Thursday, Mar 3 2011 5:59PM
The UN is analyzing the water supply in a rural California town as part of a worldwide study on safe drinking water.
The rural community of Seville, California, is one of three U.S. locations that has been selected for study by the United Nations in its investigation of unsafe drinking water around the globe, reported the Fresno Bee.
The town of 350 residents has been receiving water from a single well, reported the paper, which has been plagued by contamination problems for years. Rebecca Quintana, a lifelong Seville resident, told the paper many in the town rely on bottled water since the delivery system attached to the well consists of corroding and cracked pipes.
While the United Nations does not have the authority to force changes, Catarina de Albuquerque, a UN lawyer tracking the water quality, said she expects a report from her investigation will help advocacy groups lobby for permanent solutions and develop water assistance programs.
Seville, in addition to other Tulare County communities such as Tonyville and Ducor, experience water pollution from nitrates that leak from farm fertilizers, sewage treatment plants and septic systems, the paper said.
Nitrates in drinking water may increase a person's risk for bladder cancer, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that contamination can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and infants.