Three-Part Documentary Spotlights PFAS, Drought, And Infrastructure Issues
Professionals in the drinking water treatment industry are well aware of the many challenges in delivering clean effluent to consumers every day. But soon, with a high-profile documentary series in the works, those issues will be under a much bigger spotlight.
“The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Owned Television Stations group, working with corporate siblings ABC News and National Geographic, is producing a three-part documentary series on the water crisis in the U.S.,” Next TV reported. “The documentary series looks at how pollution, climate change and an aging infrastructure are making it harder to get safe drinking water in many American communities.”
The series, titled “Our America: Trouble on Tap,” will stream on Hulu and air on several ABC-operated television stations around the country beginning on April 22. The first episode will focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which contaminate drinking water throughout the country and are notoriously difficult to treat. The second will focus on the contamination problems associated with aging infrastructure in many water systems, particularly their impact on disadvantaged communities. And the third will focus on growing water scarcity.
“Over the last few decades, the safe and available drinking water that many Americans have taken for granted is now at risk,” according to ABC 7. “[The series] will take viewers across America to examine this emerging crisis and offer solutions along the way.”
By putting a bigger spotlight on pervasive drinking water issues, the documentary could advocate for the desperately-needed resources that will enable public utilities to address them. For instance, the episode focused on outdated infrastructure is set to underscore how more public funding and dedicated legislation could help.
“With an estimated 400,000 lead pipes delivering water to Chicago-area residents, ‘It’s an $8 billion problem,’ according to Andrea Chang, Chicago’s water department commissioner,” per ABC 7. “This episode examines the key issues of water infrastructure to explore whether bills such as Senator Cory Booker’s Water Infrastructure Funding Act and others will help alleviate some of the financial strain on communities and truly help solve the many issues hitting residents.”
As national attention on the biggest problems facing drinking water treatment professionals grows, hopefully it is just a matter of time until this most important resource is supported the way it should be.
To read more about how the public perceives drinking water issues, visit Water Online’s Consumer Outreach Solutions Center.