Do drink the water, base fountain water safe for drinking Published Oct. 21, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Kimberly Hickey 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Minneapolis-St. Paul -- "Clean water is not an expenditure of federal funds; clean water is an investment in the future of our country," said Bud Shuster, former U.S. Representative, quoted in The Washington Post, Jan. 9, 1987. According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, much of the water infrastructure in the U.S. was built in the period following World War II. Our water infrastructure is aging, and the aging process can create problems, on-and-off base. Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply and protecting sources of drinking water. The SDWA contains several provisions for ensuring the safety of public drinking water, including enforceable health standards for contaminants in drinking water, and a multi-billion-dollar state revolving loan fund for water system upgrades. The 934th Airlift Wing's water infrastructure, like others across the country, is aging, but upgrades in 2009 are keeping our drinking water supply safe. "The past three years we have made huge strides in water quality on this facility," said Barry L. Tudor, an industrial hygienist with the 934th BEE/PH Office (Bioenvironmental Engineering/Public Health Office). "Last year was the biggest." The previous water distribution system was installed before World War II, said Tom Crable, the supervisory industrial hygienist at the 934th BEE/PH Office. He expects the new million dollar system to last approximately 75 years. In 2009, Air Force Reserve Command provided funding to the base to upgrade its old water distribution system, said Tudor. "Drinking water on base is safe to drink from the fountains, and meets both Air Force and Minnesota's safe drinking water act's guidelines," said Tudor. Before the new distribution system was installed, the base water distribution system failed the EPA's lead standard in many locations across the base, said Tudor. Therefore, base water lines were treated using the recommended EPA method. Aging plumbing and low water usage in four buildings on base are still creating some minor quality problems, Tudor said. "Our problem buildings are rarely occupied, or not at all, which is contributing to the problem" he said. "The longer the water sits in contact with the lead solder on the plumbing, the more lead it will likely hold." The BEE/PH Office continues to work on the buildings that still contain water with a slightly high lead content, Crable said. These buildings are 802 Fire Station, 813 Mobility Processing Center spigot, 806 Hazardous Storage building and 746 Vehicle Refueling building. For the 802 Fire Station, water filters were put on the drinking fountain, sink and refrigerator water pipes, so the occupants have safe water to drink. The other three buildings (746, 806 and 813) have signs by the sinks to not drink the water. People normally do not drink the water from these 3 buildings. Overall the new water system has greatly improved the water quality for the base. All of these building are planned to have their interior potable water distribution systems replaced. Perhaps concerned about tap water quality on base, some Airmen may now choose to drink bottled water. However, bottled water has not been determined to be safer to consume. "Drinking water from the 934th tap and drinking bottled water is a wildly variable question," said Tudor. "Bottled water is not subject to testing, and some brands simply use tap water from municipal sources." Another water scientist has communicated the results of her research findings on bottled water safety to the public, as well. "Bottled water isn't any safer or purer than what comes out of the tap," said Dr. Sarah Janssen, science fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, which conducted an extensive analysis of bottled water back in 1999. "In fact, it's less well-regulated, and you're more likely to know what's in tap water." Crable believes that taste preference is the driving factor behind buying bottled water, but consumers need to beware of making decisions based on taste alone, he said. "If you think the water tastes good, you automatically think it's safer, and that may or may not be true" he said. If you wish to keep yourself informed about tap water safety, the EPA has published a 32-page consumer's guide on the subject, which is available on their website. The EPA's water safety website also has several articles and training resources available to concerned citizens, including a listing of local water authorities who can address concerns.