Above Photo by Garrett Boyte, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana, a religious group that has been helping residents there handle water contamination. Source: EPISCOPALCAFE.COM
Note: As we have reported regarding the water crisis in Flint, it is not alone in water that is dangerous. This is an issue that impacts many cities an rural areas. Below is a portion of an article from ATTN: by Alex Mierjeski. They report:
In St. Joseph, Louisiana, residents say the situation is particularly bad. Pictures posted online of chalky, dirt-brown water in bathtubs, washing machines, and sinks present a sickening image of what they mean. . . .
According to local news reports, residents say they have dealt with water safety issues for years. But some said they had seen drastic changes in water color — from yellowish to murky brown — in recent weeks. Others said the problems had persisted for as long as a decade. Since 2012, the town has mostly been under a boil notice — meaning residents are encouraged to boil water before drinking.
To highlight the problem with the regulation of water safety, according to ATTN: “the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals said water samples from the town met the Environmental Protection Agency’s minimal quality standards.” We would be interested in seeing staff of those two agencies bathe and drink the water in the bathtub above.
We will continue to catalogue examples of unsafe drinking water as this is a national problem deserving of sharp focus and a reconsideration of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Water Drinking Act. These 197os-era laws need to be updated in order to begin to develop a national 21st Century water policy.
For the full article and more photographs see the original ATTN: article.