• Water

Delaware Poultry Plant Agrees to Pay $205 Million After Polluting Groundwater for Years

• clean water
• drinking water
• ground water
• nitrates
• pollution
• wastewater

One of the largest chicken producers in the country — the family-owned Mountaire Corp. — agreed to pay $205 million to settle two court cases that its Delaware plants contaminated water wells, waterways, and the surrounding air with improperly disposed of wastewater.  

Why this Matters: Groundwater contamination affects communities across the country. In Orange County and Oakland, California groundwater polluted with industrial waste is seeping into sources of drinking water.

• Water

Toxins from Decades of Manufacturing Contaminate Orange County’s Water

• drinking water
• groundwater
• PFAS
• safe drinking water
• Superfund
• water wells

By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer Over 70% of the drinking water in Orange County, California comes from groundwater. But historic manufacturing nearby has polluted it due to the improper discarding of toxic chemicals. The LA Times reports that there are three major cleanup projects involving groundwater beneath 22 Californian cities, including Anaheim, Santa Ana, […]

• People

Fighting For Indigenous Clean Water Rights: Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai

• clean water
• drinking water
• Navajo Nation

Jamescita Peshlakai is currently serving her second term in the Arizona Senate as the state’s first Navajo woman senator. In Peshlakai’s district, which contains Navajo Nation, a lack of safe drinking water has long been a dire issue. It’s estimated that 40% or more of Navajo households are without running water and many remote Navajos […]

• Water

Jackson, MS is Struggling With a Water Crisis, Who’s Paying Attention?

• clean water
• drinking water
• environmental jutsice
• safe drinking water

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer While all eyes were on Texas last month, another part of the U.S. has been dealing with its own water crisis. Parts of Jackson, Mississippi have been without water for almost 3 weeks after cold weather swept through the region. Thousands of people, predominantly people of color, have been impacted by the shortage […]

• Water

City of Newark Reaches Settlement In Lead Pipe Lawsuit

• clean water
• drinking water
• lead pipes
• New Jersey
• Newark

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer On Tuesday, the city of Newark, New Jersey settled years-long litigation surrounding the dangerously high levels of lead in the city’s drinking water. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW) sued state officials in June 2018 for violations of the federal Safe Drinking […]

• Water

Tucson Encourages Rainwater Harvesting to Hit Climate Targets

• @Students4Markey
• Arizona
• drinking water
• Drought
• rain water
• Tucson

by Ashira Morris, ODP Contributing Writer Tucson is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country. Right now, it’s coming off of a record-breaking September for heat and drought. The city declared a climate emergency earlier this year and set a goal of becoming carbon neutral in the next 10 years. As part of hitting […]