Another predominately Black Michigan city faces a water crisis, and experts warn this issue is worse than Flint’s.
Benton Harbor is about 190 miles west of Flint and sits near the shores of Lake Michigan.
In 2018, the lead contamination found in Benton Harbor’s water supply was 22 parts per billion in its tap water – far higher than the federal action level of 15 PPB and higher, even, than nearby Flint at the height of its water crisis.
👀 Watch the 10.12.21 edition of #RolandMartinUnfiltered https://youtu.be/mXOA2GCJ24U
But here’s the worst part, a town across the bridge from the city has clean water!
St. Joseph is only an eight-minute drive but has an entirely different story.
Benton Harbor is 85 percent Black, and the nearby St Joseph is about 85-percent white.
In Benton Harbor, more than 45 percent of residents live below the poverty line; they cross the bridge into St Joseph, and the poverty rate is just 7 percent, well below the state average.
So how did this happen?
According to the city’s website, its water distribution system is over 100 years old, and existing water lines to homes vary in ages. Many homes built before the 1960s likely have some type of lead component in their service line.
So what is the city of Benton Harbor doing about this?
In 2019, the city began replacing lead service lines and will continue until all lead lines are replaced.
Benton Harbor was awarded a $5.557 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which will help replace approximately 888 lead service lines over the next four years.
But until then, the state advises residents to refrain from using tap water for anything and has promised to expand the free water distribution.
#RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Amazon | Get 2-hour grocery delivery, set up you Amazon Day deliveries, watch Amazon Originals with Prime Video and save up to 80% on meds with Amazon Prime 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ArwxEh
⭐️ Become a member of the #RMU #BringTheFunk Fan Club right here on YouTube https://bit.ly/3oERYfs or with a credit card via Square 👉🏿 https://bit.ly/3tk9064. Every dollar that you contribute helps to make #RolandMartinUnfiltered possible.
Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered
Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox
Put some swagger in your wardrobe with Roland S. Martin Pocket Squares. Visit http://rolandsmartin.com/pocketsquares to order your shibori pocket squares today.
Shop with Roland Martin and #RMU. Visit our Amazon Affiliate link for great deals and to support #RolandMartinUnfiltered – https://amzn.to/2OuLH70
–
Get a FREE trial to Amazon Prime on us – https://amzn.to/35XK4Vo
Check out #RolandsBookClub and some of his favorite tech gear http://ow.ly/M5zF50uJPam
✅ Join the #RolandMartinUnfiltered #BringTheFunk Fan Club to support fact-based independent journalism http://ow.ly/VRyC30nKjpY
✅ Join the Roland Martin and #RolandMartinUnfiltered mailing list http://ow.ly/LCvI30nKjuj
#RolandMartinUnfiltered is a daily show broadcast from Washington, DC, that will focus on news, politics, culture, entertainment, social justice, sports, education, business, and finance. If it’s important to you, we will cover it.
The Roland S. Martin YouTube channel is a news reporting site covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Be the first to comment