Editor,
By now, millions of people have heard the disturbing news about Flint, Mich. and the high levels of lead in that city’s drinking water. So much so, the health of hundreds, if not thousands, of children there could be jeopardized for years.
My question is this: How would we react if the same problem happened in Laguna and what would residents demand be done to fix it? I doubt locals would be willing to wait nearly a year for a solution to be proposed like the good people of Flint have been forced to endure.
Over the years, scores of environmental challenges (i.e., near catastrophes) have been brought to the attention of lawmakers, business executives and the media. Some famous examples, like Three Mile Island, Love Canal and now Porter Ranch, make the front pages of newspapers coast to coast. Others happen every day, but barely receive a mention.
Having lived in town for decades, I know how quickly residents can react to environmental issues. Are we ready to do the same if one day, heaven forbid, we wake up and find our drinking water full of lead? We may live approximately 2,000 miles apart, but aren’t we all, in some small way, residents of Flint?
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
It’s kinda like the cows are already out of the barn if California wants to clean up our tap water. One buried milestone was when Then Govener Arnold Swartzenegget wanted to prohibit the use of water softening salt.
It was to be an economic disaster because on every other corner rented espresso machines were insured by contract warranty to only use softened filtered water. Ever since I can remember water softeners have been used in combination of iron pipes so no wonder many rely on bottled water. What I think the contributor is commenting upon is the announcement to switch or supplement our water resource through the water district