benton-harbor-michigan-water
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If the Flint, Michigan water crisis wasn&#8217;t terrible enough, another predominantly Black Michigan city, Benton Harbor, is having the same issue.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Thursday, residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan were told they were finally getting a new lead system, after dealing with contaminated water for years, according to<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/15/benton-harbor-michigan-lead-drinking-water"> The Guardian</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The residents of Benton Harbor have had elevated water levels for the past three years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Initially announcing plans to replace the service lines within the next five years&#8211;something that didn’t sit right with the residents of Benton Harbor&#8211;Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced there would be an “all-hands-on-deck,” in resolving this matter within the next 18 months.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Every Michigander deserves safe drinking water, and every community deserves lead-free pipes,” Whitmer said in a </span><a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499-570500--,00.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">statement</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on Thursday. “We will not rest until the job is done and every parent feels confident to give their kid a glass of water knowing that it is safe.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This comes weeks after residents of Benton were advised not to use water to cook or drink “out of an abundance of caution.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2018, it was first reported that Benton Harbor had a higher level of lead content than Flint.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In 2018, testing revealed a lead content of 22 parts per billion – higher than that of nearby Flint at the height of the crisis that made that city a symbol of US environmental injustice.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In response to the lack of action from leaders, Benton Harbor Community </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/water"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Water</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Council filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In September, the state of Michigan announced that water filters would be distributed to every home within the city and also free bottled water.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the water system is being upgraded and replaced, community leader, Pinkney, wants the state to verbally express that the water is actually dangerous.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve got 18 months before the pipes are gonna be completed,” Pinkney said, urging officials to formally declare the water dangerous instead of telling residents they are acting “out of an abundance of caution.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roomies, what do you all think of this?</span></p>
<p> ;</p>
 <div class="wpra-reactions-wrap wpra-plugin-container" style="justify-content: center;;"> <div class="wpra-reactions-container" data-ver="1.3.10" data-post_id="79679" data-show_count="true" data-enable_share="onclick" data-behavior="regular" data-animation="true" data-share_url="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/predominantly-black-michigan-city-benton-harbor-will-finally-have-new-lead-free-pipes-after-three-years-of-contamination/" data-secure="0ff7a3bbcb"> <div class="wpra-call-to-action" style="color: #000000;font-size: 25px;font-weight: 600;">What Do You Think Roomies?</div> <div class="wpra-reactions wpra-static-emojis size-medium" style="border-color: #ffffff;border-width: 0px;border-radius: 50px;border-style: solid;background: #ffffff;">					<div class="emoji-8 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="8"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-10 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="10"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-4 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="4"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-5 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="5"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-2 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="2"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-7 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="7"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-12 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="12"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div> </div> <div class="wpra-share-wrap wpra-share-buttons-bordered" style="">				 </div> <!-- end of share buttons -->			 </div> <!-- end of reactions container --> </div> <!-- end of reactions wrap -->		
