“Every single human being in this world deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Phillips.
“We hope our efforts will open up the dialogue on clean water initiatives and bring this notion to fruition – not just for Liberia, but across the globe.” The Last Well, a nonprofit in Rockwall, Texas, is committed to bringing safe drinking water to the entire country of Liberia by 2020.
“Since 2009, our teams have been on the ground in Liberia drilling wells and distributing Sawyer International PointONE water filters to families and teaching them how to use and maintain them,” said Phillips.
“We are proud to be part of The Last Well’s efforts to help bring clean water to all Liberian families,” said Darrel Larson, international director of Sawyer Products.
“When we heard about its founder and president, Todd Phillips, camping out on a barge east of Dallas, Texas, we immediately wanted to support the cause and show how our water filters and the training can be the puzzle pieces that solve the infinite clean water issue across the globe.” To help achieve the Last Well’s goal in Liberia, Sawyer International has donated nearly 120,000 Sawyer PointONE water filter systems that teams are distributing in communities and rural areas in Liberia, as well as teaching Liberians how to use and clean the filters while tracking health and economic outcomes through a GIS system.
“With 27 months to go, the finish line is on the horizon,” Phillips added.
About Sawyer Founded in 1984, Sawyer has been at the forefront of innovation in water filtration, insect repellent, sunscreen, and first aid.
Not only are Sawyer’s filters one of the most popular on the trail, they are being used in over 80 developing countries to provide people with clean drinking water.
For more information, visit https://international.sawyer.com/ About The Last Well The Last Well’s mission is to provide access to safe drinking water for the entire nation of Liberia, border to border, and offer the Gospel to every community they serve, by the end of 2020.
Our monthly print edition is delivered free to ~20,000 homes in Rockwall and Heath, TX.

DETROIT (WXYZ) – Detroit Public Schools officials say they will install hydration stations throughout the district to provide clean drinking water to students and staff.
The hydration stations use filtration technology designed to cool water and remove lead, copper and other contaminants.
The district will install one station for every student in all of the district’s buildings, as well as one in every gym and faculty lounge.
“This is the solution to turning drinking water back on in our schools.
We are extremely grateful to our donors who continue to step up and assist us with maintaining a safe learning environment.” The United Way for Southeast Michigan is spearheading the philanthropic campaign to fund the hydration systems, giving $500,000.
Until the systems are installed, the schools will continue to use water coolers to provide drinking water.
Those water coolers will be removed once the systems are operational.
The district is providing more information on the systems and drinking water in general on their website.
Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON — Years after the Flint water crisis drew national attention, another water pollution issue has emerged in House races in Michigan.
Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Kalamazoo County after drinking water in the town of Parchment tested at over 20 times the EPA’s health advisory limit for two forms of PFAS — PFOS and PFOA — which were phased out of production in 2000 amid concerns over their risks to human health.
Of 38 sites the state deemed contaminated by the chemicals, 23 are in GOP-held districts.
Angell, who lives in Republican Rep. Justin Amash’s district, said he has been contacted by nearly every candidate running in the region and “their main platform right now is water,” he said.
Democratic turnout in the state’s primary election, held less than two weeks after Kalamazoo County’s contamination was first announced, may be evidence of how PFAS is animating voters, especially in districts with contamination sites, he said.
Other GOP-held congressional districts with contamination sites found in the last year saw similar jumps, including Amash’s.
“When you have folks in Detroit and Flint struggling to have access to clean drinking water, and you have folks in Plainfield Township and (others) grappling with the same issue, it doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican,” said the League of Conservation Voters’ Allison.
“What only matters is if you can trust the water that’s in your glass.” Few Republicans in Congress have been so quick to respond to news of PFAS contamination in their district as 16th-term Rep. Fred Upton, whose district includes Parchment.
Upton’s opponent, Democrat Matt Longjohn, criticized the bill for focusing only on PFAS contamination resulting from federal sites such as military bases, characterizing the Republican as avoiding “a burden placed on businesses (so) that they would regulated and held accountable for their actions.” “But he does recognize that that would be something we should pay for as taxpayers if it was the federal government who was involved in contaminated property,” Longjohn said.
In September, Upton’s 6th District seat was added to the Democrats’ map of targets to flip, shortly after Roll Call reported that internal polling by Littlejohn found him 5 percentage points behind Upton head-to-head.

