Editor’s note: Information in this story is from a video by NowThis News and from People’s Tribune’s interviews with residents.
Kentucky’s Martin County Concerned Citizens say 50% of county residents cannot afford their monthly water bill. People also say the water is often undrinkable, making them sick. “This is truly a water quality crisis, a water affordability crisis. These people deserve clean and reliable water,” said Ricki Draper, of Martin County Concerned Citizens.
According to BarbiAnn Maynard, a Martin County Water Warrior, “It started with the coal slurry spill October 11, 2000 when 307 million gallons of arsenic sludge and heavy metal was dumped into our river supply. We haven’t had clean water in 20 years. On top of this, the system is outdated and dilapidated. So the water at the plant may be good, but through the cracks and ground water infiltrating into our lines, by the time it makes it to most homes, it is not what it was at the intake. We have no idea what is really making it to our faucets.”
In 2018 a new crisis arose. The county is now seeking a for-profit manager of the outdated water system. Residents were told to privatize the water or get a rate hike. But some residents feel differently because of awareness that privatizing the water in our cities has not meant cleaner or cheaper water. As Nina McCoy, chairperson of Martin County Concerned Citizens said, “These are private for profit companies. There does not need to be a private corporation that is just trying to increase profits on Wall Street. The public needs to have charge of this type of system.”
Mary Cromer, a pro-bono attorney with the Appalachian Law Center, points out, “This is a nationwide problem. Flint was a watershed moment about the problems with our drinking water. As a result of Flint, there’s a lot more public awareness and recognition of how important the issue is. Most of the country legally does not recognize a fundamental human right to water. There is a UN resolution that states that there is a right to clean water, but it was not adopted by the U.S.”
Most agree that this is a societal problem that can only be solved by recognizing water as a basic human right and by having a government that guarantees that right to all.
“I’m the optimist,” says Nina, “I believe if you fight you might win.”
Some communities today are fighting for their water to remain public and also for water affordability plans where people pay based on their income and shut offs are prohibited. A next step in the fight?
