The Stream, October 15, 2021: Lead Pipes Will Be Replaced In Benton Harbor, Michigan Governor Says

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• Major global corporations’ plans to be ‘water positive’ lack accountability measures, experts say.
• Precipitation, flooding, and sea levels are rising in Maryland.
• Michigan’s governor pledges to replace lead pipes in Benton Harbor in the next year and a half.
• Water quality in England’s Windemere Lake is being threatened by raw sewage discharge.

Heavy rain is causing flooding and mudslides on the Greek island of Evia, where wildfires have raged all summer.

“We have hundreds of calls to pump out water from homes.” – Giorgos Tsapourniotis, the mayor of the Greek village of Mantoudi. After massive wildfires ravaged the Greek island of Evia, communities are now struggling to deal with floods and mudslides after a storm system dumped heavy rain across the island. Officials raced to construct flood barriers and compensate for lost forest cover over the last few weeks, The Guardian reports, but many are already feeling the rainstorm’s wrath: Over 200 homes were damaged last weekend, and flooding made roads impassable.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

In Case You Missed It:

HotSpots H2O: New Report Urges Policymakers to ‘Wake Up to the Looming Water Crisis’ – Current rates of progress on water, sanitation, and hygiene would need to quadruple to meet UN targets.

What’s Up With Water – October 11, 2021 – This week’s episode of What’s Up With Water covers a UN report calling for equitable distribution of water between Israel and Palestine, officials in the Great Lakes region who will provide bottled water to two communities contending with contaminated drinking water and Michigan health officials recommending thousands of residents in Benton Harbor use bottled water for cooking, drinking, and brushing teeth.

‘Water Positive’ Plans From Major Corporations Lack Direction and Accountability, Experts Say

As major companies like PepsiCo, Facebook, and Microsoft commit to being “water positive,” or replenishing more water than they use, The Guardian reports that many experts are concerned that these voluntary pledges can lack precise definitions and accountability mechanisms. Most companies’ plans for water positivity are different, and don’t consider the hyperlocal nature of water scarcity.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

18 MONTHS

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that the state plans to replace lead pipes in the city of Benton Harbor in the next 18 months, the Associated Press reports. The move comes amid criticism of state and local officials’ handling of the years-long water crisis in Benton Harbor, where lead levels were found to be higher than those during the crisis in the Michigan city of Flint in 2014.

20 YEARS

New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that rainfall, flooding, and sea levels have increased across the state of Maryland in the last 20 years, according to the Associated Press. NOAA official Greg Carbin said that to combat increased precipitation and flooding, at-risk cities need to implement more resilient infrastructure that can mitigate damage.

ON THE RADAR

Water at a major tourist spot in England is being contaminated by mass quantities of raw sewage, the BBC reports. Environmental activists say that wastewater discharge in Windermere Lake, part of the infamous Lakes District in northern England, has left water quality so poor the lake is in danger of becoming “ecologically dead.”

Jane Johnston

Jane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was the host of the Community Service Learning Center podcast Be the Change. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jane enjoys listening to music, reading and spending time outdoors.