Is Benton Harbor, Mich. Water Safe to Drink?

Latest

Young people fighting for clean water in Benton Harbor
Young people fighting for clean water in Benton Harbor. They couldn’t believe no one told them that the water was toxic.
Photo / Valerie Jean
Rev. Edward Pinkney
Photo / Valerie Jean

Rev. Edward Pinkney, President of the Benton Harbor Community Water Council, a group fighting since 2018 to get lead and other toxins out of the town’s drinking water, said he has had a hard time getting straight answers from the EPA about the water’s safety. In addition to lead, in September inspectors found major violations in the water plant’s disinfection treatment. Chlorine treatment monitoring equipment was broken. Record keeping was bad on how much treatment they used, which is added to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in the water. Rev. Pinkney asked environmental agencies: “Is the water safe from bacterial contamination?” He said, “I received no answer [and] it’s the combination of bacteria and lead which is so dangerous. It can make people very ill, and can also kill them.  It’s a silent killer. The question is: Is Benton Harbor water safe to drink? The answer is, it is not.”
— People’s Tribune

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune