All of this is why Maynard’s family doesn’t drink the tap water.
Some county residents say they bathe their babies in bottled water to avoid exposing them to the tap water; others store jugs of water near the bathroom in case the tap runs dry in the middle of a shower.
The decades-long problems in Martin County illustrate just how complex the issues are.
"The treatment plant operators can’t control the quality of the water in the pipes if they cannot keep the pipes intact," Brion says.
The Martin County Water District, the private utility that manages the county’s water, reported 29 line breaks in 2017 and advised residents to boil their water in case of contamination.
Since the Martin County Water District is privately owned, it falls largely outside state jurisdiction: Aside from investigations, recommendations and fines, there’s little that state governing bodies can do.
"This isn’t just confined to Martin County.
We have dilapidated infrastructure all over this country," she says.
"The people of this county did not create this mess, but we’re the ones who are going to have to fix it."
Maynard is doing just that, by, among other things, running for local government.