#flint mi water crisis

[thoughtlessarse]

Ten years ago, on April 25, 2014, state and local officials assembled at the water plant in Flint, Michigan to celebrate as Mayor Dayne Walling pushed the button that switched the city’s water source from treated Lake Huron water to the caustic and untreated water of the Flint River. The fact that the river water being pumped into the homes of 100,000 residents wasn’t properly treated was known only to an elite inner circle of officials. But shortly after the switch, the residents of Flint began protesting against the move. It was common knowledge that the river was rife with industrial waste. The bad taste, disturbing odor and abnormal color of residents’ tap water were the first indicators that something was wrong. Scientific studies proved, more than a year later, that Flint had dangerously high levels of lead in its water. One indicator was the fact that the number of children with alarmingly high levels of lead in their blood had doubled. The official response was to conceal and flat-out lie. The protests were answered with the claim that all health protocols were being followed and the water was safe to drink. It was a full 18 months before the city reverted back to its original water source. [...] No accountability, no justice The question, “How could this have happened?” remains to a significant extent unanswered to this day. The decisions leading to the catastrophic degradation of the city’s drinking water were the outcome of a conspiracy of officials, many of whom are known—most prominently then-Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, and then-state Treasurer Andy Dillon, a Democrat—and many who have yet to be identified. There is no mystery here, as no serious investigation of the lead poisoning of the largely working class city has been conducted, and none of the perpetrators has been prosecuted. Investigations launched at both the state and federal levels were cover-ups. In 2016, the Republican attorney general of Michigan, Bill Schuette, proclaimed that “the families of Flint will not be forgotten.” He continued, “We will provide the justice they deserve. And in Michigan, the system is not rigged.” Then, during the 2018-2019 transition to a Democratic state government, the attorney general’s office offered seven key defendants plea bargain deals that made them legally untouchable and prevented pursuit of the chain of command because of double jeopardy protections. The mantra of the incoming Democratic prosecution team was “justice delayed is not always justice denied.” Repeating ad nauseum that the Democratic administration of Governor Gretchen Whitmer would follow the evidence wherever it led, in November, 2023 it ignominiously announced the ending of all efforts to prosecute the officials who aided and abetted the poisoning of Flint’s water. A derisory settlement of $626 million for the people of Flint was awarded by a US district court in November 2021, after months of deliberations. To this day, not a single dollar has been disbursed to residents, while some $64 million has already been paid to various legal firms out of their approximately $200 million legal bill. Meanwhile, many impacted residents have died or left the state, having received nothing.

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[scrambledpancakes03]

Before the presidential debate...

I've got some thoughts.

While I know that even the "best" presidential outcome feels like a loss at this point, you do have to vote.

I totally understand not wanting to vote for Joe. There are a lot of reasons for that, some more valid than others. That's not my point rn. There's many genocides happening: read how joe is handling it from verified sources and make your own choices, I trust you'll do what you think is right. I'll just be here full of endless dread no matter what...

But for fucks sake before we all lose hope please remember...

Vote down ballot.

Conservatives win repeatedly all over the country and have been able to make life substantially harder for every individual working person, especially those with marginalized statuses... and it's not primarily due to the shit they've pulled in the Oval Office... it's because they're getting elected to sheriff's offices and school boards and zoning commissions and STATE LEGISLATURES.

Don't let your disillusionment with the president keep you from showing up for candidates you won't hear about from national news... because they are the ones who can save us.

Without progressives, leftists, and even more moderate liberals in local offices, every aspect of life gets substantially harder. Local programs shut down, public services are cut from city budgets, and police keep getting more and more absurd militarized resources. And in that environment, how would we ever stand in solidarity with people suffering around the world? Or even people marginalized here in the US?

Here are some (but not all) elected offices that may be on your ballot in the fall that need your attention in no particular order:

1. Secretary of state: oversees the states record keeping... including voting. Don't let them be fascists.

2. School Board: they decide pretty much everything to do with public school's funding, curriculum, and sometimes even personnel matters or district geography. They decide what your kids learn, where, how, and with whom. Don't let them be bigots.

