3/2/2021 Agricultural Pollution Has Contaminated Tap Water in Dozens of Locations So Far in 2020 | EWG

EWG > Agmag > Agricultural Pollution Has Contaminated Tap Water in Dozens of Locations So Far in 2020

Agricultural Pollution Has Contaminated Tap Water in

Dozens of Locations So Far in 2020
By Anne Schechinger, Senior Analyst, Economics
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
EWG has found 377 news reports of agricultural pollution
contaminating drinking water in 303 locations since 2010. With
four months left in 2020, 38 of those cities, towns and counties
have su ered from contaminated drinking water so far this year.

The number of news reports written about agricultural

contamination of drinking water has steadily increased since
2013, except in 2018. The chart below stops in 2019, since there
are still four months left of 2020 and more reports are likely to be
added (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Reports of drinking water contamination have increased almost every year since
2013.

State Number of News Reports Percent of All Reports

California 53 14%

Wisconsin 52 14%

Minnesota 31 8%

Iowa 25 7%

Nebraska 23 6%

Kansas 21 6%

Source: EWG search of news databases, 2010-2019

EWG’s interactive map locates U.S. news stories since 2010 that have reported contamination of
drinking water with nitrate, animal waste, pesticides or disinfection byproducts, all of which are
often associated with runo from farm
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Drinking water contaminated with nitrate, pesticides and disinfection byproducts is associated
with increased cancer risks. Animal waste may contain fecal bacteriaEWG's
like E.Guide
coli ortoother pathogens,
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3/2/2021 Agricultural Pollution Has Contaminated Tap Water in Dozens of Locations So Far in 2020 | EWG

like giardia, that can make people sick.

These contaminants have a ected drinking water throughout the country, with news stories in 41
states. But most of the stories on EWG’s map were in heavily farmed states, and the top six states
accounted for 55 percent of all news reports (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Six states made up 55 percent of all news reports since 2010.

Source: EWG search of news databases, 2010-2020

Nitrate is a chemical component of fertilizer and animal manure. Fertilizer, animal waste and
pesticides all run o farm elds and get into both surface and groundwater sources of drinking
water.

When source water used by drinking water systems contains organic matter like manure, mud,
crop residues or bacteria from algae blooms, chlorine or other chemicals are used to disinfect the
water. But this process can create disinfection byproducts, which increase the risk of numerous
health harms.

U.S. public water systems do a great job disinfecting their water to kill the pathogens in animal
waste, but this disinfection is exactly what generates disinfection byproducts. And people in
agricultural areas who get their drinking water from private wells may have animal waste and
associated pathogens in their water, since many well owners don’t regularly test or treat their water.

To prevent more news stories of agricultural contamination of drinking water from being added to
EWG’s map next year – and beyond – lawmakers must act immediately to reduce runo of farm
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pollution into water. Farmers should be required to Donate
  implement basic conservation practices to keep
farm chemicals out of surface water and groundwater sources of drinking water.
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Craig Monk • 6 months ago • edited

Sarah’s latest brief for EWG “Agricultural Pollution Has Contaminated Tap Water in Dozens of
Locations So Far in 2020” still deceives her readers on behalf of EWG about what farm
“fertilizer” is really made from. She states “nitrate, pesticides, disinfection by products,
fecal bacteria and giardia as possible reason for making people sick when exposed
in drinking water. She even states “increased risk of cancer”. Contamination on farms is
exacerbated when you consider that, so called “fertilizer”, in many cases comes from Waste
Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) disguised as BIOSOLIDS! WWTP clean industrial, medical,
storm drain and household sewage waste. That waste, cleaned from sewage, is then turned
into biosolids with minimal testing and processing. It is toxic concentrated residuals
from the treatment process. WWTP are only required by U.S. CFR 40-503 to test for arsenic,
cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, zinc(all
carcinogens) and fecal coliform. Regulations only require reduced levels. Nothing else. Look up
"bio accumulation" WWTP have been dumping sewage biosolids in every state since 1996.

Google U.S. EPA Biosolids Biennial Review Reporting Period 2016–2017” It by no means
contains every chemical in sewage as seen in the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory.

Does Sarah and EWG actually know what chemicals are found in commercial "fertilizer" to make
it fertilizer? Here you go: Chemical fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which
are the three nutrients needed for plant growth. Potash, which is often included in fertilizer.
These: PFAS, arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, mercury, molybdenum,
nickel,selenium are NOT fertilizers

At some point ignorance evolves into something totally different and in the case of an
environmental groups like EWG trying to protect the population, pure incompetence.

Until EWG reports and defines what farm fertilizer is, EWG is part of the problem.
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