CANBERRA, April 20 (Xinhua) — Indigenous residents of a remote Australian mining town are relying on bottled water to survive after lead was found in their normal supply.
The NT government on Thursday posted notices around Garawa advising residents not to drink, cook, or brush their teeth with water from the regular water supply.
It’s frightened people all over the region.
"Its a big concern, not only for the Garawa camps, but for all the clan groups."
"People are getting bottled water from the shop now."
Members of the Garawa community first expressed concerns that lead would be found in their drinking water in 2014 when it was revealed that Glencore’s lead-zinc mine on the nearby McArthur River had contaminated fish and up to 400 head of cattle.
Rory said the people of Garawa were more concerned about their own wellbeing than the source of the lead.
"We don’t know whether it’s coming from old pipes, or there’s lead in the water itself.
Those are the two options we are thinking about now," he said.
"I also want to see the little babies, who aren’t drinking only breast milk, and kids, from small to big, start getting tested."

Indigenous residents in the Northern Territory mining town of Borroloola are calling on the Health Department to blood test families, amid revelations their water supply has been contaminated with lead.
Residents resort to buying bottled water after town camps advised not to drink water supplies Source of contamination under investigation Separate lead contamination incidents detected in 2014 The Territory Government posted notices around the remote community on Thursday, telling residents of the Garawa 1 and Garawa 2 town camps not to drink, cook, or brush their teeth with the water.
It said the government-owned Power and Water Corporation (PWC) was investigating the problem, and would test the water in Garawa again to ensure it was safe to drink.
After enquiries to government by the ABC on Thursday night, the Department of Health released a public statement, confirming routine testing of the Garawa community water supply, near Borroloola, had identified that one sampling point had returned an elevated level of lead.
It’s frightened people all over the region.
Residents not ‘jumping to conclusions’ Indigenous residents have feared lead would show up in their drinking water since 2014, when it was revealed Glencore’s McArthur River Mine lead-zinc operation had contaminated cattle and fish.
Mr Rory said that while residents were not jumping to conclusions until all possible sources for the water contamination had been ruled out, the community wanted the Health Department to start blood testing their children immediately.
Mr Rory and other community leaders have been pushing for blood tests since the mine lead contamination incidents were revealed.
Maybe even me, from drinking this all up," he said.
In a statement, the Department of Health said PWC was undertaking an investigation to determine the cause, but advised the water bore itself did not contain elevated levels of lead and manganese.

FLINT, MI — The lawsuit that Flint officials are threatening against the state of Michigan involves more than just no-cost bottled water, Mayor Karen Weaver has told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show.
Appearing on the program Wednesday, April 18, Weaver said the city has suffered damages because of actions by the state that are related to the water crisis, including lost population, a damaged reputation and lower property values.
"We need fixtures in the home.
We need in-home plumbing.
Weaver threatened to sue the state on Monday, April 16, after meeting with Gov.
Rick Snyder in Lansing to discuss issues including the state having ended free bottled water for distribution in the city this month.
The mayor has said bottled water isn’t the city’s only grievance with the state, but she provided more detail about some of the potential causes of action during her appearance on the Maddow show.
Weaver had filed a notice of intent to sue the state in a March 24, 2016, filing with the Michigan Court of Claims, which has jurisdiction over lawsuits against the state and its agencies.
In that initial filing, the state, the DEQ, and four DEQ employees were named as potential defendants.
Four current and former DEQ employees currently face charges of criminal wrongdoing as well for their roles in the city’s water crisis.

