Water Pollution Case Study

“It is hard truth to swallow, but nature does not care if we live or die. We cannot survive without the oceans, for example, but they can do just fine without us” (Rodger Rosenblatt). Week 9 we discussed water pollution and within the readings throughout Chapter 20 I learned water pollution be to a change in water quality that can harm organisms or make water unfit for human uses such as drinking, irrigation, and recreation (Miller and Spoolman). They are able to come from a point (located at specific places, easy to identify) or a non-point (broad, diffuse areas that are difficult to identify and control) source. Within the book Miller and Spoolman said that water pollution can cause illness and death in humans and other species, and disrupts

In the case study “Bottled water versus tap water: understanding consumers’ preferences” Miguel talks about the increase of bottled water drinkers. Experts have deemed America’s tap water to be the cleanest. So why go for the over priced bottle of water then you good ole tap from the sink. Is it a trend? What the author of the article considered two main sections: dissatisfaction with tap water taste and health concerns. Other factors he spoke over were also the demographic variables and the perceived quality of the water source. A 4-year study by the NRDC concluded that most bottled water is of good quality, however, they also found traces of bacteria and synthetic organic chemicals in 23 out of the 123 brands tested (Miller and Spoolman). The reason some people consider bottled water safer than tap is because the countless advanced treatments they undergo to make sure it is safe to drink. But in reality bottled water is less regulated than tap water and the EPA contamination standards that apply to public water supplies do not apply to bottled water. A third of all bottled water suppliers do not disclose anything about the treatment or purity of the water they sell (Miller and