Americans’ Fears About Water Pollution Hit A 16-Year High.
rolling back water protections .
According to a new Gallup poll , 63 percent of respondents said they worried “a great deal” about pollution of drinking water, while 57 percent of overall respondents also said they were concerned about pollution of rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
The percentage of respondents with water concerns is at its highest level recorded in Gallup’s annual environmental poll since 2001.
The pollsters say respondents’ water pollution concerns are likely linked to the high-profile drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which has elevated an issue that is often out of sight and out of mind.
The poll found that lower-income respondents were far more concerned with water pollution than more affluent ones.
These findings did not come as a surprise to water experts.
Nneka Leiba, deputy director of research at the Environmental Working Group , said the situation in Flint is just one example of a water quality concern likely weighing on Americans’ minds.
At the same time, other cuts President Donald Trump has proposed for water initiatives have raised serious concerns among environmental and public health groups.
Cutting the program, advocates fear, could devastate small towns that are already struggling to consistently deliver safe drinking water to their residents.