The remainder of the estimated $32.1 million project will be funded by the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, which is owned by the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw.
Quotes "These vital upgrades to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant will ensure residents of Regina and Moose Jaw have an uninterrupted supply of high-quality drinking water for years to come.
The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to be investing more than $10.2 million toward this key infrastructure that will benefit the residents and businesses it serves in Regina, Moose Jaw, and the region.
The Honourable Warren Kaeding, Minister of Government Relations "I am pleased that the federal and provincial governments recognize the critical nature of this project.
As a plant that serves the entire region, it is absolutely essential that we have a modern facility that produces the highest-quality drinking water for its customers, including the City of Regina.
"The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation is extremely pleased with this funding announcement of financial support by the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan for the Electrical Capital Upgrades Project.
These funds will be used to replace electrical infrastructure that has reached the end of its life and increases the reliability of the supply of potable water to the Cities of Regina and Moose Jaw and the Region we serve."
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are each contributing up to $10,291,000 to this project through the New Building Canada Fund–Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component–National and Regional Projects.
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation is a non-profit owned by the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina.
Associated links SOURCE Infrastructure Canada For further information: Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-697-3778, ann-clara.vaillancourt@canada.ca; Dan Palmer, Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations, Communications, 306-787-7151, dan.palmer@gov.sk.ca; Craig Hemingway, Communications Manager, City of Moose Jaw, 306-694-4406, chemingway@moosejaw.ca; Desirae Bernreuther, Media Relations, City of Regina, 306-777-7486, dbernreu@regina.ca; Ryan Johnson, General Manager, Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, 306-694-1377, ext.

The Canadian and Saskatchewan governments are teaming up to provide southern Saskatchewan with reliable access to high-quality drinking water.
A joint investment of more than $20 million is being used to upgrade electrical systems at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.
The remaining amount of the estimated $32.1 million project will be funded by the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, which is owned by both the City of Regina and City of Moose Jaw.
READ MORE: Moose Jaw city council approves 5.01% property tax increase, 15% water utility increase Upgrades include replacing the plant’s aging electrical substation, improving the power supply and upgrading the raw water pumps to prevent future electrical failures.
“These vital upgrades to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant will ensure residents of Regina and Moose Jaw have an uninterrupted supply of high-quality drinking water for years to come,” Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale said.
READ MORE: Infrastructure renewal a major item in Moose Jaw 2018 budget process “Canada’s investment in this project reflects our commitment to protecting public health, building more sustainable communities and reinforcing the foundation for economic growth and a strong middle class across Saskatchewan.” The work being done, once completed, will ensure a reliable and sustainable source of back-up power which will minimize service interruptions and prevent drinking water advisories for approximately 260,000 residents.
“I am pleased that the federal and provincial governments recognize the critical nature of this project,” Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said.
READ MORE: Water Security Agency ‘flushing’ Buffalo Pound “As a plant that serves the entire region, it is absolutely essential that we have a modern facility that produces the highest-quality drinking water for its customers, including the City of Regina.
Our residents expect safe and reliable infrastructure, and we are committed to providing it.” © 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The disaster damaged water infrastructure and treatment facilities, according to aid groups, and much of Palu now lacks clean running water.
Iskandar Avan, 35, came to an Indonesian Red Cross clinic in Palu on Saturday to ask for medicine for his two daughters.
Now, most patients are coming in with fever, diarrhoea, and skin infections.
“This poses a serious threat of them becoming incubators for diseases like cholera or dysentery.” Waiting for aid to reach remote areas Outside Palu’s biggest hospital, Undata, two patients with severe respiratory infections lay next to each other under tents, where the maimed and the dying were treated after the earthquakes and tsunami hit.
The boy had just arrived and his chest heaved up and down with each struggling breath.
Indonesian authorities say medical services are available in 15 hospitals in the affected area; nearly all of these are in Palu.
The group has been sending small teams to assess conditions and provide medical check-ups in remote places like Tompe, which volunteers visited last Friday – a full week after the disaster hit.
“We had 146 patients, mostly diarrhoea and respiratory infections.” Irham, who sleeps at his healthcare station in Palu, said his group’s supply of diarrhoea medication is nearly finished, and he’s not sure when he’ll be able to get a new batch.
He said the coordination and communication of official aid has been poor for volunteer groups like his.
Irham, the university volunteer, says it’s essential that authorities ensure a steady supply of clean water throughout the disaster area.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has decided to invest CFAF 49.5 billion (€75 million) for the drinking water supply project called "Grand Libreville".
The goal is to provide universal access to safe drinking water in Libreville, Owendo, Akanda and Ntoum.
The Gabonese capital, Libreville, and the outlying cities of Owendo, Akanda and Ntoum have a drinking water deficit of 50,000 m3 per day.
It is a question of guaranteeing, in the years to come, access to the resource for the entire population.
We must congratulate the country on this project because giving access to water to the needy is fundamental,” AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina recently said.
Part of this amount should be injected by the African Growing Together Fund (AGTF).
It is an investment fund created jointly by the AfDB and the People’s Bank of China (PBC).
In addition to this supply programme, Gabon’s Minister of Energy and Water Patrick Eyogo Edzang suggested in June 2018 that the construction of a drinking water treatment plant with a capacity of 140,000 m3 of water per day would also be launched.
The project will be led by the pan-African group Eranove.
Jean Marie Takouleu

