Definitely, trust but verify. And that first part is getting more and more risky. We gotta hold the government accountable at all levels or they are just going to waste this beautiful place.

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We need more tax cuts for the rich…maybe that will fix it?

And less intrusive regulations on private enterprise, so that we privatize public utilities, make them unaccountable to the public, and create laws shielding them from all liability. If we did all this then we would never hear about contaminated water again because who cares about the poors, as long as they pay their bills. /s

And as long as the water issues don’t affect me…/s

People got to switch out their pipes every so often.

And if a landlord don't switch out his pipes he got to get no rent until he does. Enforce standards.

Sounds like Baltimore's not Flint. The main water structure is ok. It's just houses with rusted pipes all over the place.

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And this doesn't even mention the issue of high amounts of lead in the water in Baltimore City AND the surrounding counties...that is so high that lots of schools have had to completely remove their water fountains (this specifically has happened in at least Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City). In 2018, 19 schools within my county (some literally 5 minutes away from my home) tested too high for lead and had to have water outlets shut off. One school in my same suburb/city had 71 separate, individual water outlets that had to be immediately shut off because they were tested at over 20pbb (EPA guideline).

In Maryland, we have zipcodes that are considered to be at-risk for lead exposure and part of Maryland law is before sending a child to daycare and/or public school, if you live in one of the MANY zipcodes listed, you have to get their blood tested for lead. We never drink straight tap water (always filtered) and have tested our water multiple times, but the concern is always there.

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Ask yourself this question: in a country so rich, why are the people and communities so ravaged and poor? Why so many gated communities and why so many shops with their wares behind glass?

How can this be?

What's really awful is that we get these stories after the water systems went around demonizing bottled water.

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Yeah but also look at how every year corps like nestle steal massive amounts of water in places that really need that water.

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The country is falling apart for those who are not rich.

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." - Dom Helder Camara

If only somebody would have say proposed a giant infrastructure bill that had loads of money in it to tackle exactly this problem,and If only people would have voted enough of the party that wanted that big infrastructure bill passed into office? 😂

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It's like people committing harakiri with a shotgun, on the offchance that it will hit someone behind them the dislike.

Better question: what other countries are like this?

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I'm pretty sure that's been the plan in play for a while. The real trick was convincing over half the population that they wanted it.

Nothing in this article drives a wedge. It is a fact that environmental injustices disproportionately affecting black and brown communities exist.

The trick is hiding the agenda behind a facade of reactionary appeals. They don't campaign promising to screw their voters they campaign on 'traditional values', religious fundamentalism, guns, racism, nativism, bathroom bills, trans students, etc

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It’s my design friend. Hail Satan

r/uncapthehouse

Our representative democracy is failing the people because it's primary mechanics are broken

Let's keep bickering over social issues while the ruling class poisons our water and enjoys theirs through cutting edge filters.

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The article doesn’t describe a “national” problem. “By the EPA’s own estimates, the nation’s drinking and wastewater infrastructure will require more than $744 billion over the next 20 years,” which sounds like a lot but is about 30 cents per day per person.

Conditions in the US are spotty. It appears water is a problem in some cities scattered around the country. “The federal government’s share of capital spending in the water sector fell from 63% in 1977 to about 9% of total capital spending by 2017, according to the ASCE.” That’s an interesting shift, a kind of de-nationalization. Strange how the US political system started falling apart the moment it won the Cold War and lost its unifying enemy.

Former slave colonies. Brazil and S. Africa come immediately to mind

Do you know how many advance surface to air missiles can be purchased for a billion dollars?

Why don't they just buy delicious bottled water by Nestle™?

I'm not saying anything new here but rich people have what they want, and for them, it's on you to not be in your circumstances. There's no nuance.

Hmm I dunno, 3 or 4?

Usually racism/classism. It starts off as icky black poors, let’s move. Then it just spirals downward because generational poverty worsens things, I.e. whole cities without a tax base to fund their infrastructure.

