Cheers to Public Health with a Milestone Anniversary

In December 1974, Louisville was still recovering from the April tornado that destroyed neighborhoods and killed dozens of people; the United States had watched the Watergate scandal lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon; and, sports fans were still talking about the ‘Rumble in the Jungle” with Louisville native Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

On the 16^th of December – 50 years ago today – a signature from President Gerald Ford put in motion a law to continually improve public health. Today marks the 50^th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the framework that every public water provider must follow.

When the Act became law, for the first time there were national enforceable standards for drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water Act helps safeguard the quality of drinking water that’s an anchor for everyone’s quality of life. The EPA administers the Act through science-based regulations that every water utility – no matter how large or small, is required to meet. In the past 50 years, the EPA has updated the law as science evolves and we tackle new water quality challenges.

It’s easy to take the quality of drinking water for granted; after all, you turn on the faucet and probably don’t think of the work it takes to produce that safe glass of water. In many ways, it’s remarkable that we’ve only had a law to protect public health with drinking water when you consider the age of the nation’s 55,000 water providers – some date back to the mid-1800s, including Louisville Water.

Louisville Water is grounded in public health today and in 1860 when we started operations. At the time, cholera killed many people due to contaminated well water. But in 1860, there was no science to prove that germs in water could harm you. We started operations with no laboratory or scientists. In 1860, we were most concerned with letting the mud settle from the Ohio River water – and that was already better than the well water.

Louisville’s journey to improve the quality of drinking water is a timeline of achievements:

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  1879: The Crescent Hill Reservoir is finished allowing additional mud to settle from the water

• 1896: George Warren Fuller did landmark experiments on filtration to clean water (his work set a standard that’s followed by water utilities around the world)
• 1909: The Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant opens – the first in Kentucky. The filters remove 99% of the bacteria in the water and produce “purer water”
• 1914: We add chlorine to the water and the city begins a campaign to convince people to not use their private wells for water
• 1980s: Our scientists begin researching byproducts of drinking water
• 1997: Louisville becomes the first and only water provider to trademark tap water, Louisville Pure Tap®
• 2011: The first tunnel and well system as a source for drinking water is at Louisville Water
• 2020s: Louisville’s treatment plants rank as 2 of the top 19 in North America for outstanding water quality; our distribution system is also in the elite category
• Today: We do daily testing and ongoing research in our EPA-certified lab. More than 430 employees ensure we produce and deliver safe Louisville Pure Tap to nearly one million people.

As science continues to evolve, so does the Safe Drinking Water Act and Louisville Water’s work. More than 160 years ago, we were only concerned about what we could see in the water with our eyes. Today, scientists measure quantities at parts per quadrillion and balance risk. Our work comes with ongoing research and investment. There’s a price to producing safe drinking water and we’re committed to funding that at the levels it deserves.

Today, as you stop by a sink or water fountain, use water to cook or clean, and step into any business, think about the story that’s in every glass of Louisville Pure Tap. Cheers to public health and the anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act.