3. District Attorney/Prosecutor: they decide what crimes have charges brought against them, and in what manner. They're the difference between a teenage kid being tried as an adult or a child for a felony, as well as other matters like that. Don't let them be racist.

4. Sheriff: have insane amounts of power over how criminal investigations are conducted and how a community is policed. FOR FUCKS SAKE STOP ELECTING RACISTS. Also we should just... reconsider the concept and maybe try not having sheriff offices at all. But that's a whole different goal.

5. Planning and zoning commissions: if you are struggling to get housing or stay housed, they are the reason there is little to no affordable housing in your area, because they decide what gets built or maintained in your area. Businesses, parks, houses... yeah. Don't let them be corporate puppets.

6. Public works commission: they control the utilities, the water, the trash, and the recycling. This is one of the main places the environmental movement should be looking to make change. They write regulations that can be used and enforced to reign whole groups of people and corporations in to make real collective change in the way we generate power, consume resources, and manage waste. They are also how we prevent more crisis situations like the one in Flint, MI.

7. City, state, and federal legislators. They write the laws. They appropriate the spending of your tax money. Stop narrowing your focus to the federal executive branch when the left needs to gain momentum writing laws at every level. Don't discount local change, because it adds up.

I know we are all focused on the genocides going on around the world right now. The best way we can continue helping as November comes and goes, is to elect local leaders who will support global liberation by writing laws and regulations that protect our free speech, ensure the quality and equity of our education, and commit to divestment from violence all over the world.

Okay? We all got this?

Can we all just agree to do this part, and we can fight about biden separately, please?

TLDR: Fuck you, vote in all the local races.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Prem Thakker at Zeteo News:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) is being accused of antisemitism by elected officials and mainstream journalists for saying something she never said. 

Here’s how it happened:

Sept. 12: Earlier this month, the Michigan lawmaker called out her state’s Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel, for announcing charges against 11 pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Michigan. “Instead of getting justice, not one criminal charge in the Flint Water Crisis, you're going to spend time in trying to use the power of your office to silence people's First Amendment right,” Tlaib said during a Black-Palestine solidarity panel, moderated by Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan.

Sept. 13: “This is a move that’s going to set a precedent, and it’s unfortunate that a Democrat made that move,” Tlaib elaborated in an interview with the Detroit Metro Times. “You would expect that from a Republican, but not a Democrat, and it’s really unfortunate.” ”We’ve had the right to dissent, the right to protest,” she added. “We’ve done it for climate, the immigrant rights movement, for Black lives, and even around issues of injustice among water shutoffs. But it seems that the attorney general decided if the issue was Palestine, she was going to treat it differently, and that alone speaks volumes about possible biases within the agency she runs.”  Nessel’s prosecutions were also criticized by groups including Michigan’s ACLU chapter. Sept. 20: Days later, Tlaib was the target of a racist editorial cartoon that implied she was part of Hezbollah. The cartoon depicted the only Palestinian member of Congress saying “Odd. My pager just exploded,” in reference to the Israeli military terrorist attacks on Lebanon.

[...]

Sometime Tuesday, Jewish Insider edited the original story, without adding a correction or clarification. “Tlaib has also claimed that Nessel is only charging the protesters because she’s Jewish” became “Tlaib has also suggested that Nessel is only charging the protesters because she’s Jewish.” 

Of course, this manufactured lie about Tlaib has wholly obscured that Tlaib was victim to a racist cartoon donning the pages of publications like the National Review; that she had actually begun garnering support and sympathy from her colleagues; and that Tlaib’s “original sin” was speaking out in defense of students protesting their tuition supporting a US-funded genocidal campaign in Palestine. Tlaib’s original remarks criticizing Nessel focused on the prosecution of pro-Palestine protestors, critiques shared by advocacy groups, including the Michigan chapter of the ACLU. Most of the charges are against students, including Jewish students, who refused to vacate a campus encampment after police ordered them to leave as they demanded the school divest from “weapons manufacturers and war profiteers complicit in the genocide in Palestine.” The arrests came as police allegedly used batons, and “Deep Freeze,” self-described as the “most intense, incapacitating agent available today,” to arrest the students.

