While Iraq struggles to provide drinking water to its citizens,
it turns out we?re having the same problems right here in the
U.S., due to aging pipes and outdated treatment plants. Many
water treatment plants use century-old technology that can't
clean up modern contaminants. Water pipes are old too, and in
some cities they date back 100 years. Chicago's water has an
"excellent" rating, and Denver. New Orleans, Manchester, NH,
Baltimore and Detroit are rated good. Houston, Los Angeles,
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Newark, NJ, San Diego, Seattle and
Washington are rated fair. No city fails to provide drinkable
water, but five are rated "poor": Albuquerque, N.M., Boston,
Fresno, CA, Phoenix and San Francisco. Fresno has too many
nitrates in the water, while Washington violates the national
standards for trihalomethanes, which are a byproduct of
chlorination and may increase the risk of cancer. "People would
be surprised to know that their water contains cancer-causing
chemicals, toxic chemicals like lead, that it of