#watercontamination

In 2011, Jeff Robinson became engaged in the environmental issues that Uniontown deals with after suspecting it might of played a part in the death of his mother. Robinson moved back to Uniontown in 2016 after living in Ohio for 20 years. He’s noticed an uptick in health related issues and deaths in the area that can’t be explained but suspects that the drinking water plays a part in it. Sewage disposal from a nearby fish farm overloads the sewage system in Uniontown especially during storms. “ I know that we have a major sewage issue...they do bi-weekly testing on the water and send the testing to Montgomery.” Even though the city does testing, he says they are not transparent to the citizens and the results are never made public. Bottled water is his preferred way to use water, buying 3 to 4 cases a month and tries not to use tap water but says that sometimes it's hard not to. #photojournalism #portraits #makeportraits #uniontown #alabama #environmentaljustice #water #watercontamination #onassignment for @news21 #troubledwater

Ruby Henton does not allow her children Christiunna and Lionel to drink the from the tap in Tallulah, which she says often comes out brown. Henton says that there has been instances of the water being so bad that she has had to go elsewhere to take a shower. “They're not telling [the residents] that this water is not healthy for us to drink or even bathe in.” The family buys at least 8 cases of water every 2 weeks and when the water boil advisories come she usually sees it on the news. Tallulah’s mayor Paxton Branch says the water system is an antiquated system and has received grant money for repairs but not enough to replace the water system. Tallulah is one of 300 towns in Louisiana with water systems in need of repair or replacement but cannot afford to do so. #photojournalism #portraits #makeportraits #environmentaljustice #water #watercontamination #onassignment for @news21 #troubledwater

Wanda Gordils is the Director for the League of Latin American Citizens, the oldest surviving Latino Civil rights organization in the U.S., in Indiana. She is also the chairperson for the distribution of water with the Community Strategy Group to the residents of the contaminated zones in East Chicago, something that began in her home after the discovery that lead was leeching into the city's drinking water from lead service lines. After going door to door distributing water, the donations from neighboring cities and various groups, exceeded her storage capacity and distribution needed a different strategy. The group began to house water in a warehouse and partnered with churches throughout the city to help distribute water. “All our neighboring cities have distributed water. So we are blessed because we have never been without water, we’ve been with a little bit of water but at the last minute here come all the pallets [of water].” #photojournalism #portraits #makeportraits #eastchicago #water #watercontamination #lead #environmentaljustice #onassignment for @news21 #troubledwater

Mary Schaeffer and Ellis Long came back to Uniontown to take over their Antebellum style family home, which has been in the family since 1840. The pair, along with other community members, helped to form the Black Belt Citizens. The group has fought for clean water and air in Uniontown since it’s inception in 2010. Before switching to buying distilled bottled water they used water filters in their home. “A lot of people even though they don't want to drink the water they really can't afford to go buy bottled water. We usually get ours when we go to Birmingham at a whole foods and pay 39 cents a gallon but not everybody here can go to Birmingham. A lot of folks just don't have that ability…They have to pay someone to take them out of town so that's not really a good solution.” #photojournalism #portraits #makeportraits #alabama #uniontown #water #watercontamination #environmentaljustice #onassignment For @news21 #troubledwater

Annette Caskey lives in Sherry Circle, one of the poorest areas of Campti, AL, a small Louisiana town founded in 1745 and is the oldest settlement along the Red River. “This water sucks. Sometimes it got too much chlorine in it.Sometimes it don’t have no chlorine at all. It’s like you’re drinking sewage.” Caskey's tap water often comes out orange or brown and she prefers to drink from bottled water that she buys from a nearby store which she often shares with her neighbors. If one neighbor finds out about water boil advisories in Sherry Circle which happen after storms, the word spreads since not everyone get the notices. #photojournalism #portraits #makeportraits #louisiana #campti #deepsouth #water #watercontamination #environmentaljustice #onassignment for @news21 #troubledwaters Link in bio for the News21 reporting on drinking water in America

Demetrius Holmes was born in Detroit, MI but has been in and out of Uniontown all his life. He has been back in the town for 3 years and in that time span he has been hospitalized over 20 times for stomach related issues. The diagnosis that he’s received is gastroparesis and acid reflux and takes Omeprazole and Pantoprazole but doctors nor specialist have been able to figure its cause, but Demetrious suspects the water in Uniontown may be the cause. ”We drinking poison. I’m complaining right now because this is a low income housing that I’m staying in. I feel like, because I receive government housing [should] I have to live in these conditions?” Uniontown residents say the water issues stem from the run of waste from a nearby water plant that pollutes their drinking water and often spill into nearby creeks. #photojournalism #reportage #portraits #makeportraits #uniontown #alabama #deepsouth #environmentaljustice #water #watercontamination #health #onassignment for @news21 #troubledwaters

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