Brooklyn’s Battle Against VOCs in Drinking Water
- Published:
- Updated: January 18, 2025
Summary
Brooklyn faces challenges with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contaminating its drinking water, largely due to industrial activity and aging infrastructure. VOCs, which include harmful chemicals like PCE and TCE, can enter the water supply through industrial runoff, old pipes, and urban surface pollution. Long-term exposure to these compounds can lead to serious health issues.
- VOCs can cause health problems such as liver and kidney damage, as well as cancer.
- Sources of contamination include industrial discharge, leaching pipes, and runoff from urban surfaces.
- Brooklyn uses advanced water treatment methods, such as GAC filtration and air stripping, to combat VOC contamination.
Clean drinking water is not a problem that must be met only in developing nations or in regions where water is extremely limited. This is even true in urbanised, populous areas such as Brooklyn, New York. Even with all of the water treatment options and all of the laws, contaminants can get into our water system and put us at risk of illness. The dark group of pollutants is Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
VOCs are chemical compounds containing carbon, and they evaporate easily at room temperature. These chemicals appear in everything from gasoline to solvents to paints and even consumer products. As they make their way into our water supply, these are problems.
There are many VOCs, but some of the most prevalent in drinking water are tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride. These chemicals, many of them industrial, aren’t only bad for the planet, but also for our health. Long-term exposure causes liver damage, kidney failure and even some cancers.
How VOCs Contaminate Water
The city of Brooklyn’s struggle with VOCs in drinking water is really a problem of industrial and infrastructure. VOCs can leach from industrial effluent, leach from underground storage tanks, or diffuse from polluted landfills. Even the large network of old pipes that puddle water in Brooklyn’s households also carry VOC contamination when constructed of or tarred with VOCs.
The run-off from surfaces of cities is another large VOC contributor. Roads, parking lots and roofs sift in all sorts of pollutants, including VOCs, and the contaminants can then run into waterways when rain falls. Furthermore, VOC containing substances can localize into the water supply by accident or improper disposal.
Brooklyn's Water Supply
Brooklyn is fed by a network of 19 reservoirs and three man-made lakes in a 1,972 square-mile watershed stretching 125 miles north and west of Brooklyn. It’s a vast network that supplies around 1 billion gallons of high-quality water to New York City’s more than 8 million people every day.
The source water quality in these reservoirs is generally good, but there are some risk areas for contamination when it comes to transporting water to Brooklyn’s faucets. Additionally, when VOCs become entrained in a water supply system, they’re not easily eliminated, so their impact can be enduring.
Impact of VOCs on Brooklyn’s Residents
Whether it impacts Brooklyn residents negatively is subject to wide variations based on the VOC and how long and how much exposure is sustained. Acute exposure to extreme levels of some VOCs can lead to a flash-back of headaches, dizziness, impaired vision and forgetfulness.
Exposure over the long term is, however, more harmful. Various diseases have been linked to chronic VOC exposure (e.g.
Liver damage
Kidney damage
Central nervous system damage
Certain types of cancer
Seniors, pregnant women, children and the immune-compromised are the most susceptible populations to VOCs.
Local Regulations and Standards for VOCs
The Department of Health, for instance, regulates the quality of drinking water in New York State for a wide variety of pollutants, including VOCs. These requirements are similar to, or higher than, those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Over-contamination isn’t uncommon in spite of these restrictions. It is a multi-factorial problem that’s difficult to address. And these standards are always in need of continuous monitoring, maintenance, and investment in water infrastructure, not an easy task when budgets are tight and the infrastructure is old.
Monitoring and Testing for VOCs
Checking and finding VOCs in Brooklyn’s drinking water involves drawing water samples and analysing them with a special lab technique called gas chromatography. These samples are typically taken from any point in the water distribution network, from source water to the tap, to check the whole system.
But there are other problems with VOC monitoring of water. VOCs are complex molecules that all need different testing. They also have a volatile nature, so they may evaporate during sample collection or measurement, which could make their concentration underestimated.
Brooklyn’s Mitigation Efforts
Despite the challenges, there are significant efforts underway in Brooklyn to combat VOC contamination in drinking water. These measures include upgrading water treatment facilities, implementing stricter enforcement of industrial discharge regulations, and enhancing monitoring efforts to identify and address contamination sources promptly. Community organizations are also playing a pivotal role in raising awareness and advocating for cleaner water initiatives. They are working closely with local authorities to ensure that Brooklyn water testing is conducted frequently and transparently, providing residents with the information they need to stay informed about their water quality. Additionally, educational programs are being developed to empower the community with knowledge on reducing individual contributions to VOC pollution.
One major initiative has been the implementation of advanced water treatment technologies specifically designed to remove VOCs, such as:
- Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration: GAC is a common method for removing VOCs. It works by adsorbing the VOCs onto the surface of the activated carbon particles.
- Air Stripping: This process involves introducing air into the contaminated water to encourage the VOCs to evaporate. The air is then collected and treated to remove the VOCs before being released.
- Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs): These treatments involve the use of chemicals or radiation to destroy VOCs in water.
Personal Measures for Brooklyn's Residents
The best thing for people in Brooklyn is that there are several things you can do to reduce exposure to VOCs in your drinking water. Here are a few:
Get a water filtration system for your home: There are filtration systems (activated carbon filters, for example) that will filter out a lot of different VOCs.
Get your water tested: Regular testing of your home’s water can keep you up-to-date on any potential VOC build-up.
Read up: Read public water quality reports and VOC contamination stories in your area.
Do something: If you believe that your water is containing VOCs, report it to your water company or the Department of Health.
VOCs in Brooklyn’s water supply are a health problem. It’s a multilayered issue with roots in industrial production, city run-off and ageing infrastructure. But if we can all see the issue and come together from the individual community to the city, we will be able to have clean water for everyone in Brooklyn.
Conclusion
Our continued fight against VOCs in Brooklyn’s drinking water points to the challenges surrounding water in cities. VOCs can be deadly, damaging to organs and cancer, but there are actionable actions that can be taken both at the government and at the individual level. Water quality is controlled and monitored by state agencies like the Department of Health that use technologies such as granular activated carbon filtration and air stripping to eliminate VOCs.
Individuals in Brooklyn can do the same, and lessen their VOC exposure themselves. Adding home filtration, testing water frequently and keeping up to date with local water quality reports are all musts. As Brooklyn continues to tackle the source of contaminating, upgrading infrastructure and engaging with city officials, water quality will continue to be improved and the public’s health preserved.
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