Cities Affected By Water Crisis in America
Here is a list of places in the United States who are affected by contaminated water. 64 Million people are affected by dirty drinking water.
Dos Palos CA
Arsenic
Detroit MI
Lead, found in public schools
Newark NJ
Lead, and haloacetic acids - cause skin irritation, and potentially increase cancer risk
Washington DC
Lead
Brady TX
Radium
Baltimore MD
Viruses, bacteria, parasites, lead
Charleston WV
MCHM - a chemical foam that's used to wash coal, if inhaled or comes in contact with skin, it could cause vomiting or irritation such as itching or burning
Newburgh NY
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which has been linked to cancer and chronic kidney disease
Miami FL
PFAS - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, resist heat, grease, stains, and water, can linger in water and air for thousands of years, consuming or inhaling them means they could stay in the body for life — hence their nickname, "forever chemicals"
Milwaukee WI
Lead, found predominantly in children
Pittsburgh PA
Parasites in the water
Jackson MS
A public health crisis in and around the city of Jackson, Mississippi, began in late August 2022 after the Pearl River flooded due to severe storms in the state. The flooding caused the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, the city's largest water treatment facility, which was already running on backup pumps due to failures the month prior, to stop the treatment of drinking water indefinitely. This resulted in approximately 150,000 residents of the city being left without access to safe drinking water. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency and United States President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to trigger federal aid. Reeves withdrew the state of emergency on November 22. The crisis triggered a political debate regarding racial discrimination, infrastructure neglect, and shifting local demographics.
A video of a woman in Jackson MS went viral after showing the water conditions just two months before Tate Reeves decided to withdraw the state of emergency.
The National Guard ended up having to supply residents with bottled water during the state of emergency.
Flint MI
In April 2014 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder decided to switch the city’s water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure.
Over the following months, residents were twice advised to boil water because of the presence of dangerous levels of bacteria, and General Motors announced that the use of Flint River water at its plant was causing corrosion on newly machined engine parts. A spike in the incidence of Legionnaire in Flint led Genesee County health officials to question whether the outbreak might be connected to contamination of the water supply, but attempts to investigate the matter were met with resistance at the city and state levels. In January 2015 the city informed residents that elevated levels of carcinogenic trihalomethanes had been detected in Flint’s water but insisted that it remained safe to drink. Later that month, dangerous levels of lead were detected in two water fountains on the University of Michigan–Flint campus. The DWSD offered to reconnect Flint to its system, but Flint’s emergency manager declined, and communications within Snyder’s administration revealed that cost remained the primary decision driver as public health concerns began to mount.
CNN did a mini docu-series on Flint MI. Most people saw the problem as a sign of a failing government, due to the issue pursued through both the Obama, Trump, and Biden presidencies.