Elon Musk has had a rough summer, largely of his own making, but he still found time to honor a commitment to clean water in Flint, Michigan, he had made on Twitter on July 11, 2018.
While it seemed to be an idle response to a Twitter user using an obvious attempt at reverse psychology—”NO WAY you could help”—Musk took it seriously.
He went several steps further, however.
On Oct. 5, the Flint Community Schools district announced that Musk and his Musk Foundation had donated nearly $500,000 to provide ultraviolet filtration systems for all 12 of the school buildings in the system and the district’s headquarters building by January 2019.
The system will remove lead and kill off bacteria for drinking water, allowing students to use drinking fountains and fill up water bottles.
The new water filtration systems will be instrumental in helping our students return to the normalcy of what should be a fundamental right: having access to safe, clean water from water fountains in their school.” The district thanked Musk and his foundation on Twitter, and Musk replied, “You’re most welcome.
Hope to do more to help in the future.” Musk also lived up to his original tweet, providing direct support for some residents, including the person who first asked him to help.
While state authorities say the water is now safe to drink, Michigan continues to provide filters.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician critical in exposing the water contamination, tells people to continue to use bottled or filtered water, in part because the pipe replacement is stirring up lead as well.
While water tested starting in early 2017 showed lead levels had dropped to safe levels, ongoing testing in schools found that some samples exceeded thresholds]believed to be safe.

Elon Musk has lived up to his previous promise that he would help to support the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The Tesla founder is the latest celebrity to support the cause, with others such as Bruno Mars and Pearl Jam having previously donated large amounts.
Over 4,500 students in the district will benefit from the initiative.
His proposed total donation is almost half a million dollars.
The Flint Community Schools district tweeted their thanks to Musk on Thursday, and the philanthropist replied; “You’re most welcome.
Hope to do more in the future.” “We are deeply grateful for the generosity and the budding partnership between Flint Community Schools, the Musk Foundation and Elon Musk,” said Derrick Lopez, the Superintendent of Flint Community Schools, in an interview with MLive, “The new water filtration systems will be instrumental in helping our students return to the normalcy of what should be a fundamental right: having access to safe, clean water from water fountains in their school.” In a report from TeslaRati, the severity of the ongoing situation in Flint is outlined in detail: “Flint’s water crisis began in April 2014, when the city’s drinking water source was shifted from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the much cheaper Flint River.
Due to insufficient water treatment, lead from the lead pipes used in the new system leached into the residents’ drinking water.
The lead-contaminated water resulted in several grave problems for Flint.
An estimated 6,000-12,000 children from the city have been exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead, and the percentage of children with elevated blood-lead levels is estimated to have risen from about 2.5% in 2013 to as much as 5% in 2015.
Ten fatalities were also caused by an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease, which is believed to be linked to the city’s contaminated water supply.”

LANSING, MI — The Michigan Legislature will hold lame duck session hearings on a bill proposing drinking water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals, according to the House committee chair.
Rep. Gary Howell, R-Lapeer, said the House Natural Resources Committee will seek expert testimony in mid-November on House Bill 5375, which, as written, would establish a legally enforceable hard limit of 5 parts-per-trillion (ppt) on PFAS in public drinking water.
Brinks’ legislation "will be brought forward," said Howell, saying that consideration of the bill and PFAS contamination in Michigan will likely require "multiple hearings."
"Of course, I’m pleased if he’s intending to have a hearing on establishing a legally-allowable limit on PFAS in drinking water.
There are no federal regulations for any PFAS chemicals in drinking water, although some states have or are in the process of setting their own enforcable limits.
"We want to be sure that if we establish a level, that it’s the right level."
Howell said he wants to hear testimony from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as experts in academia and the wider scientific community.
He said he’s open to testimony from out-of-state experts and those put forward by Democrats.
"We’re going to draw on anybody that’s got relevant scientific information, whether that be experts from Michigan State or other universities," Howell said.
Howell said "we’re probably looking at several bills" to address drinking water standards for PFAS as well as issues related to site remediation and chemical storage.