Click the link to read the article on The Deseret News website (Amy Joi O’Donoghue). Here’s an excerpt:
There was a time when raw sewage was dumped in the Jordan River in Utah. It was an industrial wasteland, and once named the most endangered river in the country by an advocacy group…
“The Clean Water Act really incorporated better technology for sampling and detection of contaminants in the drinking water and helped us reduce the levels of contaminants in the drinking water with new detection limits and with new filter technologies,” said Scott Paxman, general manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.
Technology and water: Paxman said the Clean Water Act prompted the district to replace three aging water treatment plants from the 1950s with state of the art technology to screen for and eliminate cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that can cause disease in humans, as well as Giardia, another parasite problematic for people. Paxman said the new plants in 2002 were a $5 million investment and use ozone and ultraviolet rays to eliminate the parasites. It was a heavy lift, but it means safer water for the residents the district serves.