But now people take no responsibility for their fellow people by saying municipal mismanagement. Thanks conservative scholar shits!

Compound issue. Lack of social safety nets and at the same time widespread apathy, both on the people who have power and the communities you mentioned

Uh. It costs like $200 for a high quality water filtration system for drinking water. We’ve been using them forever in places that have high mineral content in the water..

E: Ah yes, the classic “poor people can’t afford a $200 item that’s a great benefit to health.” How many poor people do you guys actually know?

This is news to me, thanks. Apparently the action level is now 5pbb, in AACO anyway. It’s sad that you can’t even drink water at school without worry. My kids school isn’t even on the water report list for some reason so now I have that to worry about.. I want to check my tap water too!

the US is not one country.

the bottom 60% live paycheck-to-paycheck. they tread water just waiting for the misery to end. they are "transparent" to the rest. they are kinda no different to people of a 3rd world country.

so when you say "a country so rich" you are really referring to the top 40%. actually the wealth is only in the top 20% .. the other 20% have the american dream that one day they will reach this club .. except only a small number will realize it.

Do those filters work for PFAS?

Also $200 to your average paycheck to paycheck worker is a lot.

It’s ok we just need to give Ukraine another 80 billion dollars.

you think these people are turning down bottled water? because it's been demonized?? do you think bottled water is the cure for this problem?

what a special take.

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Baltimore is solid blue.

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Because the country isn’t rich, individuals are the ones that are rich. And their responses is “Fuck you, I got mine.”

And cutting taxes and the government programs they fund to line rich peoples pockets is solid red.

What do you want to bet if we dig in we will find federal funds being withdrawn and state taxes being cut by republican lead moves leading to an infrastructure crisis?

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I mean a fleet of Ferraris and nice houses are cheaper than many peoples medical bills. That doesn’t mean everyone can afford to buy water filters.

It's a pretty shit plan if they actually planned it.

Great, the country fell apart. You made a ton of money. But no where in the world is isolated from the fallout (potentially literally) of a destabilized US....

Irrelevant to people who don't have $200 to spend. If only we could have clean drinking water in a 1st world country for the low, low price of 20-30% of our income each year in taxes. I guess one can dream.

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The whole game is rigged...

It's been moving towards this since the 80s. They're some real big brains there.

Damn…maybe this is why so many of Baltimore student struggle in school and crime is so high…town is being poisoned

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Fine point: but it doesn't sound like there is lead in the water so much as there are old metal fixtures (like old water faucets) at the schools that contain lead. Lead used to be used as solder to join pipes together, and it used to be more common in metal alloys. Water dissolves some of it if it remains in contact with the surface for a long time (like when the water hasn't been run in an empty school over the weekend). Usually samples at schools are collected at a time to see the "worst case scenario" of water that's been sitting still in contact with pipes and fixtures.

It's a problem that needs to be addressed. However, it doesn't mean that the water going to the schools has an unsafe level of lead in it.

Check out Lifestraw. Pitchers that fit their filters for PFAS start at $35. Replacement filters begin at $14.

Any plumbing/metal plumbing fixtures that were installed prior to 1978 (that have not been renovated) are very likely to have lead…and it’s not just water fixtures, but also corrosion from lead service pipes leading into buildings that are still an issue. Maryland is a very old state, so there has been a lot of work to do. Since Maryland has been strict with lead testing and removing lead fixtures starting in the early 1990’s, the lead exposure rates have gone down drastically, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

And yes, the mandate specified water had to be tested after sitting in the pipes between 8-18 hours. A worst case scenario is still important to test…the kid who gets dropped off to school first every day and immediately needs a drink of water still matters.

Developing countries.

Good luck ever getting rid of bottled water in this country!

20-30% of even a poor persons income would be far more than $200

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Only way to win is to not play

Don't lie to yourself, if you live on this planet, you lose.

I thought we were quoting the wire since Baltimore and all

https://youtu.be/K0omu7x_LbU

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