COVID-19 and Water Security
Thankfully, this new virus has not affected our water supplies. However, what would we do if the health crisis was in our drinking water?
Should we be worried?
The short answer is yes.
Because water is so essential to life, we must always be concerned, prepared, and vigilant.
We should be concerned — because while the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water in the US, this is not because it can’t live in water; it is because the conventional water filtration and disinfection methods used in the US remove or inactivate viruses and other pathogens. However, this is not case around the world. Nearly 25% of the global population drinks from fecally-contaminated water supplies, which might contain viruses.
But this does not mean that we shouldn’t be prepared for water emergencies in the US. Natural disasters can disrupt our supply of clean water, as can our aging water distribution infrastructure. Around sixty percent of the water pumped from municipal plants reaches the consumer, the rest is lost through leaks. If water is leaking out, contaminants can get in.
One thing this pandemic should teach us is that we need to be more prepared for the unexpected. The good news is that there is no central water supply that serves all Americans. There will always be safe water available from some location.
So how should we prepare?
On a national level, there is a lot we should do.
We need to improve our capabilities of detecting in real-time contaminants in the distribution system. It's great that they test the water at the pumping station, but we need to know at the neighborhood level what is going on.
We need to increase security at our water treatment plants and reservoirs. It is worrisome to think about how exposed these are to the wrong elements.
We need more efficient emergency water purification plants. The military has these. Cities should too!
At the household level, you should probably think about a whole-home filtration system or the very least a water pitcher filter like those from Brita. You should also have a few day supply of bottled water that you rotate through. Bottle water, particularly those in plastic bottles, can, over time and in direct sunlight, become contaminated.