Kent Portney's "Our Green Cities" Blog

NRDC Report examines water quality and pollution in cities

Analysis reported by the Environmental Working Group entitled "Over 300 Pollutants in US Tap Water," assessed the quality of drinking water in 100 U.S. cities.  They tested for many different types of pollutants, far more than is required under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.  What they found was that some cities have pretty decent drinking water, including the three best -- Fort Worth, TX, Providence, RI, and Arlington, TX, while other cities have very serious problems.  They found that Las Vegas was the 98th worst, Riverside, CA was the 99th, and Penscacola, FL was the worst.

Wall Street Journal Article examines water shortage issues

An article in the Wall Street Journal online takes a look at two studies of city water shortages.  This article, entitled "The Ten Biggest American Cities That Are Running Out of Water," discusses how and why major cities are facing serious water problems.  Based on analysis by CERES and by the NRDC, the articles suggests that the ten cities with the biggest problems, from the tenth worst to the worst, are (10) Orlando, FL; (9) Atlanta; (8) Tucson; (7) Las Vegas; (6) Fort Worth; (5) San Francisco; (4) Phoenix; (3) Houston; and (1) Los Angeles.  One thing that pops out from the analysis is the obvious conclusion that it's probably not a good idea to build a big city in a desert. 

CERES Report on Water Shortages in Large U.S. Cities

CERES has issued a 2010 report that examines serious challenges with municipal water supplies. This report, The Ripple Effect: Water Risk in the Municipal Bond Market, suggests that when municipal utilities take on bonded debt, investors might not have a full range of knowledge about the risks they incur as a result of serious water shortages. Presumably, the goal of this analysis is to get municipalities to take issues of water quality and quantity seriously lest they face increasingly high interest rates on the bonds they issue.