INDICATING WATER RELATED HUMAN CONDITIONS: INFRASTRUCTURE AND DRINKING WATER

摘要

This indicator shows the impact of water resources on human conditions. There is a well established link between potable water and public health (Figure 1). A critical measure of value is the access of people to potable water and sanitation, including the availability of plumbing. A second measure of the quality of the water in distribution systems is the number of reported cases of wa-terborne disease from 1971 through 2002. Waterborne disease outbreaks are a measure of the quality of water delivered to people in the U.S. While this may be seen as an indicator of the quality of water treatment facilities, it is notable that many outbreaks are as much about poor source water protection as about poor facilities management. An example is the E. coli O157 bacteria contamination in the water delivery system at Walkerton, Canada, in 1999 (Hrudy, 2004). Seven people lost their lives and many more became ill.