In 1999, more than half of all 16- and 17-year-old secondary school students reported drinking in the previous seven days.

BBC: Australia's new non-drinking puritans

Chloride, considered a secondary contaminant, could affect drinking water's taste, smell and color.

CNN: Salt creeping up the Mississippi River

However, the 2011 edition of Monitoring the Future, a study of the behaviors, attitudes and values of American secondary school students, notes that 22 percent of 12th-graders reported episodes of heavy drinking and 40 percent had consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days.

FORBES: A Sober Assessment of High-Risk Drinking on College Campuses