Water
Watching the videos on water consumption and contamination and reading articles about mercury contaminating the communities water supply does not reassure me that the ground and surface water is safe where I live. I live in the central valley in the city of Fresno, far from any agriculture or cattle farms. However, nearby communities are surrounded by agriculture where pesticides are used on our crops and fields that leach into the soil and contaminate the air. The pesticides contain volatile organic combustibles (VOC) and mercury that make up particulate matter (PM) contaminate the surrounding areas that have dairy, ranches and fields of crops. Although my risk of ingesting highly contaminated water is a lot less than in communities who live in close proximity to these industries, the videos explain that ground and surface water can carry contaminants for miles from the polluting source. I have a reverse osmosis filtration system in my home and I drink bottled water when I am not at home. To summize, I am not convinced that my community has safe drinking water.
Resources that I can rely on to ensure clean drinking water, is through the county's public health department. Our water quality is monitored on a regular basis. There are no NGOs in my community advocating for clean water because of where I live but when I drive out towards the rural agricultural parts of of the central valley, such as, Kettleman City, there are signs about clean water and water conservation.
I think policy lobbying is a good way to make legislators aware of the problem, after all, any public protest, boycott and policy proposal have resulted in improvement in the health of communities as history shows.
Hi Michelle, glad to hear that you have the reverse osmosis available at home. The Central Valley is often referred to as California's, if not America's, 'bread basket'. The health cost paid by those living in close proximity to industrialized agriculture is grossly underestimated.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, I hear you state that there are no NGOs in your community advocating for clean water, I want to add that your community can use some volunteer help for the advocacy. My previous community used some of their powers like; implementing zoning decisions; developing land use plans; overseeing building and fire codes; implementing health requirements; supplying water, sewer, and waste disposal services; and using their police powers to enforce regulations and ordinances for monitor underground water pollution.
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