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Is Benton Harbor, Mich. Water Safe to Drink?

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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

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