Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Safe Drinking Water in Community Water Systems

• What is the issue/problem? The issue at hand is that some people aren't getting clean drinking water in their communities. Statutes are written, but not necessarily provided. Specifically, the communities around the Great Lakes are being affected because of sewage dumping into the water. This trickles into the local water systems since the Great Lakes are the major source of water for many of the cities in the upper midwest.
  
• What current legislation has been proposed to address this?  
• H.R.54 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act
  
  Title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharges into the Great Lakes.

Who is affected by the issue?

• Who is affected the most? The people affected most by this issue are the people in the direct vicinity of the Great Lakes. The states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and some parts of Canada rely on these bodies of water everyday.
  
• Who loses, and what do they lose? The community members lose, because they are getting the assurance they need for their future that the water their children and grandchildren will be consuming is safe. Even currently, they could be drinking and cooking with contaminated water.
  
• Who gains, and what do they gain? In this situation, the ones that gain are the businesses in the area that are doing the dumping. They may not be gaining in the long run, since their drinking water will be contaminated as well, but they are looking for a quick drop of their waste and large bodies of water seem to be an easy choice.
  

What are the consequences of the issue?

• For the individuals mostly affected? Long term health problems are the major consequences of this issue. The big companies responsible for this dumping may have lawsuits in their future from people who's families are getting terminally ill from contaminated drinking water. This could cause some serious problems for the future of these businesses.
  
• For their families? Families could face some serious hardships. Along with the health problems that will arise, the businesses are likely to retaliate against their lawsuits and drive them out of the communities they have been raised in.
  
• For society? Society will start to have a negative overall demeanor and depending upon who gets to the media first, this issue could spark a nation-wide uproar regarding pollution in the Great Lakes area.
  

What is the economic impact of the issue?

• What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs? The economic costs are really not seen in the equivalence of a dollar amount, but in the sense of the fish and other inhabitants of the Great Lakes and all of the people that rely on the Great Lakes as their source of water. Also, anyone who recreationally uses any of these lakes who will not be able to if they are destroyed by pollution. No one will want to swim in brown water.
  
• What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits? Benefits may be seen by the businesses in the near future, as a simple place to dump their waste, but in the end their seems to be no benefits to arise from this.
  

What is the social impact of the issue?

• What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs? Social costs of this issue are huge, since families who have lived in these areas their whole lives may be uprooted or terminally ill because of poor decisions by big businesses. Sadly, even though the businesses are the ones to pollute, the ones who have to deal with the issues are the people who make their livings there.
  
• What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits? I can't see much for social benefits. The society is being negatively affected in all ways when there is pollution, so it is hard to think society would in any way like this.
  

What are the barriers?

• What are the barriers to addressing this issue? Obviously, since these businesses are the ones with money, they are going to throw plenty of it at any type of retaliation to their pollution. In no way are they going to want lawsuits made known by the general public that would affect their profit.
  
• How can they be overcome? By having all these small communities band together and not back down against these economic giants, they can get their word out to others and hopefully get some laws passed about dumping.
  

What are the resources?

• What resources will we need to address this issue? There will need to be community activists that take charge in each local sector so that they can organize groups in their own area to help the big cause at hand. There will also need to be senators and local representatives in positions to take political stands against these business tyrants.
  
• Where and how can they be tapped? By creating small groups locally, they will grow and reach all people in each community. They will thrive with numbers and their representatives will see the numbers as votes and take it to the courts.

• What is the history of the issue in the community? According to Canada's Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, in the early 1970s, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were said to be 'dying'; their fish populations were decreasing rapidly and the algae was overtaking them. Chemicals and other polluntants were affecting the wildlife and citizens in the area. In 1972, Canada and the US signed an agreement to make it a priority to preserve one of the world's largest freshwater resources.
  
• What past efforts were made to address it? The residents saw the lakes as being in grave danger and put their efforts forth to create this agreement. They banded together even across international borders to do something about it.
  
• What were the results? It resulted in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972, since then there have been revisions and modifications to this agreement

Allies & Opponents

• Who would support this issue? Any community member and small business owner would support this issue. The health and safety of their family and home is in jeopardy if the pollution keeps up.
  
• Who would oppose this issue? The big-wig businesses would oppose this issue. It would cost them time, money, and resources to keep of these citizens and it would force them to figure out how to get rid of their waste.

• How do you want policy-makers to vote on this proposed policy? I want policy-makers to vote YES on this policy. Clean water is better for everyone.