LeeAnne Walters, a recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, was key in exposing the crisis of lead-laced water in Flint, Mich. A Flint activist who worked to expose the Michigan city’s lead crisis is being hailed as an environmental hero.
She’s one of the winners of the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize. The honor, announced on Monday, recognizes grass-roots environmental activists from around the world. Shortly after the city of Flint switched its water source to save money in April 2014, LeeAnne Walters spotted a rash on her twins. Walters is a mother of four, and when she and her children started experiencing other health problems such as hair loss, she suspected the brown water flowing out of her tap. She demanded action from local officials, confronting them with bottles of discolored water.
“Walters first informed the city of the water problem in late 2014, but it was not until February 2015 that the city sent someone to check on her complaints,” according to the prize administrators. “Tests revealed that lead levels in her drinking water were at 104 parts per billion (ppb)—unprecedented levels for Flint, so high that a city is required to alert residents immediately, per […]
Full article: Flint Activist Wins Major Environmental Prize
More about Flint, Michigan and water:
Watchdog says lack of EPA oversight helped cause ‘catastrophic’ Flint water crisis
Fraudulence in Flint: How Suspect Science Helped Declare the Water Crisis Over
State puts Flint on notice for not fixing water system deficiencies
11-Year-Old Just Developed New Sensor to Detect Lead in Tap Water
Federal Judge Orders All Parties In Flint Water Case Into Mediation
Flint Water Investigation Leads to Felony Charges for Michigan State Employees
Study: Fewer pregnancies, more fetal deaths in Flint after lead levels rose in water
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