 | | A sign above a bathroom sink in Flint, Michigan, from February 6, 2016, instructs people not to drink the water because of high lead levels. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed its first major revisions in nearly three decades to federal rules for lead in drinking water, adding a raft of new intricacies to one of the country’s most complex drinking water regulations.
Andrew Wheeler, the EPA administrator, called the revisions “the capstone” of the Trump administration’s efforts to address lead contamination, arguing that the goal is to protect children, reduce lead, and empower communities with more information about sources of lead in their water.
Water policy experts offered a more muted appraisal of the rule, acknowledging progress in some areas but pointing out serious flaws in the overall approach. |
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 | | Overdue water bills have soared during the pandemic as people lost jobs and utilities stopped shutting off water for late payment. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| People who are behind on their water and sewer bills because of the pandemic will be getting some help from Congress.
The funding is intended to help low-income families in financial distress because of the pandemic. But the legislation does not include a prohibition on shutting off water service during the national health emergency, a provision that Democrats offered in earlier proposals but one that was opposed by utility groups.
Though the legislative work is complete, there are questions not only about how the program will be rolled out, but whether it is large enough to address the problem. |
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 | | A home in Flint, Michigan, whose water crisis refocused national attention on lead pipes. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can do more to help water utilities and the public identify neighborhoods that are more likely to have lead drinking water pipes, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
The GAO, a watchdog agency that works for Congress, concluded that the EPA has not met the requirements of a 2016 law intended to improve the agency’s public communication of lead pipe risks. |
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 | | Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| All years impose their discomforts. This year, in truth, stood out. Not just for the trials of the last 12 months. But as evidence of the tests yet to come. Environmental challenges of water, climate, and health are real and growing — visible for those who want to see them. |
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Tensions spiked between China and India this month after the Chinese government announced plans to build a dam across one of the major waterways flowing from Tibet. |
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What's Up With Water - December 21, 2020
For the news you need to start the week, tune into “What’s Up With Water” fresh on Monday’s on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and SoundCloud.
This week's episode features coverage on the United States, where in Massachusetts regulators have found toxic PFAS compounds in a pesticide the state has used for two decades for mosquito control.
Elsewhere in the United States, regulators in New Mexico took a step to protect scarce water supplies in a dry region.
This week Circle of Blue reports on a new study revealing the water contamination risks of plastic pipes exposed to the heat of wildfires. |
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| From Circle of Blue's Archives: |
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 | | A resident of Detroit displays a past-due water bill. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| Hundreds of utilities and dozens of state governors and regulatory agencies have responded to the coronavirus emergency by suspending the practice of shutting off water for residents who are late paying their utility bills.
But what about after the emergency period? Even though many utilities will not be shutting off water in the coming weeks and months, household water bills will continue to arrive. Residents are expected to pay those bills after the emergency orders are lifted. |
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