The Daily Drip

The Lead

GeorgiaPFAS, the forever chemicalsToxins in the water1The right to safety

20 places tested. 20 came back positive.

What’s going on

A report released this week by the advocacy groups Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group found PFAS, the “forever chemicals,” at all 20 Georgia waterway testing locations it reviewed, using 2022–2024 data from the EPA’s Water Quality Portal and Georgia Riverkeepers. As many as 17 different PFAS compounds turned up at one or more sites. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says its latest sampling confirms PFAS in the Chattahoochee. The groups name industrial and sewage plant discharges, sewage sludge spread on farmland and firefighting foam as pathways.

Our take

A river that tests positive isn’t your tap. But rivers are where a lot of tap water starts, and the groups call this likely just the tip of the iceberg because many waterways haven’t been tested. A discharge being legal doesn’t make the water clean. Ask your utility which PFAS it tests for in the water you drink, and get the answer in writing.

Read the original reporting: Environment America

What you can do

1. Ask which PFAS your utility testsGet the words

   To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

   Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. Which PFAS does our water system test for, how often, and what were the latest results for each? What’s the plan if any are over the limits? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
2. See your system’s PFAS results (EPA UCMR 5)Opens the tool
3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on PFAS, the forever chemicals. We’ll bring the data.

Today’s Action · two minutes

Ask for your school’s lead results

Two minutes, one email. A Maine school’s lead nearly tripled between tests. Your school’s last test date is worth knowing.

To: your school district. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

Hi, my child attends [school]. When was the drinking water last tested for lead, at which taps (including kitchen sinks), and what were the results? Please share the report and the plan for any tap over the limit. Thank you.Copy the words

1. Waldoboro, MEWater in schools1The right to safety

   2023: 11.3. Now: 31.6.

   Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine, is on a do-not-drink order after lead tested as high as 31.6 ppb at some taps. Maine’s school program says 4 ppb or less; the 2023 test topped out at 11.3.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine, went on a “do not drink” order last week after unexpectedly high lead in its drinking water. RSU 40 Superintendent Dan Welch told WGME-13 lead ranged from 0 to 31.6 parts per billion at different places in the school. The last test, in 2023, peaked at 11.3 ppb, with most sources at or below 2 ppb. The Maine School Drinking Water Program says levels should be 4 ppb or less. Bottled water covers drinking and food prep. New samples were taken Oct. 16, and Welch said the cause hasn’t been found.

   Our take

   This school tested, found it and stopped the drinking. That’s the system working. The lesson for everyone else: lead can climb between tests, and a school that last tested in 2023 is guessing about 2026. Ask your district when it last tested every tap students drink from, including the kitchen, and ask for the results in writing.

   Read the original reporting: WGME-13

   What you can do

   1. Ask for your school’s lead resultsGet the words

      To: your school district. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, my child attends [school]. When was the drinking water last tested for lead, at which taps (including kitchen sinks), and what were the results? Please share the report and the plan for any tap over the limit. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Bring water testing to your schoolOpen
   3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Water in schools. We’ll bring the data.
2. Vashon-Maury Island, WASewage at our doorstep8The right to a healthy environment

   Nobody knows how much. Nobody’s sampling.

   A vacuum truck’s rear hatch opened at a King County lift station on Vashon Island, Washington, sending untreated sewage into storm drains. The county doesn’t know how much reached Puget Sound, and no water sampling is planned.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Around 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the rear hatch of a vacuum truck opened during maintenance at a King County wastewater lift station near Vashon’s north-end ferry terminal. Untreated sewage spilled onto the road and into storm drains. The truck holds 2,400 gallons, but the county says it doesn’t know how much was aboard, spilled or recovered. A water-contact advisory runs until 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, and the state Department of Health closed shellfish harvesting there. No water sampling has been done or is planned; Public Health – Seattle & King County is using a model instead.

   Our take

   A seven-day closure is standard practice, and that’s good. But a model isn’t a measurement. When nobody samples, nobody can tell you when the water’s actually safe again. If a spill hits your shoreline, ask the county whether it’s testing the water, and if not, why not.

   Read the original reporting: Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

   What you can do

   1. Ask if the water is being tested after a spillGet the words

      To: your county health department. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. After the sewage spill at [location] on [date], is anyone sampling the water? If so, where can I see the results? If not, how will you decide the water is safe for swimming and shellfish? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Look up sewer violations near youOpens the tool
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Sewage at our doorstep. We’ll bring the data.
3. Chandler, AZWater bills and shutoffs5The right to basic needs

   9% more. Final vote next month.

   Chandler, Arizona’s council tentatively approved a 9% water rate increase, plus 6.5% for wastewater, 9% for reclaimed water and 4.5% for solid waste. The official vote is next month.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Chandler, Arizona’s City Council tentatively approved rate increases from the city’s latest financial plan review: 9% for water, 6.5% for wastewater, 9% for reclaimed water and 4.5% for solid waste. City officials say treating and delivering safe drinking water costs more, and planned improvement projects need paying for. Budget and Policy Director Matt Dunbar said Chandler would still have lower utility rates than other Valley cities. The official vote is next month, and new rates would take effect early next year.

   Our take

   “Tentative” means there’s still time. A final vote is when residents get heard, so the weeks before it matter most. In Chandler, ask which projects the money pays for and what bill help exists before the vote. Anywhere else, find out when your utility’s next rate change is coming.

   Read the original reporting: KJZZ

   What you can do

   1. In Chandler? Ask before the final voteGet the words

      To: the Chandler City Council. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. Before the final vote on the proposed water and wastewater rate increases: which projects will the new revenue fund, what will the change mean for an average household’s monthly bill, and what bill assistance is available? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Ask about bill helpGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. What bill assistance, payment plans or shutoff protections do you offer, and is a rate increase being proposed? Thank you.Copy the words
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Water bills and shutoffs. We’ll bring the data.

Today’s water, by right

Every story is filed under one of the eight consumer rights. Today’s edition touched 3 of the eight; each glass fills with its stories. This count feeds the AquaRights Index™.

1. 2
   The right to safety
2. 0
   The right to be informed
3. 0
   The right to choose
4. 0
   The right to be heard
5. 1
   The right to basic needs
6. 0
   The right to redress
7. 0
   The right to education
8. 1
   The right to a healthy environment

Guardian Season · Mar 15 – Jun 5, 2027

Spring 2027 Guardian Season opens on World Consumer Rights Day.

Become a Guardian. It’s free.

Sign the Guardian Declaration and get The Right to Know, the eight rights behind every glass of water, plus The Daily Drip every weekday morning.

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