Prem Thakker writes in Zeteo News debunking the ridiculous accusation that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is “antisemitic” because she criticized AG Dana Nessel (D) for prosecuting pro-Palestinian protesters.

[multiversxwhore]

I don’t even give a fuck about this rap beef mf are DYING, the police are breaking up peaceful gatherings, and YALLS kids are in the middle of a literary crisis. Fucking Flint MI still doesn’t have clean water but nobody cares about that because Detroit is all clean and shiny now. Which fuck y’all bc nobody outside the city gave a fuck when we were struggling. But yes continue to hype that bs beef like it’s 2018 🙄

[peacockcanyon]

Why not Plouffe? Because he helped guide an administration that moved America further to the right.

Obama was not the most liberal president. He was a timid neocon with baggage like Beyonce and Jeremiah Wright -- who made Obama seem wildly liberal both culturally and socially.

Meantime, he showed up late to Flint, MI in the midst of the water crisis, and told the people there was no water crisis.

That, too, was on Plouffe's watch.

Once again, nope.

[le-souriant]

#MusicMonday Review - May 2024

When tackling with otherwise difficult topics, this month's artists let their creativity flow to make music express their views. Give it a listen, and dive in, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

The Wears – The Old Way

i'm lost in the city between your eyes the streets take me home but i never arrive

maybe i'm incapable of saving whatever mess we create

Welcome to Stockport, England, our starting point, for an Indie Rock track that would like us to relive more simple times, with the one you once loved:

"So it was written shortly after a breakup, and it kinda summarizes that feeling of wanting to get back together but knowing deep down that the ship has sailed…

When you don't want to deal with the emotional aftermath, so you want to revert to The Old Way so to speak, where everything was just that bit easier.

It's the second single from our debut EP Atlas too, which carries on the story. It has a real chapter by chapter feel to it - and is a project we're really proud of."

Sweat – Red Wave

I don't wanna deal with this today But I guess Aunty Irma's here to stay Can you please get the f out of my face Cos' I'm surfing the red wave

If you're into Surf Rock, take a trip with me to Walyalup, Australia. As this band likes to say, you should put your goggles on, it might get messy:

"Giane the guitarist was playing around with new pedals (or likely a new guitar) and she made that classic wave sound and we were all like siiiiick. Let's totally make a beach sounding track with that sound.

I think we started mucking around with the words 'surfing the red wave' and then we had a moment where we were like "damn are we really going to be a girl band that writes about periods" and then we were like, yes, let's absolutely have a song where we scream about periods.

Other memorable moments is when we bonded over the "red hot poker" line because none of us knew that other people had felt that and it's very painful and weird. 🙃

It was so fun recording the this one because of the Beach Boys harmonies in the background."

The Write-Ups – Poisoned Children

Neglected, rusted, abandoned town Corroded, toxic, drink it down Struggling, desperate people abound It’s coming undone

Cognitively damaged, never the same Crooks and liars avoiding the blame Fiscal solvency, that’s what they claimed

From Australia, we fly to Flint, MI for a politically charged ska track about the water supply tragedy from 2014. When water's coming out all dirty and brown, something's not right:

"We're from Flint and all of us (except Dallas - lead guitar and vocals) lived through the water crisis. I (Dan - rhythm guitar and lead vocals) wanted to write a song about the water crises because those responsible haven't and likely won’t be held criminally accountable for their gross negligence that resulted in the deaths of multiple people and a whole generation of children in our community experiencing lead poisoning, which is a neurotoxin that stays in the body permanently, hindering cognitive development in children. These kids will be forever changed and Michigan's former Governor will never be brought to justice for the role he and members of his administration played in the water crisis.

A lot of the lyrics in the song are from a general perspective that could be held by any Flint resident who lived through the water crisis, especially those who were already struggling with poverty and a lack of access to quality housing and nutritious food.

But mainly, we're still incredibly angry that the culprits behind the water crisis will never be held accountable by our justice system, and that's a tragedy that we won't ever forget as a community.

