In the News

News Sun, May 12, 2009

With recent water quality concerns ranging from pharmaceuticals in drinking water to industry-related well contamination in Crestwood, state officials are eying more oversight options.

State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, is calling for the creation of a Clean Water Commission to track water contamination in Illinois.

Garrett also is sponsoring a legislative amendment, proposed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, that would include more stringent public notification requirements for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency with regard to contaminated drinking water supplies. "The Crestwood scenario is the result of inaction and further proof that our priority should be clean water for the citizens of Illinois." Garrett said. "Those affected by possible water contamination must absolutely be notified immediately to prevent instances of contamination." But while the situation in Crestwood allegedly involved the knowing use of contaminated well water by the municipality, the far more widespread occurrence of low-level prescription drug content in drinking water is much more difficult to monitor and address. At a water summit hosted by Garrett in Lake Forest Monday, officials said people flushing expired drugs down the toilet causes just a fraction of the pollution, and that most comes from drug content in urine that is flushed.

"As the population ages, we pee out more drugs, more pharmaceuticals, not less," said guest speaker Dr. William Cooper, director of the Water Research Center at University of California. "It's not like a toxic waste dump. You can't point your finger at anybody but yourself. We're all in this together."

Cooper said that agencies like the Illinois EPA are doing the best they can on the issue under the budgets and information they have to work with.

"Nobody knows what's going on," he said. "We're starting to plow new fields in terms of pharmaceuticals."

Cooper expressed confidence that research is leading to methods to destroy such pharmaceuticals from drinking supplies, but said it will be expensive and that funding sources, such as possible water rate increases, will need to be identified.

In the meantime, one simple contribution everyone can make, according to Cooper, is to flush the toilet less often after urinating. "It's simple but very effective," he said. "It's easier to treat (wastewater) in higher concentrations."

Cooper said there are also no definitive information on what, if any, negative impacts humans face from drinking such low levels of pharmaceuticals.

"Does anyone know if untreated intake is a problem," Garrett asked, especially referring to children and those with health problems.

"The answer is 'no'," Cooper responded, but added that one step in the right direction might be an international conference hosted by the U.S. EPA to bring together experts and public health officials "to all get on the same page."