Prescription Drugs Threaten Water Supply

Prescription drug abuse threatens the lives and well-being of users and of the people they come into contact with while impaired.

But prescription drugs also present another threat – one to our water supply.

At Monday's Red Zone Rally, which highlighted prescription drug abuse in our area, Dr. Jim Mahanes asked Joel Ledbetter, General Manager at Easley Combined Utilities, to talk about the threat improperly disposed of pills poses to water supplies.

Many people dispose of unneeded or expired pills by flushing them down the toilet or pouring them down the sink.

“It's a tremendous problem on the public utility side,” Ledbetter said. “Our current technology is not up to take this out of the water supply.”

While ECU's treatment system can remove up to 99 percent of pollutants, “we don't treat for drugs, prescription drugs or any type of drugs,” Ledbetter said.

“There's no regulation for it right now, but there's talk of it forthcoming at the federal level, trickle down to the state level,” he said.

These drugs pose a threat to animals, the environment, as well as water supplies.

Effluent travels down stream and is taken in by other water systems, Ledbetter said.

“What's the effect downstream?” Ledbetter asked. “That's something that's not known yet.”

If utility systems such as ECU continued to be forced to take out dissolved prescription drugs from the water system, that's going to lead to further expense, which could be passed on to customers.

“The cost compounds dramatically, to be able to take these things out,” he said.

He urged people to dispose of their medications properly.

Drugs should be incinerated, or given to authorities to dispose of. The Drug Enforcement Administration sponsors National Pill Take-Back Days several times a year.

During these events, residents can disposed of expired or unneeded medication safely at several locations throughout the county – no questions asked.

Captain Chad Brooks with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office said authorities received 147 pounds of pills during the April 27 Pill Take-Back Day.