The song itself was one of the first ones we wrote, but we had entirely different lyrics that Dallas wrote, about one of his childhood friends back home in Battle Creek, Michigan who fell into hard drug use and crime, but we started this band before Dallas started grad school out on the east coast for a Masters in Public Health program, and we weren't sure if he'd ever come back to where he could still make playing in the band work, so I asked if I could re-write the lyrics as I felt weird singing such a personal song that wasn't my story to tell, and I felt like we needed to write a song about the water crisis to get that anger out."

Paytron Saint – Carmilla Roll

I have faded like the sun Now my walking life has ever begun No taste on my tongue

Far beneath this canopy Lies a humble state but I don’t feel a thing All needles and pins now baby

Pressed for virtue i was supposed to tell someone But concentration goes I’m left outside undone

From Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, we get an Alt Rock track that knows how age likes to fade you like the earth, and drifts you far from your place of birth. Ain't that the truth:

"The song is an introspective exploration on the plus sides of growing old. It actually started out when we were thinking about our live set and decided we needed a stronger opening song, Nick put the song together quite quickly and we spent a few months gigging it to iron out the creases."

The Young Love Scene – KMFAC

I wanna run run run run wild and free You got a love like heaven and it’s good to me

You wanna run run run run can’t you tell I got a love like heaven but it hurts like hell So baby don’t go now

I need you now I don’t know why or how I really need you now

For a different take on the Alt Rock scene, our last stop is Los Angeles, CA for a song about how the world is so cold without your loved one. Just don’t go, kiss my face and cry:

"I had the guitar riff and the beat for KMFAC before I had the lyrics. I was listening to the rough track and I knew I wanted to make people dance and cry at the same time, as David Byrne once said.

I honestly don't know where my song ideas come from sometimes - I remember starting with the concept of saying goodbye. I wrote the whole album while homeless in Los Angeles (crazy story!), and one thing I've noticed is that certain people in my life have become more distant as I've dealt with that.

I think the song ended up morphing into a song about loving someone that doesn't want to be with you anymore."

Listen to them and much more on the complete Playlist:

[jeanjauthor]

Most of the reservation residents out there still have radiation issues with their water.

That got revealed when the Flint, MI crisis first struck...and got buried shortly thereafter.

But the uranium, etc, is still in their water.

Don’t forget the first victims when you go see Oppenheimer this opening weekend. Unforgivable not to include them in the narrative.

We love us some Nolan and Cillian but this is also a story that should never have taken place.

For further reading:

This is what happens when the US government goes nuclear-crazy during the Cold War and mines a shit ton of uranium. Lambs born with three legs and no eyes, and human stillbirths and agonizing deformities for those that survive. For decades it was referred to as a Navajo-specific hereditary illness. No one made the link to the mines and the drinking water.

[tctmp]

Flint Tale: Directed by Marc Cayce. With Hawthorne James, Erica Peeples, Idrees Degas, Tory Monay. A story about disgraced former Police Chief Daniel Hartwell of Flint, MI, his cheating wife, Poppy Hartwell, and his two adult daughters, Destiny and Chasity during the aftermath of Flint water crisis!

[waterfiltergurus]

Is New Haven Tap Water Safe To Drink in [year]?

