The American tap water system is in shambles. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the American tap water system a “C-” grade in its annual infrastructure report card. The organization noted that one water main ruptures in the United States every two minutes resulting in more than 9,000 swimming pools worth of treated water being wasted. 

When water mains rupture, pathogens such as E. coli can seep into the water prompting cities to issue boil water advisories. The water mains rupture because many of the pipes are very old. Some are still made from lead which can be toxic to humans. To see what issues are present in your local tap water supply, visit IsTapWaterSafe.com.

This post is part of a weekly series on environmental myths. You can find more myths here.