A serious problem affecting large urban areas is the contamination of its drinking water. According to the EPA chemicals such as those from herbicides and household cleaners, along with high concentration of copper and even sex hormones can be found in large portions of our drinking water. Many of these chemicals can cause various health hazards even with only short term exposure. Health hazards ranging from cancer to neurological defects can become more prevalent in areas with contaminated water.
The EPA has set limits on the concentration of chemicals allowed in drinking water, however, this is not always easy to enforce. The best solutions can be started from the bottom up. People can contribute to the solution by purchasing non-toxic natural cleaners, or simply by adding more plants and natural areas to soak up the extra water that makes its way to our sewers. This issue can also be tackled at the government level. According to the Chicago tribune only about $7 per month per household will not only clean the Chicago River but will keep it clean for years to come. It is all up to us to create the change or support those who can.
Principles of Urban Sustainability 
Contaminated drinking water is a big problem in this day and age due to industrialization and will continue to be a problem if it’s not brought to the forefront of people’s attentions. Your plan covered a lot of solutions to mitigate the problem, but there is really no long term plan to solve this problem. The problem must be solved simultaneously from all sectors. Drinking water comes from two sources, surface and underground. The surface water supply usually go through the waste water treatment process, but since there are a lot more chemicals than ever before, the water treatment process might not be completely effective anymore. The groundwater contaminates, other than natural ones, often comes from industrial and agricultural contaminates. A great solution will only be achieved when the equilibrium between the bottoms-up and the top-down has been achieved.
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Contaminated water is something that many people are not aware of. There is not enough awareness to let people know the situation which has been developing for a long time. Everybody should be aware of the kind of problems that can emerge if this is not treated soon. We take things for granted because we believe that there will always be a solution but that is not always the case. Everyone should be an active participant and pay more attention to what we take for granted such as water.
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