Into The Pipeline

People are just as anxious about water as they are about food. That is understandable, since roughly 1,000 contaminants have been detected in public supplies and virtually every major water source is vulnerable to pollution. About half the U.S. population relies on surface water -- from rivers, lakes and reservoirs that may harbor industrial wastes and pesticides washed off fields by rain. The other half uses groundwater -- from underground wells and springs that may be tainted by chemicals slowly seeping in from toxic-waste dumps. In some areas where groundwater supplies are being gradually depleted, the chemical pollutants are becoming more...

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