Posted in Mass Tort,Water Contamination on June 14, 2020
According to the United States Geological Survey, over 322 billion gallons of water are used in the US every single day. Those billions of gallons are being used for countless daily tasks that many of us don’t think twice about, like pouring a glass to drink, bathing, brushing our teeth, and so much more. 
The Clean Water Act, first established in 1948 and then amended in 1972, was created to help protect United States citizens from harmful pollutants being released into their community’s water supply. The United States Environmental Protection Agency describes the Clean Water Act as making it “unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained.”
The Clean Water Act has also helped to give rise to pollution control programs, as well as national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters.
Given legislation like the Clean Water Act, it’s common to not think twice about potential water contamination. However, as more and more studies are beginning to show, drinking and groundwater contamination is a problem that’s still prevalent, and often entails terrible consequences.
As the Natural Resources Defense Council describes it, “water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.”
Water contamination can happen from a variety of different sources, each with countless repercussions. A few of these can include:
When it comes to ingesting or being exposed to contaminated water, the effects can vary depending on each individual person. Likewise, for some people, effects may last for a limited duration (such as only the amount of time they’re being exposed to contaminated water), while others may have lifelong repercussions.
There are a number of health issues that can occur in these cases, including:
In the United States, people often assume that their water is safe and free from harmful substances. Regardless of your water’s source, contamination is something that can happen anywhere. Unfortunately, simply calling attention to the fact that water is unsafe or dangerous is not always enough to get the issue fixed, and often, it takes legal action to resolve any problems.
Although it can be a complex process to prove that an individual or, more commonly, corporation is responsible for contaminating water through their negligence, if you can prove liability, you may be eligible for compensation for your time missed off of work, doctor’s visits, pain & suffering, disability, and much more.
What’s more, if it’s proven that a company knowingly contaminated water, a person who has suffered injury may also be eligible for damages that are meant as a punishment for the offending company.
If you’ve experienced health issues or injury due to contaminated water, an attorney at Zaner Harden Law can help to protect your rights and fight for you.
Call Zaner Harden Law for a free and confidential consultation at (303) 558-6221, or complete our Free Case Evaluation Form and we’ll reach out to you.