Is it safe to drink New Haven tap water? Where does New Haven, CT water come from? And are there any contaminants in the City's water supply that exceed EPA or SDWA guidelines? We've answered all these questions and more in this New Haven tap water safety and quality guide. 📌 Key Takeaways: - The drinking water in New Haven, Connecticut is considered generally safe to drink. - The City of New Haven water contains around 25 contaminants, but none of these are present in dangerous concentrations according to legal guidelines. - The 4 biggest problem contaminants in New Haven drinking water are chromium-6, disinfection byproducts, nitrate, and nitrite. 🚰 Can You Drink New Haven Tap Water? Yes, you can drink the tap water in New Haven because the City's water utility treats the water to make it potable and safe for consumption before it's distributed to homes and businesses. The City's water utility is also in compliance with legal drinking water standards according to the EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database. When public water is treated, contaminants are reduced to trace levels (within legal limits) and microorganisms are killed with chlorine or another chemical disinfectant. This greatly reduces the potential risks and health effects of the untreated water source. According to Standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the water in New Haven, CT is safe to drink. The EPA produced its Standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and imposes limits on the amounts of certain contaminants that can be present in public drinking water. Because none of the impurities in New Haven drinking water are detected at levels higher than the EPA's limits, the water is technically - and legally - safe to drink. That means that, on the surface, New Haven Regional Water Authority (the City's water utility) is abiding by the law and taking the right steps to ensure its water is legally safe - but how far can we trust these legal guidelines? Organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) believe that actually, the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Levels for most contaminants are too high - meaning that even contaminants that don't exceed these MCLs could be present in amounts that pose a health risk. The EPA has conducted research of its own and established a much more stringent set of Health Guidelines, for all of the EPA's regulated contaminants and some contaminants that don't currently have legal limits Looking at the EWG's Tap Water Database for New Haven, we can see that a total of 24 contaminants were detected - 12 that exceed the EWG's Health Guidelines (more on these later). Important note: The EWG is an independent organization and doesn't work with the government in any way. That means that the EWG Health Guidelines are simply that - guidelines. Public water systems aren't obliged to adhere to these Guidelines - they must only adhere to EPA enforcement. What else should we consider when looking at New Haven tap water safety? Lead is a major contaminant with serious health concerns that can easily make the difference between safe and unsafe water. Even low concentrations of this drinking water contaminant can be dangerous because it's known to accumulate in the body over time. You probably already know that New Haven has had problems with lead pipes in the past. In fact, one news article even questioned whether New Haven was "another Flint", referring to the devastating lead water crisis in Flint, MI. In 2021, a class-action settlement agreement went into effect in the City, with the aim of protecting children from lead poisoning. This settlement was achieved after children under 6 in 300 families were found to have elevated lead levels in their blood, and now means that the City must follow "dozens" of steps to reduce lead exposure in old homes in the community, including by inspecting and replacing lead pipes. If your home was built before 1978, your water is more likely to contain lead because your plumbing system may have been built with this material. 👨‍🔧 Does Connecticut have some of the poorest water quality in the US? Find out in this guide to the 10 worst water quality states. 🗺️ Where Does the Tap Water in New Haven Come From? So, where does the water in New Haven come from, and how does this affect its safety? Most of the City's water is sourced from surface water, but just over one-fifth of the New Haven water supply comes from groundwater (underground) supplies. There are ten lakes that supply New Haven with water, based in Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Hamden, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, North Branford, and Woodbridge. These are filled by rivers in the nearby areas. The City also gets its water from three aquifers, natural pockets beneath the ground that are gradually filled with water from rainfall. These aquifers are the Housatonic River aquifer, located in Seymour and Derby, and the Quinnipiac and Mill River aquifers, located in Hamden and Cheshire. Surface water quality tends to be poorer than groundwater quality because surface water is exposed to the elements, while groundwater water is naturally filtered as it passes through rocks and soils into the aquifer. Different parts of the City get their water from different sources. The distribution system is interconnected, meaning that some neighborhoods might get two or more sources of drinking water. Blending the water sources means that the City's water utility can provide enough water to meet customer demands on any occasion. source: stevenholl.com Regardless of where the water in New Haven comes from, it undergoes the same disinfection and treatment process at one of several water treatment plants, including the Whitney Water Purification Facility. Water is treated with the following processes: - Removal of large particles - Water first travels through large sieves that remove debris like twigs and leaves. - Coagulation - Water is treated with chemicals that cause particles to stick together and sink to the bottom. - Sedimentation - The large clumps of particles remain in the bottom of the tank while the surface water continues to the filtration stage. - Filtration - Natural sand, gravel, and charcoal filters are used to remove smaller particles. - Disinfection - Water is treated with chlorine or a similar chemical to kill microorganisms and prevent the spread of waterborne disease. This clean, disinfected water can then be delivered to homes and businesses in the distribution system. 