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The interdependency between water supplies and humans has long been recognized. Many of early cities were built in locations near water for access to drinking water, food, and/ or trade routes. As cities grew increased pressure from industrialization, recreational use, and sewage began to threaten the viability of the water for future needs. By the 1970s, the United States recognized the need to ensure the health of our water sources for ecological, drinking water, and recreational needs. To meet these challenges, the government passed a series of landmark legislation such as The Safe Drinking Water Act and The Clean Water Act, which were design to safeguard both the source water and the nation’s drinking water. These Acts have made significant progress to meeting the challenges of the environment and ensuring the health of the citizens.
Today the landscapes in the US and other countries are continuing to change. Urban sprawl, rapid population growth, non-point source pollution, and non-regulated contaminants are only some of the emerging challenges that threaten the availability of our drinking water supplies. This workshop, which is sponsored by the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine, will look at the issues that are most likely to be critical for protecting the our water supply from the source water to the drinking water. Building off the first workshop sponsored by the Roundtable, the speakers and participants will be asked to consider the broadly defined environment—one that includes the natural, built, and social environment—and to identify those areas that will impact the nation’s ability to ensure safe water for our health needs.
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