Troubled Waters
The miracle stream appeared out of nowhere. People come from miles around to drink from its magical, crystal-clear waters.
This fairy tale came true years ago along a country road near Wawarsing, New York. Water flowing from the mile-long stream has since created a large marsh nearby.
The source of the "miracle" is actually the Delaware Aqueduct—a 13-foot-diameter water tunnel built 70 years ago to deliver drinking water from a reservoir to faraway New York City.
It runs through solid rock 600 feet underground.
There's nothing "magical" about the water. It comes from cracks in the aqueduct far below. Thirty-six-million gallons of water leak out every day.
Such aging infrastructure is falling apart in water systems across the nation. "Infra" means "within." An "infrastructure" is a basic system—a foundational structure within a society, such as a water supply system.
In water systems "within" means most can't even be seen—such as that tunnel 600 feet underground.
Structures deep within can be easy to ignore—until trouble arises. And because so many of America's water supply infrastructures are getting so old, trouble is arising.
- News Current #26
