search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • WATER
  • ENERGY
    • Geothermal
    • Mining
    • Petroleum
  • CONSTRUCTION
    • Horizontal Directional Driling
    • Infrastructure
  • SAFETY
  • DRILLER STUDIOS
    • The Driller Newscast
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
      • The Newscast
      • The DRILLERcast
    • Driller or Digger?
  • VOICES
  • PRODUCTS
    • Featured Products
    • Sponsored Insights
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Ground2Grid
    • Conferences & Demo Days
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

More Americans Concerned about Water Quality

March 17, 2011

More than half of Americans say they have concerns about the quality of their water as more people become educated about specific contaminants and take action in their homes.

Those are two findings from an independent survey recently released at WQA Aquatech USA.

The random sample survey, conducted by Applied Research-West Inc., offers a look into Americans’ evolving attitude about their water, especially when compared to previous polls.

“We are seeing people become more educated about water issues and finding ways to ensure water quality for their families,” says Peter Censky, executive director of the Water Quality Association, a not-for-profit trade organization that commissioned the survey.

Among the major findings:
  • A quarter of consumers are “extremely concerned” about the quality of their water supply, and only 45 percent say they are confident their water source poses no health risk.
  • A majority of consumers now are willing to pay more for the elimination of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals. In previous surveys, less than 50 percent expressed this opinion.
  • Nearly a quarter of consumers say they have primary responsibility in their home for quality water, up from 20 percent in 2008.
The survey showed that 39 percent of respondents stated that they believed federal drinking water-quality laws are “fair.”

About one-fifth (19%) of respondents were exposed to “boil water alerts.” This prompted them to purchase a water filtration device. Typically, a water filter pitcher or end-of-tap device was purchased. More than half of those exposed to boil water alerts purchased home filtration devices afterward, higher than the 38 percent who said they did so in 2008.

Americans seem to increasingly believe that responsibility for safe drinking water is a public/private partnership.

Regarding overall quality, specifically 49 percent of respondents indicate that they are concerned or very concerned about their household water supply. Further, 54 percent are concerned about health contaminants in tap water. And 42 percent of respondents stated that drinking water is not as safe as it should be.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Brock Yordy speaks with a group of Geothermal Drillers

    The Road to 2050

    The geothermal exchange industry is an expanding,...
    Construction Drilling
    By: Brock Yordy
  • A drilling rig hitched to a pickup truck

    Stories From the Site: Some of the Wildest Things Hit While Drilling

    There are many zany things drillers encounter everyday...
    Infrastructure
    By: John Truesdale
  • Western Kansas

    EPA Turns Attention to Rural Water Challenges in Western Kansas

    Rural water systems rarely make national headlines, but...
    Water
    By: John Oldani
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • Newsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • ClimateMaster installation in on-base housing
    Sponsored byClimateMaster

    A Driller and HVAC Professional Have a Cup of Coffee

  • 2 men with a piece of machinery
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    One Rig Service Partner. All Brands. Less Downtime.

  • skid-packaged booster stations
    Sponsored byBaker Water Systems

    Built to Spec: Custom Booster Stations for Real-World Water Systems

Popular Stories

The Trillion-Dollar Heat Wave: The Cost of Super El Niño & the Water Crisis

The Cost of Super El Niño: Water, Power, Agriculture, & Lawsuits

3 Drillers with a drilling rig

2026 State of the Drilling Industry Report

Data Center

The Regulatory Blind Spot and Hydrological Reality

The DRILLER logo CLASSIFIEDS

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Events

June 15, 2027

Ground2Grid Thermal Energy Summit

Ground2Grid logoGround2Grid is a new, national event hosted by The Driller where the full lifecycle of Thermal Energy Resources comes together. From the subsurface to the final system connection, this summit brings builders, policymakers, engineers, and investors into one collaborative space to accelerate the future of carbon-neutral heating and cooling.
View All Submit An Event

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

The Driller EGO award - Tell Us Who's Making An Impact in the Field

Related Articles

  • Poll: 90 Percent of Americans Concerned about Environment

    See More
  • Does “Place” Affect Water Quality?

    See More
  • Water Quality of Potential Concern in Private Wells

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 1119819962.jpg

    Stantec's Water Treatment: Principles and Design, Updated, 3rd Edition

  • 9780128201930.jpg

    DRILLING ENGINEERING

  • fundamentals.jpg

    Fundamentals of Sustainable Drilling Engineering

See More Products
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • Newsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing