The Center for Accountability in Science
The Center for Accountability in Science
Description: Nearly 20 million Americans fall ill due to contaminated drinking water each year. Find out if your water system is safe.
… or scroll down to learn more about the problem
In late 2021, the residents of Jackson, Mississippi, went without water for nearly a month. A cold spell caused many of the city’s aging pipes to burst, sparking boil water advisories throughout the city. While that was the longest outage, many more followed throughout 2022, prompting the EPA to launch an investigation into the city’s failing water system. Many of the city’s residence have given up on the water supply, instead relying on bottled water.
The same is true for Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 2021, the city suffered a lead contamination problem much more severe than the issues facing nearby Flint a few years earlier. Residents said the water poured out of the taps “sizzling like Alka-Seltzer.” While Flint averaged a lead contamination of 20 parts per billion, Benton Harbor tested as high as 889 parts per billion. According to the EPA, no level of lead exposure is safe. Just as in Jackson, the people of Benton Harbor don’t trust their taps.
The Center for Accountability in Science
The Center for Accountability in Science