📉 Who Regulates New Haven Drinking Water? The City of New Haven tap water is managed by the New Haven Regional Water Authority (RWA) and regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The EPA regulates all public water systems (PWS) over a certain size. The organization outlines which contaminants should be monitored and reduced in water in its National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. These legally enforceable standards the outline maximum amounts of certain regulated contaminants that can be present in water, known as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). All water utilities must treat their water to make it safe and potable by reducing contaminants to below the MCLs. New Haven adheres to the EPA's regulations through the prevention of water pollution and testing. The City's aquifers and watersheds are monitored and protected to prevent their water quality from being compromised. New Haven is one of the few cities to prohibit discharges from sewage treatment plants within the watershed of any reservoir supplying surface water in the region. The RWA conducts more than 110,000 tests every year, on over 10,000 samples. This testing data is reported regularly to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The EPA has also established an Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR), which is used to monitor large water utilities for the presence of contaminants that don't currently have legal regulations or restrictions. 🧪 New Haven Annual Water Quality Report Information about New Haven's water quality, including where the water is sourced, how it is treated, what it contains, and how concentrations of contaminants compare to EPA MCLs, are shared in the City's annual Water Quality Report (or Consumer Confidence Report). The most recent Water Quality Report for New Haven is the 2022 Report, containing data from January to December 2022. The Report shows that in this year, the City met regulatory standards for all the contaminants detected in the public water supply. That means that no contaminants were detected in concentrations higher than the EPA legal limit. Of course, you might not want to drink even trace levels of certain contaminants, whether legally permissible or not. For instance, 2 testing sites contained lead above the EPA Action Level for lead, which is concerning given the dangers of this toxic heavy metal - even if overall, the City still met regulatory standards for lead. Some of the contaminants listed in the Report include: - Barium - Chloride - Fluoride - Nitrate - Total haloacetic acids - Total trihalomethanes - Chlorine - Lead The Report also lists a number of unregulated contaminants detected in the water, according to the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. These contaminants mostly consist of disinfection byproducts, including: - Monobromoacetic acid - Dibromoacetic acid - Bromochloroacetic acid - Bromodichloroacetic acid 👨‍🔧 We recommend that you take some time to read through the report and learn about the contaminants present in your drinking water supply. You can also compare the most recent Report with Water Quality Reports dating back to 2018 (view the available reports here) to learn how the City's water quality has changed over time. ☣️ Contaminants Found Above Guidelines in Tap Water in New Haven We know that New Haven's tap water is safe to drink according to EPA standards. So, in this section, we'll be looking at the contaminants that exceed the EWG public Health Guidelines. Remember that these Guidelines aren't legally enforceable, so New Haven Regional Water Authority is technically not at fault for failing to reduce its water contaminants to below these levels. However, you may agree with the Environmental Working Group that the EPA's own restrictions are too lenient. If so, you'll be interested to learn about the contaminants present above EWG Guidelines in your water: Haloacetic acids (HAA5)† and Haloacetic acids (HAA9)† Two common disinfection byproducts produced when water is treated with chlorine are HAA5 and HAA9. These disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer (including bladder, colon, liver, and rectal cancer), and may also cause liver damage and other health effects in large amounts. 36.6 PPB and 34.0 PPB (parts per billion) of HAA5 and HAA9 were detected in New Haven drinking water - between 366 and 567x the EWG's Health Advisories of 0.1 PPB and 0.06 PPB. The EPA legal limit for HAA5 is 60 PPB, while HAA9 currently has no MCL. Hexavalent Chromium Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, is a dangerous chemical that gets into water due to industrial pollution (such as from metal plating operations and steel mills). 0.237 PPB of this cancer-causing contaminant was detected in the New Haven water system - 12x the EWG's Health Guideline of 0.02 PPB. Chromium-6 on its own isn't currently regulated by the EPA - only total chromium is regulated. Nitrate and Nitrite Nitrate and nitrite are two forms of nitrogen that get into water due to fertilizer runoff, urban drainage, and pollution from septic systems, landfills, and wastewater. In large amounts, they may affect the blood's ability to carry oxygen and cause headaches, nausea, and increased heart rate. 1.27 PPM of nitrate and nitrite were detected in New Haven water, which is 9.1 the EWG's Health Guideline of 0.14 PPM. The EPA's legal limit for nitrate and nitrite is 10 PPM. Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)† TTHMs, or total trihalomethanes, are also commonly produced when chlorine reacts with organic material in tap water, and may increase the risk of cancers (including colon and bladder cancers) if they're present at very high levels. 48.8 PPB of TTHMs were detected in New Haven drinking water - 325x the EWG's recommended Health Guideline of 0.15 PPB but well within the EPA legal limit of 80 PPB. Other Disinfection Byproducts Several other disinfection byproducts, including bromodichloromethane, chloroform, dibromoacetic acid, dibromochloromethane, dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic acid, were also detected in New Haven's water. The EPA hasn't set legal limits for the majority of these contaminants, but the EWG has its own recommended Health Guidelines of 0.06-o.4 PPB (different for each contaminant).0.0933 PPB to 33.4 PPB of the listed disinfection byproducts were found in New Haven tap water 2.3 - to 211x these Guidelines. 