The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) recently awarded a $640,000 civil engineering services contract to RBF Consulting for a series of drinking water infrastructure installations and improvements, according to Water World. The contract is part of a project to support Rancho Mission Viejo’s new planned community, located within SMWD’s service area in south Orange County, California.

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The city of Columbia, Missouri, is currently looking into the effects of adding fluoride to public drinking water sources after several residents raised concerns over the long-standing practice, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe recently asked the city council to undergo an extensive research study on the issue, which has been long debated by scientists and researchers in the oral healthcare field.

The news source reports that more than 73 percent of Americans obtain their drinking water from community water systems that use add the chemical to their water sources. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has publicly stated its belief that fluoridation is one of the most significant contributions to public health in the 20th century. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adding no more than 0.7 milligrams per liter of fluoride. The Columbia Water and Light Department noted that the water in Columbia in 2011 contained 0.69 milligrams per liter of fluoride, falling within federal safety standards.

However, opposing schools of thought have raised concerns over just how helpful adding fluoride can be. It was initially thought that an optimal level of fluoride in drinking water can help strengthen teeth and bones while helping to prevent decay. However, according to KRCG, some residents in Columbia have suggested that the addition of fluoride in water could reduce bone-mineral density and possibly cause birth defects.

The news source reports that despite ongoing criticism from certain opposition groups, Columbia – and other cities in the state – continue to fluoridate their public water systems. The city of St. Joseph's city council recently voted 5-4 to continue fluoridating the water. Meanwhile, officials in Columbia spent $47,000 to purchase fluorosilicic acid to add to their drinking water systems in the fiscal year 2012.

Either way, residents should consider installing bottleless water coolers from Quench around town. Proponents of adding fluoride will be happy to hear that the filtration technologies used by these coolers keep the fluoride untouched, while treating other contaminants. Meanwhile, those wary about what they are drinking might be assuaged by the fact that these coolers eliminate a great deal of contaminants from the water, ensuring a safer drinking water supply – regardless of fluoride or not.

A recently released report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes revealed that the Great Lakes have been increasingly threatened by a deluge of chemical compounds known as contaminants of emerging concern, according to Water World. These contaminants refer specifically to everyday products – such as shampoos, textiles, agricultural residue and pharmaceuticals – which spill into the Great Lakes, posing a worsening problem for the residents who rely on the Lakes for drinking water sources and other uses.

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Florida's underground fresh water aquifer – dubbed the state's "blue gold" – is facing serious threats and could vanish altogether over the next few years, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

"It's the very same water we drink that's coming out of the springs," Dough Stamm, author of the book 'Florida's Springs,' told the news source. "When they start to deteriorate, that's the water we drink deteriorating too."

The state features nearly 1,000 pristine springs that serve as the primary source of drinking water for a majority of Florida's residents, according to The Huffington Post. Additionally, the springs contribute more than $300 million annually in tourism, as incoming visitors look to enjoy the diving opportunities brought about by the springs. The longest and deepest underwater cave system in the world is connected to the Florida springs.

The springs have faced numerous threats from a variety of different sources, including both excessive water usage by Florida's residents and environmental shortsightedness, the news source reports. Some of these issues include water pollution and contamination from nitrates and other sources, increasing toxic algae blooms and a drastic slowdown of water flow.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the primary cause of the nitrates in the water comes mainly from excess fertilizer, cattle feces and leaky septic tanks near the springs. Inevitably, these contaminants will wash into the springs during particularly heavy rains. Some parts of the springs have astonishingly high levels of nitrates that would make the water extremely unsafe for human consumption. For instance, Fanning Springs features nitrate levels at 100 times above safe standards, the news source notes.

Exacerbating the overall issues for the Florida springs is the fact that the nitrates spur algae growth. Some springs have seen such rampant algae growth that no other vegetation can survive, throwing off the balance of the whole ecosystem. Additionally, some algae, like the species Lyngbya wollei, can be toxic to humans, further contaminating the drinking water source.

Finally, overuse by Florida residents – both for their own consumption and for the considerable agriculture economy in the region – have helped worsen the problem. Some parts of the springs saw groundwater withdrawals reach 4.2 billion gallons a day, according to The Huffington Post. That rate of withdrawal led to a severely diminished flow at the springs and is unsustainable for the future.

To help promote healthier water consumption and more responsible drinking water usage, Florida officials should consider installing bottleless water coolers in as many places around the state as possible, including promoting it for residential use. These coolers use five-stage carbon filtration processes to remove 99.9 percent of contaminants in drinking water. By preventing leakages and encouraging bottled water use, the water coolers promote overall environmental conscientiousness among its users.

Consumers often have to worry about the ever-growing list of possible contaminants that could be found in their drinking water. Now, new studies have revealed that the next generation of water pollutants might be coming to fruition within common drinking water sources – pharmaceutical drugs. According to The Columbus Dispatch, birth-control pills, antidepressants, blood-pressure medications and antibiotics are being increasingly found in many water sources. Scientists are starting to trace links between these contaminants when consumed through drinking water and potential health risks.

According to the news source, these pollutants are being referred to as emerging contaminants. However, the contaminants have actually been in streams, rivers and lakes for decades. The "emerging contaminants" phrase is a reference to the innovative technologies that have been developed to detect these unwanted chemicals that are found in drinking water sources. However, hospitals, pharmacies and factory farms have been dumping various pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals into waste water for years. Additionally, consumers have been known to dump unwanted medications down the toilet as well. Unfortunately, the waste water often seeps into drinking water supplies.

