Drinking water safety is a real concern for many with questionable local water supply. A 2019 Gallup poll indicated 83 percent of Southerners are more concerned about contaminated drinking water than climate change.
Karnita Garner, an Extension environmental specialist, said although regulations to test local water supplies have long been in use in communities, public concern over the safety of drinking water is still on the rise.
“The Safe Drinking Water Act was put in place in 1974,” Garner said. “However, recent water quality issues—such as the elevated levels of lead in drinking...