The Zambia Metrology Agency (ZMA) has with immediate effect suspended the supply and sale of potable water by some companies due to lack of compliance.
ZMA Executive Director Himba Cheelo said the suspension is for the period of 60 days and these directives however, shall not affect smaller denominations of bottled potable water.
Ms. Cheelo told ZANIS in a statement today, that the manufacturers and retailers of some bottled potable water have been given 48 hours to withdraw the above stated denominations from the Zambian Market.
“We have suspended the packaging, supply and sale of the 18.9, 20 and 21.8 Litres of bottled on the Zambian Market.
The affected suppliers have been given 48 hours to withdraw the said water from the market,” she stated.
She said that this follows recent reports regarding deceitful practices by some companies engaged in the production and packaging of bottled potable water in the country.
Ms. Cheelo disclosed that the above measures have been undertaken to protect consumers from fraudulent trade practices and associated health risks and to curb fraudulent activities in the water bottling sub-sector.
She added that this is also done to protect genuine manufacturers and suppliers of potable water products, from unscrupulous activities.
Ms. Cheelo stated that the Agency undertook compliance inspections at production plants and retail outlets between 11th and 16th April 2018 in Choma, Chipata, Ndola, Kitwe and Lusaka that revealed serious variances in the packaging and labelling of bottled potable water.
Ms. Cheelo further said that during this suspension period, the agency shall work with other regulatory Institutions, manufacturers and retailers to put in place long lasting measures to curtail all unscrupulous activities for the benefit of the consumers and the industry.

In a turn of events so ironic it could have been scripted by Franz Kafka, on April 2, the state of Michigan awarded Nestlé Waters, the world’s largest bottled water corporation, the right to draw 167 percent more water from the states’ aquifers than it did last year.
Four days later, Governor Rick Snyder announced the state would no longer distribute free bottled water to the residents of Flint, Michigan, whose water was contaminated by lead due to actions of state and local officials.
Nestlé Waters has been the leading bottled water brand in the world since 2008.
For 12 years, Nestlé—under Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm and Republican Governor Snyder—has been pumping spring water for its “Ice Mountain” label near Evart, Michigan, about 140 miles east of Flint.
While Nestlé pays $200 for 210 million gallons a year, an average Flint family pays between $120 and $200 each month for water, which is not safe to drink from the tap.
In its press release announcing the approval of the Nestlé groundwater permit, MDEQ Director Heidi Grether said, “In full transparency, the majority of the public comments received were in opposition of the permit, but most of them related to issues of public policy which are not, and should not be, part of an administrative permit decision.
We cannot base our decisions on public opinion because our department is required to follow the rule of law when making determinations.” In other words, when it comes to corporate profit, the concerns and sentiments of the public mean nothing to Michigan officials.
Bottled water was seen as a modest, but necessary safety measure by Flint residents.
And there are two different opinions on the matter: The one opinion which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right.
“I’m still of the opinion that the biggest social responsibility of any CEO is to maintain and ensure the successful and profitable future of his enterprise.

“We have worked diligently to restore the water quality and the scientific data now proves the water system is stable and the need for bottled water has ended,” said Michigan Gov.
Snyder’s statement.
We are grateful to the researchers who discovered the problem and to the thousands of people who have provided water and support, and helped monitor the water quality.” Michigan has been providing free bottled water to Flint citizens since a state of emergency was declared in 2016, but the state is now closing the four distribution centers that remain.
City officials disagree with this decision, saying that Flint is still in recovery.
“We did not cause the man-made water disaster, therefore adequate resources should continue being provided until the problem is fixed and all the lead and galvanized pipes have been replaced,” said Karen Weaver, mayor of Flint.
As of now, the city of Flint has replaced over 6,200 of the lead pipes by working with contractors.
Snyder’s statement.
“Even with the quality water results to date, we will continue to support Mayor Karen Weaver’s service line replacement program as it is an important component to the long-term integrity of the Flint water system.” After the announcement was made, Flint residents lined up at distribution centers to collect the last of the free water bottles.
Many are still concerned about its effects on the children of Flint, as one study by the American Journal of Public Health has found that twice the percentage of children in Flint had elevated levels of lead in their blood after the water source switched in 2014.
“We have not received clear steps as to how the remaining lead in Flint schools will be remediated or how ongoing monitoring will continue for our most vulnerable populations.” Michigan will still be providing free water filters to Flint residents should they request them.

