Low-income communities of color — like Flint, Michigan or Newark, New Jersey — are much more likely than white, more affluent towns to suffer with polluted water for years, according to a new report. The study, called Watered Down Justice, analyzed EPA data for 200,000 violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Report co-author Kristi Pullen Fedinick of the Natural Resources Defense Council says states are neglecting black and brown communities
“You know, some of it is the voices being ignored, I think some of it is disinvestment in communities. Infrastructure disinvestment. It could be industries and jobs leaving areas. There are a number of factors that are outside of just drinking water that have led to the crisis happening in Flint.”
The study found that local authorities and state regulators are failing to address and report pollution violations, especially in crowded towns with many low-income people of color and non-native English speakers. The report suggests that Congress and states step up enforcement and prosecutions, increase inspections at industrial sites to prevent pollution from occurring, and invest much more money in community water systems so they can make necessary upgrades and repairs.