"You see very different effects with mixtures of contaminants as opposed to single compounds," Paige Novak, a University of Minnesota environmental engineer. "I think some of these things are really subtle, and that makes them more difficult."

According to the Consumer Health Information Corporation, one of the difficult obstacles in dealing with this issue is that many medicines are designed to avoid being broken down. While water treatment plants can remove many chemicals, some of these drugs are ultimately resistant to the water sanitation efforts undergone at water treatment facilities.

Additionally, some industry advocates have cited that the trace elements of contaminants found in the water ultimately doesn't affect humans at all. According to The Columbus Dispatch, the pollutants that are dumped into water are typically measured in parts per trillion. That tiny metric is substantially smaller than the standard concentrations of other more common pollutants as delineated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safe limits in drinking water.

However, a host of studies have emerged in recent years that suggest any amounts of pharmaceutical contaminants found in drinking water could have deleterious long-term health impacts. A 2010 Ohio River Study by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission found 158 compounds, including 118 pharmaceuticals and personal-care products, in the waterway. A 2010 U.S. Geological Survey study found trades of 12 antibiotics in the Scioto River, including three that had passed Columbus water treatment plants. the U.S. EPA is currently completing a survey looking for approximately 200 drugs at 50 different water sites.

Until the data from these studies are conclusive, consumers should consider installing bottleless water coolers from Quench. These coolers use five-stage carbon filtration to remove 99.9 percent of the contaminants found within water, including pharmaceuticals.

The town of Pixley, California, is looking to acquire a 4,000-square-foot plot of land from the Tulare Joint Union High School District that could provide a solution to the town's increasing safe drinking water worries, according to the Visalia Times-Delta.

The town, like many similar rural Tulare County towns, have been struggling to find safe drinking water sources in recent months. According to The New York Times, an estimated 20 percent of small public water systems in Tulare County are unable to meet safe nitrate levels in their drinking water sources. An estimated 254,000 people in the Tulare Basin and Salinas Valley – which feature a combined total population of around 2.6 million – are at risk for nitrate contamination.

A major contributor toward the large concentration of nitrates within the water sources is the fact that Tulare County is one of the country's leading dairy producers, as well as a major agricultural region overall. According to The New York Times, chemical fertilizers, animal wastes, pesticides and other substances can leak into the infiltrated aquifers, the groundwater and eventually the taps of local residents. Nitrates are particularly dangerous. The contaminant, when found in water, has been linked to thyroid disease and makes infants susceptible to blue baby syndrome, which interferes with the blood's capacity to carry oxygen.

Due to the contaminated water sources in the region, officials from the Pixley Public Utility District have been looking for solutions, settling on purchasing land from the school district. According to the Visalia Times-Delta, the proposal would require the Pixley Public Utility to test underground water reservoirs and ensure that they are suitable for consumption. If the water is safe, the district would look to obtain the title of the property and construct a well. Officials from Pixley's water district recently wrote a letter to the Tulare Joint Union High School District, explaining their decision.

"The Board of DIrectors of the PPUD is committed to finding and securing safe water resources for our community," the letter read. "As part of this effort, the Board has sought and obtained grant monies to drill a 'test well.'"

The project will be largely paid for through a California Department of Water Resources grant, according to the news source. The grant is a part of Proposition 84, a $5.4 billion state general obligation bond that pays for safe drinking water, water quality and supply and flood control.

The money will be primarily used to purchase the lot and construct the private well, if tests go as planned. The news source notes that the lot was once used to house a few Tulare Joint Union buses but no longer serves that purpose. No official price for the transaction has been determined, but the school district would be paid for a set period of time during the drilling and testing phases.

Another step that Pixley residents could take would be to install bottleless water coolers from Quench, which use five-stage carbon filtration technologies to remove the majority of contaminants from drinking water.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a report which outlines the negative impact of groundwater pumping on the flow of water in connected streams and rivers, according to Water World.

The report – titled "Streamflow Depletion by Wells – Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow" -  acknowledges the positive benefits of groundwater development, particularly in providing safe drinking water to populations in rural settings. However, the research also notes that streamflow depletion by wells can have a substantial impact on local ecosystems. According to the news source, pumping wells capture groundwater that would have otherwise been discharged into nearby streams and rivers. By doing so, this diminishes the amount of fresh groundwater that should be replenishing natural bodies of water.

"Groundwater discharge is a critical part of flow in most streams – and the more we pump below the ground, the more we deplete water flowing down the stream," USGS Director Marcia McNutt told the news source. "When viewed over the long term, it is one big zero-sum game."

Other important findings in the report from the USGS include how streamflow depletion can affect water quality in the stream or in the aquifer, according to the news source. Reductions in groundwater discharge to streams as a result of groundwater pumping can substantially warm stream temperatures during the summer and cool stream temperatures in the winter. Doing so affects the ecosystem habitat of the body of water, and its drinking qualities.

Residents that live in an area where streamflow depletion might be a problem should consider investing in bottleless water coolers from Quench. The presence of a five-stage filtration system should deter most of the negative drinking water aspects of streamflow depletion.