🧫 Main Contaminants Found in New Haven Tap Water There are other contaminants present in the New Haven water system that don't exceed the EPA legal limit or the EWG Health Guidelines. These are: - 1,4-Dioxane - An organic compound classed as an ether that's used in paints, cosmetics, and varnishes; exposure over a person's lifetime may cause health risks like cancer, liver damage, and respiratory problems. - Barium - A non-toxic, naturally occurring metal that is present in some sedimentary and igneous rocks; doesn't pose a public health risk in low levels but may cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, paralysis, and even death if large amounts are consumed. - Disinfection byproducts including bromoform, chlorate and monochloroacetic acid - Occur when disinfectants like chlorine react with organic matter; large amounts may damage the liver and increase the risk of certain cancers. - Fluoride - A mineral found naturally in New Haven water and produced synthetically and used to boost the City's fluoride intake for dental health purposes; not a known public health hazard in low levels but may cause dental fluorosis (discoloration of the tooth enamel) in young children and infants. - Manganese - A hard water mineral, usually present alongside calcium, which is safe to drink but causes aesthetic issues including limescale staining, reduced water flow, dry skin and hair, and poor lather with soap. - Strontium - Another naturally occurring metal that the human body may mistake for calcium, causing health risks such as weakened bone structure in large amounts. - Total chromium - Refers to both chromium-6 (the harmful form of chromium that causes cancer and other health risks) and chromium-3 (the mostly harmless form of chromium, otherwise known as trivalent chromium) in water. - Vanadium - A metal that occurs naturally in the environment and shouldn't pose a health hazard in low levels. ⛲ New Haven Drinking Water in Public Places Is it safe to drink the water in public places like hotels, bars, and restaurants in New Haven? Yes. The public water in New Haven is exactly the same as the water supplied to homes and businesses by the City's water utility. Public places are on the same distribution system, so the water quality is no different. Most restaurant and bar staff will provide free tap water on request, but they're not legally obliged to, and you might have to pay for another drink depending on the establishment's own rules. Most hotels have clean, safe drinking water in their bathroom faucets, or may provide you with a small quantity of bottled water for free. If you're not sure about the safety of the bathroom tap water, check at the reception or ask for water from the hotel bar. Bottled water is also widely available in grocery stores and supermarkets in the City, and many bottled water products have the advantage of being more thoroughly filtered than normal tap water. Keep in mind that plastic bottles are bad for the environment, so you should reduce your bottled water intake where possible. Continue Reading: Easy and Affordable Ways to Test Water Quality at Home 💬 Frequently Asked Questions Is New Haven tap water safe to drink? Yes, the tap water in New Haven is safe to drink because none of the contaminants present in the water exceed the EPA's legal limit. However, some organizations, like the Environmental Working Group, argue that many of these contaminants may still affect human health when present in levels deemed safe by the EPA. Many homes and businesses in New Haven are also at risk of lead contamination. If you're concerned about your tap water quality, consider installing a water filter system at home. Is it safe to drink tap water in Connecticut? Yes, it's safe to drink tap water in Connecticut. However, some cities are at risk of lead water contamination, so if you have an old plumbing system or you're just concerned about this drinking water contaminant, we recommend testing your water for lead. Where does New Haven CT water come from? The water in New Haven, CT comes from 10 lakes located in Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Hamden, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, North Branford, and Woodbridge, as well as three aquifers: the Housatonic River aquifer in Seymour and Derby, and the Quinnipiac and Mill River aquifers located in Hamden and Cheshire. Does New Haven have hard water? Yes, New Haven has very hard water, with a reading of about 194 PPM. If you live in New Haven and you haven't installed a water softener, you may notice the effects of hard water, including limescale formation on your pipes and water-using appliances, poor lather with soap, and dry skin and hair. Is New Haven tap water fluoridated? Yes, the water in New Haven, CT is fluoridated. Fluoride is added to the City's water because of the mineral's known dental health benefits (fluoride prevents tooth decay and protects the tooth enamel). Because New Haven's various water sources contain fluctuating amounts of natural fluoride, the City adjusts the amount of fluoride it adds to the water to ensure that it's always within the EPA's safe range of 0.55 mg/l (or parts per million) to 0.85 mg/l. How is New Haven drinking water disinfected? New Haven drinking water is disinfected with chlorine and similar chemicals. Chlorine is commonly used for water disinfection in public water systems because it's affordable and effective in large-scale applications. However, adding chlorine to water has several setbacks, including the formation of numerous cancer-causing disinfection byproducts (produced when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in the water). Unfortunately, many non-chemical disinfection alternatives, like UV purification, are too expensive to employ at water treatment facilities. What town has the best drinking water in CT? There's no definite data online that tells us which town in CT has the best drinking water. You could compare all the Water Quality Reports in the state - but that would take a very long time. If you're curious or concerned about your own water quality, conduct a water test to find out exactly what it contains. Read the full article

