Tag Archives: public water systems

Environment

Toxic Chemicals Taint 8 Alabama Public Water Systems

Great Blue HeronRecently, the EPA set a stricter health advisory for toxic chemicals perfluorooactanoic acid, or PFOA, as well as for perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, once made or used at factories near, and thereby affecting 8 Alabama public water systems.

Residents and businesses in the affected area are scrambling to procure bottled water for their families and customers this summer, as a $4 million temporary filtration system isn’t expected to be completed until September.

The Wall Street Journal reports, “Factories for decades used PFOA as a plastic coating to make consumer products such as Teflon nonstick pans, waterproof jackets and pizza boxes. PFOS was used to make stain resistant carpets and other products. A multiyear medical study in the 2000s of 70,000 people near a plant in West Virginia that made PFOA found “some suggestions” of “probable links” between high exposure to the chemical and illnesses, including cancer. Studies have found PFOS to be harmful to the immune systems of animals.”

After long-term exposure to these toxic chemicals, what does this mean for area folks with gardens, restaurants, families? How will this affect the natural balance of wildlife in the area?  We have no answers; only time will tell.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal

Read more at Alabama.com

Photo credit: A great blue heron on the Tennessee River. (Photo by Beth Young, courtesy Tennessee Riverkeeper)

Infrastructure, Sustainability

A Precious Resource – Think Twice About Wasting Water

fountain-352251_640So many of us may have become complacent about the water that has seemingly so easily flowed through our faucets and garden hoses. In the United States, drought and aging infrastructure served as not so gentle reminders that clean, safe water does not flow freely if we don’t take steps to preserve this precious resource. Flint, MI has poisoned its citizens with lead, which has lead to increased testing – and lead and other toxins are being found in public systems countrywide. In other parts of the world, clean, safe, flowing water is a luxury, which many do not have.

We commemorated World Water Day this week. Life cannot be sustained without water; as such, we believe it is a basic human right. According to UNWater.org, ‘World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference.”

The theme for this years’ World Water Day was water and jobs, and putting a spotlight on how quality and quantity of water can change lives and livelihoods – and even transform societies and economies.

Think about it –installing a small rainwater system for a home or business can vastly improve the lives of residents, employees, families – but also the overall public by reducing loads on public systems. Private systems can still be connected to city or well water, which would be used as backup to rainwater systems, if and when necessary.

But enough about us, we really wanted to share some amazing photos, that will make you think twice about wasting water. The extraordinary shots document how folks around the world access water. We encourage you to take a look, and then think about how we may be heading in this direction if we don’t start thinking about how we can better manage our access to safe and clean water – and the hazards that threaten our aging public systems.

Rainwater Catchment

Poisoned Water in Flint Michigan is Unsafe

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Residents of Flint lined up on Friday to get cases of bottled water distributed by members of the Michigan National Guard. Credit Brittany Greeson for The New York Times
Residents of Flint lined up on Friday to get cases of bottled water distributed by members of the Michigan National Guard. Credit Brittany Greeson for The New York Times

Let it be clear that the team at RainBank does not embrace a scare tactic or doomsday philosophy. We wholeheartedly embrace the principle that safe, clean water is a basic human right. The poisoned public water situation in Flint, Michigan is outrageous – deplorable and unconscionable.

The Washington Post has compiled a timeline of this water crisis. Click here to view.

As reported in the New York Times, the city of Flint, MI, was in a state of receivership from 2011 to 2015. This means the city had its finances controlled by a string of four emergency managers. One of these administrators tried to save money by drawing water from the Flint River.

In doing so, the public water system became poisonous. Folks immediately reported that the color, odor and taste of the water was bad and bacterial contamination was found. However, chemicals used to disinfect the water caused a different kind of contamination, but state officials contended that the water was safe. [Editor’s note – ARE YOU KIDDING ME?]

Exemplary pictures looking into Flint drinking water pipes, showing different kinds of iron corrosion and rust (Photo: Min Tang and Kelsey Pieper) http://flintwaterstudy.org/tag/drinking-water/
Exemplary pictures looking into Flint drinking water pipes, showing different kinds of iron corrosion and rust (Photo: Min Tang and Kelsey Pieper) http://flintwaterstudy.org/tag/drinking-water/

So, even though they now have a safe water supply, the Flint River water was so corrosive, it had caused lead to leach from the pipes. The NY Times article further reports “…it is unclear how long the leaching will continue. Flint is a member of a regional water authority that is building a new pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron, which should be operational later this year.”

The entire incident is being investigated by the Michigan Attorney General’s office and the National Guard has begun distributing bottled water, filters and testing kits to residents.

Adults and children were poisoned by this blatant and alarming disregard for the basic human right to access safe, clean water from a public water system. While authorities have begun the process to right the wrong, it will probably take tens of years to deal with the harm that was inflicted on the folks who trusted that their water was safe.