Shocking Report: Over 5,300 U.S. Water Systems are in Violation of the Law — Poisoning Millions
According to a new report, some 18 million Americans “live in communities where the water systems are in violation of the law.”
Flint apparently marked the tip of a nefarious iceberg, and lead isn’t the only contaminant polluting drinking water for millions in the United States.
“Imagine a cop sitting, watching people run stop signs, and speed at 90 miles per hour in small communities and still doing absolutely nothing about it — knowing the people who are violating the law. And doing nothing,” illustrated Erik Olsen, health program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which analyzed EPA data for the report. “That’s unfortunately what we have now.”
According to the NRDC’s scathing report, “What’s In Your Water? Flint and Beyond,” lead contamination in Flint — the subject of national outrage and scandal — is “not anomalous.”
In fact, 5,363 water systems in the U.S. in 2015 violated the federal Lead and Copper Rule — putting around 18 million people at risk of consuming those contaminants — and virtually none of those responsible faced any penalties, much less criminal charges.
“For more than a year, government officials callously downplayed or ignored Flint’s toxic water and the majority-black community’s cries for help,” the report asserts. “Federal EPA, state, and state-appointed local environmental officials belittled and refused to listen to Flint residents and their advocates.”
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