Allen Bryant, an Oren Avenue resident, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court April 12, asking a judge to compel the state to continue the bottled water distribution because some homes "still have dangerously high levels of lead in their tap water."
A hearing on the emergency motion is scheduled before Levy in Ann Arbor on Friday, April 20.
Ari Adler, communications director for Snyder, the first of about 30 defendants named in the complaint, declined to comment on the lawsuit, and the state had not filed a written response to it as of Wednesday, April 18.
The complaint says Bryant’s home was tested for lead during the most recent sampling for lead and copper — from Jan. 1 until April 6 — and registered 1330 parts per billion of lead in one test.
The federal action limit for lead is 15 ppb, and the lawsuit says Bryant’s copper levels also tested high.
"Mr. Bryant is at a continuous risk of exposure to high levels of lead and copper in his pipes," the complaint says.
"The city of Flint has not come to replace the pipes leading into his home.
"Mr. Bryant is without a safe, potable source of drinking water, and the need for an alternative source of water is critical."
The state’s decision on bottled water came after testing under the Lead and Copper Rule showed Flint’s 90th percentile lead levels were 4 ppb of lead in sampling this year.
Even if those numbers are accurate, Shkolnik said, it doesn’t mean every lead problem in the city has been fixed.

FLINT, MI — Crews are expected to restart service line replacements in Flint Wednesday, April 18 — a job that comes with a new sense of urgency in 2018.
Eight days after the supply of state-funded bottled water ran out in the city, the Flint Action and Sustainability Team was scheduled to start work on Calumet Avenue, according to a news release from the city.
The massive underground construction program aims to have contract teams remove and replace at least 6,000 lead and galvanized service lines this construction season, pipes that the city says were damaged during its water crisis and remain dangerous potential sources of lead contamination.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver has argued that the work, which is expected to continue into 2019, carries with it the potential for new releases of particle lead due to the underground disturbance — one of the arguments she’s used in asking Gov.
Rick Snyder to reverse his decision to end bottled water deliveries.
"They said the (water points of distribution) would stay open until (service line removals were complete), and yet again they have backed off of their word and what they said they would do," Weaver said in a statement released by the city earlier this week.
"This is exactly why the people’s trust has not been restored."
Lead and galvanized service line replacement is one of several water-related projects being overseen in Flint by AECOM , an international engineering company hired by the city.
City, state and federal officials have advised water customers to continue to use faucet filters to protect them from lead during service line replacement.
Service lines in the city were damaged by corrosive river water, used for 17 months while the city was under state oversight during parts of 2014 and 2015.

(AP) — Plastic bottles: an everyday object, but an environmental menace.
And in the UK, not enough people are swapping these throwaway items for reusable bottles – that’s according to research by Keep Britain Tidy and Brita.
They surveyed 2,138 people and found just 36 percent regularly carry a reusable bottle.
"I think our children will look back at this moment in time in horror and wonder at the way we were behaving."
At Borough Market in London, the management is trying to do its bit for the environment by installing water fountains and banning the sale of bottled water.
"We have to think of the next generation and the world that they’re living in and how we can create a much better world for them so that they’re not going to be looking back on the generation that was before and say ‘they didn’t care about us’," says David Matchett, Development Manager for Borough Market.
Discarded plastics cause terrible environmental problems.
One woman says a lot of places don’t have water fountains available "so you end up having to buy a plastic water bottle".
"I buy water, branded water, because London water tastes horrible," claims a man.
Keep Britain Tidy wants more water fountains to be introduced across the UK so people can easily stay hydrated on the go, without using lots of unnecessary plastic.

(FLINT) Mayor Karen Weaver says Flint may sue the state over ending state-funded bottled water for city residents.
Weaver says the governor told her “to get over it”.
It was a good discussion about the city and state’s continued partnership, and an offer for economic development help, since the Mayor brought the city’s new economic development official with her to the meeting.
Again in January it was considered to stop funding free bottled water, and again the Governor consented to allow them to remain open.
They remained open a full seven months past when the state could have ceased funding them.
But that didn’t happen and it appears there’s new bad blood between the two.
On Tuesday it moves to Asbury UMC, then on Thursday to Greater Holy Temple COGIC.
People who waited in line today at Bethel Church were united in their feeling the state should pay for bottled water in Flint.
The governor needs to get over it.
Weaver feels the water should be supplied at least until all the pipes have been replaced.