More Floridians are exposed to unsafe drinking water than just about anywhere in the country, according to a new study of violations. The state ranked second in the number of people impacted by violations under the Safe Drinking Water Act based on the most recent data available from 2015, the Natural Resources Defense Council said.
Nationally, 77 million people were exposed to unsafe water, with violations including high levels or toxic arsenic, lead, and other chemicals, as well as failure to test or report contamination. The study, a follow-up to an examination of the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, comes as the Trump administration considers drastic cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, which enforces the law.
The problem is two-fold: there’s no cop on the beat enforcing our drinking water laws, and we’re living on borrowed time. Natural Resources Defense Council’s health program director Erik Olson “The problem is two-fold: there’s no cop on the beat enforcing our drinking water laws, and we’re living on borrowed time with our ancient, deteriorating water infrastructure,” Erik Olson, NRDC’s health program director, said in a statement. “We take it for granted that when we turn on our kitchen tap, the water will […]
Full article: Florida drinking water ranks among nation’s worst, study finds
