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New rules for currently unregulated contaminants will take time. PFAS, for instance, have been a known hazard for years, but it required large amounts of evidence and research before a rule could be proposed.
就目前還沒有規范的污染物來說，新規范會需要花一點時間。例如，PFAS是已知的危害物質已經有許多年了，但在能提出規范之前，會需要大量的證據和研究。
"There is a significant challenge," Eric Burneson, a director at the EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, says of proposing new regulations.
“提出新規范是重大的挑戰，”美國環保局的地下水與飲用水辦公室主任艾瑞克·伯尼森表示。
"We need robust scientific information, and we need peer review of that information. We need to know about our ability to manage it. Can we measure it? Can we treat it?"
“我們需要堅實的科學信息，也需要同儕審閱這些信息。我們需要知道我們是否能處理這些物質。我們能測量嗎？我們能處理嗎？”
Answers to these questions help the EPA defend the potential cost of regulating a new chemical.
若能回答這些問題，將有助美國環保局辯護規范新化學物質所需要的潛在成本。
In addition to the 90 contaminants the EPA already regulates, there are dozens more the agency has identified as a threat to health and in tap water.
除了美國環保局已經規范的90種污染物以外，還有數十種環保局已經辨識出來對健康有威脅、且存在于自來水中的物質。
They include 66 chemicals, 12 microbes, and all PFAS -- instead of the six they recently proposed to limit.
包括有66種化學物質、12種微生物和所有的PFAS--而不僅僅是他們最近提出要限制的那六種。
"We need further information to move forward," says Burneson of regulating potentially harmful chemicals, but he adds, "They may be in drinking water, and they pose risks."
“我們需要更多資料才能有所進展，”伯尼森在談到規范潛在有害化學物質時表示，但他也補充說：“這些東西可能會存在飲用水中，也會造成風險?！?/div>
Rural, low-income communities face the most trouble accessing clean tap water; water treatment facilities there are most likely to violate EPA standards.
農村地區和低收入社區在取得干凈的自來水方面碰到的困難最大；那些地方的水處理設施最可能違反環保局的標準。
Proximity to agricultural pollution, contaminated groundwater, and underfunded or understaffed treatment facilities put these communities at risk.
接近農業污染、受污染的地下水以及資金不足或人手短缺的處理設備，讓這些社區處于風險之中。
An analysis of three decades of drinking water violations in the U.S. found some states were more likely to have poorer quality drinking water than others. States with agricultural hubs were particularly at risk.
對美國30年來飲用水違規情況的分析發現，某些州的飲用水品質比較差。有農業重鎮的州風險也特別高。
Certain racial groups are also more likely to be exposed to poor drinking water.
某些族裔群體也比較容易接觸到劣質飲用水。
One study looking at California and Texas found Latino and Black communities faced a persistently higher cancer risk from their drinking water.
有一項研究檢視了加州和德州，研究結果顯示，拉丁裔和黑人社區在飲用水方面的癌癥風險一直都比較高。
The EPA requires water utilities to publish annual reports identifying any potential health hazards in the community about their water supply.
美國環保局要求水公司每年都要公布報告，找出他們供水中任何可能危害到社區健康的潛在危害。
When hazards emerge, securing clean drinking water can cost individuals.
當水質出問題時，要確保有干凈的飲用水可能會需要個人付出額外成本。
For short-term emergencies like a boil water notice, bottled water can be a useful resource.
如果是短期的危機，像是煮沸自來水通知，瓶裝水就會是很好用的資源。
Bottled water bought and sold in the U.S. is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates water based on the same standards the EPA has in place for tap water.
在美國銷售的瓶裝水受到美國食品和藥物管理局的監管，該單位監管瓶裝水的標準，跟環保局對自來水要求的標準是一樣的。
Studies done on bottled water have found it's no cleaner or safer than well-regulated tap water, but it is sold at several times the price of tap water and promotes plastic waste, an emerging drinking water threat.
研究發現，瓶裝水并沒有比受到良好規范的自來水更干凈或更安全，但瓶裝水的價格卻是自來水的數倍，還助長了塑膠廢棄物的制造，而塑膠廢棄物也已經是飲用水的新興威脅。
Filters are another option for addressing tap water concerns.
濾水器是解決自來水問題的另一種選擇。
They can be as simple as the relatively inexpensive filters that fit in your fridge or as complex as a thousand-dollar filtration system hooked up to home plumbing.
有價格相對低廉、還放得進冰箱里的簡單濾芯，也有能連接家庭管道、價值數千美元的復雜濾水系統。
There are about 3,000 electric utilities in the U.S. but over 50,000 water utilities.
美國約有3000家電力公司，但有超過5萬家自來水公司。
While some serve as many as eight million people, about half of those facilities serve fewer than 500.
有些公司服務的用戶高達800萬人，但有約一半的自來水公司服務的對象還不到500人。
Those smaller utilities are less likely to have full time operators or enough customers to pay for maintenance.
這些小型自來水公司不太可能擁有全職的運營人員或足夠的用戶，以支付維護費用。
With the right policies and enough funding, experts say clean tap water can be guaranteed for everyone.
專家表示，只要有適當的政策和足夠的資金，就能保證每個人都能取得干凈的自來水。
"We have the technical know-how to provide safe drinking water," says Allaire. "It's a policy question of how do we make this a reality?"
阿萊爾說：“我們具備可以提供安全飲用水的技術知識。要如何將之化為現實？那就是政策問題了?！?/div>
Combining those smaller utilities, creating water contracts where one community purchases water from a larger utility, and paying for well-trained facility managers could all create more water for more communities.
合并這些小型自來水公司、打造水資源合約，讓社區可以向較大的自來水公司買水，還有聘請專業的自來水設施經理，都能為更多社區提供更多水資源。
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| inexpensive | [.inik'spensiv] |
想一想再看 adj. 花費不多的，廉價的 |
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| complex | ['kɔmpleks] |
想一想再看 adj. 復雜的，復合的，合成的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| certain | ['sə:tn] |
想一想再看 adj. 確定的，必然的，特定的 |
||
| supply | [sə'plai] |
想一想再看 n. 補給，供給，供應，貯備 |
聯想記憶 | |
| technical | ['teknikəl] |
想一想再看 adj. 技術的，工藝的 |
||
| plumbing | ['plʌmiŋ] |
想一想再看 n. 管道裝置，鉛管工行業 動詞plumb的現在分詞 |
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| director | [di'rektə, dai'rektə] |
想一想再看 n. 董事，經理，主管，指導者，導演 |
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| identified |
想一想再看 adj. 被識別的；經鑒定的；被認同者 v. 鑒定（id |
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| peer | [piə] |
想一想再看 n. 同等的人，同輩，貴族 |
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| analysis | [ə'næləsis] |
想一想再看 n. 分析，解析 |
聯想記憶 |
