Tap Water a Possible Danger to Citizens of White Plains

Clean streets, quiet atmosphere, and solid security—these are the decisive factors in choosing to live in the Suburban city of White Plains. From college students living on campuses to large families owning homes, it is evident that the quality of tap water has never been considered an issue. Since 2003, volunteers have been gathering with Sandra Darling, organizer of the water monitoring team, to test streams in order to monitor the water quality of White Plains; In the past years, it has had the lowest average water rates among fifty Westchester County water purveyors. On September 18th, 2009, numerous volunteers showed up once again with Darling to monitor local streams for World Water Monitoring Day.

The little city of White Plains, situated 25 miles of Manhattan, is the home of nearly 56,000. Although streams and rivers are all in compliance with all applicable State drinking water operating, monitoring, and reporting requirements, there have still been some variances and exemptions. “Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen that has been found in surface and ground water in White Plains streams. Although White Plains uses a water treatment that is known to filter this pathogen, it is not a hundred per cent guaranteed”, Sandra Darling, a professional in the water testing field, says. This pathogen is a gastrointestinal infection that may provoke nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

“Giardia cyst, another microbial pathogen, is the most prevalent in the White plains streams, found in 46 out of 52 water tests that were completed in 2008. Through disinfection and filtering, we can “kill” the microbe, but it is not a guarantee that it is harmless, and may still contaminate individuals”, says Darling. The ingestion of this pathogen may cause Giardiasis, an intestinal illness. Although these pathogen statistics may be worrying, according to Darling, it is not a danger at the moment. “The White Plains drinking water exceeded state regulations last year”, she says, “but some individuals, including those who have gone through surgery or transplants, the elderly, and children, may be more vulnerable to disease causing pathogens, therefore must filter their own water to be safer.”

The Westchester County Citizen Volunteer Monitoring Program was first established in 2003, through the Safe Drinking Water Act funding distributed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, in order to create a baseline of water quality data on streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. These aquatic resources support many things-- a drinking water supply for Westchester and New York City, recreation, wildlife habitat, commercial transportation, industrial uses, and commercial and sport fishing. “Our volunteers collect samples, learn physical and chemical parameters, and identify water critters while having fun”, says Darling. “Volunteers are a necessary component of the program, because government agencies do not have the monitoring resources to collect water quality information on all water bodies”.