Countries all over the world are scrambling to find safe drinking water or to protect the water they have from contamination. The issue here is not whether you or your neighbor 20 feet east or west of a road is the cause of the contamination (in this case nitrates and who knows what else), but how does the responsible citizen respond to preserving our most precious resource. Septic systems don’t work and when they do, they don’t, a result is still nitrates that leach into the soil. A complex and expensive septic system is available, but it costs about the same as hooking up to the sewer system.

Another potential cause for concern is prescription drugs entering our water system. It doesn’t make much sense to wait for increased levels of contaminates to trigger action that will be much more costly than if action is taken now. There are programs available for the homeowner to pay for a sewer hookup over time. It is each homeowner’s responsibility to protect our drinking water and our environment.

Carl Yurdin

Eastsound