"This emergency is now:" Benton Harbor, Michigan, needs at least $11.4M for lead pipe replacement amid water crisis
CBSN
Benton Harbor still needs at least $11.4 million to replace all of its lead service lines amid an ongoing lead presence in drinking water, according to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office. The project's total price tag is $30 million, and it is projected to be completed within 18 months.
"I cannot imagine the stress that moms and dads in Benton Harbor are under as they emerge from a pandemic, work hard to put food on the table, pay the bills, and face a threat to the health of their children," Whitmer, who visited Benton Harbor on Tuesday, said in a statement. "That's why we will not rest until every parent feels confident to give their kid a glass of water knowing that it is safe."
State protocols require lead service lines to be replaced by water suppliers at a rate of 5 to 7% annually, eventually replacing all lines over 15 to 20 years depending on the community's particular lead level. Various environmental and public advocacy organizations said in a petition filed last month that the city hasn't had its lead pipes replaced in years. The groups said the city has faced a "persistent, widespread, and severe public health crisis" in regard to drinking water since 2018.
Billions of cicadas are emerging across about 16 states in the Southeast and Midwest. Periodical cicadas used to reliably emerge every 13 or 17 years, depending on their brood. But in a warming world where spring conditions arrive sooner, climate change is messing with the bugs' internal alarm clocks.
Senate Democrats to unveil package to protect IVF as party makes reproductive rights push this month
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