toxic waste. Because of toughened air pollution laws, toxic waste often reaches into lakes and rivers, or landfills that have leaked into nearby groundwater.
- According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agricultural runoff is the single biggest source of water pollution in the nation’s rivers and streams.
- In the past five years, companies and workplaces have violated pollution laws more than 500,000 times, the vast majority of polluters have escaped punishment.
- Atrazine is among the most common contaminants in American reservoirs and other sources of drinking water.
(Source: http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters)
“The over-borrowing, over-consuming, and under-innovation (is) now in the US. . .,” Antonio van Aqtmael said in an October 2007 issue of Newsweek. Green Water Infrastructure creates innovative solutions to water management issues that protect, restore, and resemble the natural water cycle. Rainwater harvesting and condensate recovery are two tools that incorporate the natural environment and engineered systems. These systems provide clean water, conserve ecosystems, and provide a wide variety of benefits for people and wildlife all while costing less than conventional concrete and mortar infrastructure.
Join Us
Join Green Water Infrastructure by contacting us at:
Green Water Infrastructure, Inc.
P.O. Box 124
Westfield, IN 46074
(317) 674-3GWI (3494)
