Officials sound alarm as invisible threat creeps closer to major U.S. city: 'An issue of concern for all of us'

Pennsylvania is one of the few states in the U.S. to have a Constitutional amendment stipulating the people's right to clean water. However, rising sea levels threaten to flood the state's drinking water with a salt front. 

The Delaware River Basin Commission is working hard to manage the river and prevent seawater from approaching its intakes — the structures that collect and channel water. As Carol Collier, former executive director of the DRBC, recently told Inside Climate News, "It should be an issue of concern for all of us." 

What's happening?

Millions of residents living in the areas of Philadelphia and southern New Jersey could see their drinking water contaminated with seawater if sea levels continue to rise, Inside Climate News reported. 

The previous plan to stop salt water from entering the drinking water intakes — referred to as the Trenton flow objective — may not be enough to protect the supply if the seawater levels are not kept under control. 

Rising sea levels threaten coastal cities and those who live in them. According to The Washington Post, in just the past decade, sea levels have risen faster than anticipated along the southern and southeastern coasts of the U.S — five inches total from 2010 to 2022. 

Sea level rise is a global issue, too, though because of something called subsidence, it does not occur at exactly the same rates in all areas. As the National Academies noted (in 2020 with an update in 2022), the global average sea level has risen by about six inches over the past century, with 3.8 inches of that coming since 1993.

The scientific consensus is that human activity has exacerbated these conditions. Human-caused pollution — which sends far more carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases into the atmosphere than would naturally occur — has supercharged the problem. This has led to more frequent and more powerful weather events around the world that are triggered in some way by heat. One such example: hurricanes and the flooding they can cause. 

Why are rising sea levels concerning?

Risks to a population's drinking water are an acute and catastrophic symptom of an even more massive problem.

Rising sea levels are not a one-off event. They are an enduring issue that will continue to impact people around the world for decades to come. 

Even tiny increases in sea levels can significantly worsen the impacts of hurricanes and other storms through higher rates of flooding. And the impacts of climate disasters can have multiple effects on residents, including but not limited to economic burdens. 

How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Those affected by disasters can face physical and mental health challenges as well. 

What's being done about this?

The best way to help address these risks to drinking water supplies is to get at the underlying issue of rising sea levels. To do that, we need to reduce pollution and become more resilient to extreme weather. 

Technologies like smart reefs can help to mitigate the damaging impacts of floods. We can also protect wetlands and build flood barriers in addition to strengthening projects such as the Trenton flow objective that play a last line of defense. 

Similar to how the Los Angeles area is working to better prepare itself for future wildfires, mitigation and adaptation can make big differences in combating rising sea levels. 

Finally, using renewable energy sources like solar and geothermal energy can help to reduce the heat-trapping pollution from gas-powered energy. All of these actions can add up to reinforce our drinking water systems and our communities.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.