TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Water Quality Management and Water-Borne Disease Trends A1 - Meinhardt, Patricia L. A2 - Wallace, Robert B. Y1 - 2017 N1 - T2 - Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 15e AB - Water is a necessity for human survival, and access to safe drinking water is a required cornerstone of public health.a In concert with improved pasteurization and refrigeration of foods and childhood immunizations, modernized sanitation methods and access to potable water have increased the life span and improved the general health of American citizens more than any other advancement in the field of medicine.1 Conscientious water quality management and access to renewable water resources are vital to every sector of our industrialized society and every sector of our nation's agricultural economy.2 Early American settlements located near water and water reserves were generally sufficient for our country's development and prosperity during initial phases of growth. However, even during these early periods of U.S. history, there were recorded instances where communities disappeared as a result of declining or contaminated water supplies. Currently, there is a water crisis in the United States that has resulted from population growth and urbanization placing pressure on fixed sources of freshwater available locally and, at times, regionally. These water access pressures have resulted in insufficient quantity and deteriorating quality of water supplies in many regions of the United States. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Medical CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141972078 ER -