EPA: BETTER ENFORCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS FOR OUR WATER SYSTEMS

Water contamination is a recurring issue, and even with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act we are still having these crises. Not only is the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan evidence that there is a problem, but all the water contamination crises that have happened in the past two decades, which include the Hinkley water contamination, the Elk River contamination in West Virginia, Milwaukee, North Carolina and many more that aren’t listed prove that action needs to be taken. We all have children, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, a family that we care about and want to keep safe and the effects of being exposed to and drinking contaminated water include a wide variety of health problems and, in some cases, death. The Natural Resources Defense Council has provided the public with a list of common drinking water contaminants. Some of these include arsenic, chromium, cyanide, lead, total coliform bacteria, and cryptosporidium. Arsenic is toxic to humans and causes cancer; it typically is found in industry factories and buildings and in the past was used as a pesticide. Chromium is a metal used in industrial buildings and factories, and is also used while making stainless steel, rubber and paint. Being exposed to chromium can cause irritation of the skin to liver and kidney damage. Cyanide is a commonly known poison and when humans are exposed it can affect the brain, cause tremors and, if exposure is long, it can damage nerves, affect the thyroid and can decrease weight. Lead is a heavy metal that enters water from the corrosion in pipes, faucets, and other plumbing. Lead poisoning can damage the brain, nerves, red blood cells, kidney, and can cause children to have trouble with growth, learning, and behavior. Cryptosporidium is a waterborne protozoan parasite that can live in the intestine of humans and animals. Cryptosporidium can give you diarrhea for a span of up to two weeks, and can cause nausea, fevers and abdominal cramps.
Those are common contaminants found in water; common. All the effects of those contaminants to me are extreme and I know I wouldn’t want any of that for my family. In this country we have a right to clean and safe drinking water. That’s why we need to take action. We need the EPA to strengthen and better enforce laws and regulations of our water systems, and to do so they should hire more workers to test and regulate the water systems to make sure our water is safe and clean to drink. With that in mind the EPA needs to start using the legal power they have and actually inform the public when the water isn’t safe and clean to drink. The water contamination crisis in Flint Michigan was kept from the public for almost two years. On the Safe Drinking Water Act it clearly states that the public has a right to know what they’re drinking. The recent water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan shows that information is being concealed.
As of right now both the state and the EPA have not taken responsibility, but share the blame. Both are able to take legal action, but chose not to until it was too late. The EPA needs to either press for reform of the act or start taking actual legal action when things like this occur. Sign this petition now to tell the EPA that this is a much needed solution and that we won’t settle for anything less when it comes to the safety of our friends, family and country.