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Flint Water Crisis

In 2014, the city of Flint, MI, changed its water source to the Flint River to save money. However, it did not use proper treatment processes for the water supply. This exposed the city’s 100,000 residents — most of whom were Black — to bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Legionella and contaminants such as lead, which is a neurotoxin.

Arsenic contamination in San Joaquin Valley

In San Joaquin Valley, CA, industrial uses — such as wood treatment processes and prevalence in pesticides — add to the natural concentration of arsenic. Irrigation and drainage activities then cause the arsenic to spread. It collects in shallower levels of groundwater.

However, in San Joaquin Valley, the main source of drinking water for around 1 million residents is groundwater, with the worst exposure for low income communities and Communities of Color.

‘Cancer Alley’ in Louisiana

A 2021 report highlights concerns about industrializing the stretch of land between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, dubbed “Cancer Alley,” in the southern state of Louisiana.

The report suggests that pollutants from current developments are putting local people, most of whom are Black, at risk of cancer and respiratory conditions, among other illnesses. This suggests that federal environmental regulations are not protecting the residents.

However, developers are continuing to industrialize the area. For example, the developer FG LA LLC gained approval to begin the “Sunshine Project” in 2018. This project is estimated to more than double the risk of local people developing cancer.

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Sen. Turner and Guest Jessica Burbank Discuss: Another Day, Another Mass Shooting In America. Mental Health Too Often Blamed For Gun Violence. Iowa Gop Cruelly Targets Snap Benefits. Sen. Turner Checks Tomi Lahren’s Hate On Twitter. Framers Denied Black People Freedom. Gun Lovers Miss On Definition Of 2nd Amendment. WTF Neolib: Buttigieg Fails To Stop Ticket Scam. Buttigieg’s Failures As Transportation Sec. Flint Residents Still Suffering From Water Crisis. MI. Leadership Has Long Failed People Of Flint. Backbone: Stand Through Tribulations. 230123__UB by The Young Turks

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