Dozens of water activists attended a conference in Flint Wednesday.
The conference examined the ongoing effects of lead, PFAS and other contaminants turning up in public drinking water supplies.
Flint became the poster child for problems with municipal water systems several years ago. But it’s hardly alone.
Alicia Smith is an activist in Toledo, where cyanobacteria from Lake Erie contaminated and shut down the city’s tap water in 2014.
“Anytime without water is a public crisis,” says Smith. “Anytime that you’re not able to have what you need as an essential, a necessity for your family is a crisis.”
Conference participants say more needs to be done to eliminate contamination from drinking water sources. Affordability is also a major issue.
“This is not a new issue,” says Debra Taylor, CFO of We the People of Detroit. “And it is not (only) germane to Flint, Detroit, Michigan. This is actually a worldwide issue around water affordability and access to clean affordable water.”
Much of the conversation at the conference centered on the lack of trust communities have in government officials who try to reassure them about the quality of their tap water.
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