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Making the Invisible Visible During World Water Day 2022
We may not be able to see it, hear it, or feel it, but groundwater is one of the most valuable resources our planet has to offer. This invisible treasure is a lifeline for millions of people across the globe who rely on it to sustain drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, and ecosystems. Human activities and over-use by industries continue to threaten this precious resource at a time when sustainable groundwater management should be a priority for adapting to the climate crisis. World Water Day falls on March 22nd, and this year’s theme acknowledges the importance of groundwater and the work that needs to be done to protect it. Protecting NC’s groundwater resources is a focal point across our program work. Almost 3 million North Carolinians use unregulated private wells to access drinking water, especially in our most rural, low-income regions. By providing educational materials, policy recommendations, and testing resources for low-income individuals, our team is dedicated to safeguarding this community lifeline and “Making the Invisible Visible” year-round. Just a few ways you can become a groundwater advocate! Join our NC Well User Network! Receive weekly "Well Water Wisdoms" to read about common groundwater contaminants, testing & treatment options, policy updates, and more Check out our Well User Protection program! Learn about private well testing resources in your county, creating a testing schedule, and how to directly connect with state officials for treatment, maintenance and construction questions Become a CWFNC member! Help support our groundwater monitoring activities across the state - even the smallest gift amount can make a difference! This article is from our upcoming Clean Currents Newsletter! We'll be releasing our Spring edition at the end of March, so be sure you've signed up to receive our newest publication either by mail or straight to your inbox. Sign up to receive our quarterly Clean Currents Newsletter! World Water Day Events & Resources! WorldWaterDay.org: Official webpage for the global United Nations observance day held on March 22nd Clean Water for NC "Clean Currents" Newsletter! Our quarterly newsletter features news, updates, and opportunities to engage in our work promoting Environmental Justice! Get your copy today!March 19, Haw River Clean-Up-A-Thon: hawriver.org/river-cleanup/March 22, 7:00 - 8:00 PM, World Water Day Panel: Protecting the Human Right to Water. Hear from experts about how we can pass the WATER ACT, stop water privatization & ensure clean, affordable water for all. Register Today!March 26, 1:00 - 4:00 PM, World Water Day Celebration at Northgate Park in Durham! A family friendly water celebration including blessings of the water, water exploration, activities, and more! For more information, contact Lib Hutchby at libhutchby5@gmail.com A portion of all proceeds will help support our work at Clean Water for NC. Learn more about the Craft Happiness Project and where you can enjoy a can of the Global IPA!
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Celebrating & Investing In North Carolina’s Black-Owned Businesses Year Round
Sonyah Spencer's Urban Reader Bookstore contains over 3,000 books - all written by black authors One way Clean Water for NC staff honors Black History Month this February is by promoting just some of the amazing black-owned businesses and brands across our state! From frequenting bookstores and restaurants, community centers and boutiques, we can all support and invest in black-owned brands year round! What are some of your favorite black-owned businesses? Let us know in the comments! Want to learn about black-owned brands in your community? Check out The Nile List and Official Black Wall Street! Here are a handful of our staff's top picks: La Kitchen Delight Soul Food - 95 Old Highway Rd, Garysburg Bennett's Construction - 56 Longstreet Rd, Weldon 51 Sycamore Bar & Grill - 51 Sycamore St, Weldon The Grind AVL Coffee Shop - 346 Depot St, Asheville Different Wrld Culture House & Creative Hub - Asheville (OPENING SOON) Pretty Honest Candles - Order online through their website! The Urban Reader Bookstore - 440 East McCullough Drive, Suite A-130, Charlotte Fruit of Labor World Cultural Center - 4200 Lake Ridge Dr, Raleigh Saltbox Seafood Joint - 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham Boricua Soul - 705 Willard St, Durham Beyú Caffè - 341 W Main St, Durham Dame's Chicken & Waffles - Multiple locations! Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Cary The Chicken Hut - 3019 Fayetteville St, Durham Goorsha Ethiopian Cuisine - 910 W Main St, Durham Pure Soul Vegan - 4125 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd Suite 1, Durham Anissa's Spot Smoothie Café & Coffee Bar - 5111 NC-55 Suite 101, Durham Piri Catering - Visit website to place your order! Melanated Wine - 4608 Industry Ln f, Durham Rofhiwa Book Cafe - 406 S Driver St, Durham The ZEN Succulent Plant & Gift Shop - 123 Market St B, Durham Ky's Candles - Order online through their website! The Melanated Empath Candle Co. & Emporium - Order online through their website! Shawn Lea Funeral Home - 515 East 12th Street, Scotland Neck Cofield Funeral Home - 501 W 3rd St, Weldon T. L. Faison's Funeral Care - 301 Park St, Seaboard Coleman & McGee Funeral Home - 201 Old Highway Rd, Garysburg
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Black History Month Through Books!
Clean Water for NC celebrates Black History Month this year through the lens of published works exploring the central role Black people in America have had in shaping our country today. Explore our Black History Month Book Club selections below to read award winning historical accounts of slavery, segregation, and race and the Western mind: How the Word is…
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Clean Water for NC has a new NC Energy Digest!
Clean Water has introduced our new NC Energy Digest, with weekly news about North Carolina’s energy landscape. This digest will combine two of our existing digests into one, and explores news and events related to coal & coal ash; pipelines, oil & gas; biomass & biogas; plus utility rates, environmental justice, climate change, and more! What’s inside the NC Energy Digest? EVENTS: You can expect to find out about public hearings related to permits for energy facilities and utility rate cases. We’ll also let you know about any relevant events hosted by NC community or advocacy groups to help hold polluters and government agencies accountable. NEWS: The news digest will focus on NC specifically but also bring in federal items that could impact North Carolinians. We’ll keep everything organized into categories for you, and provide links and brief overviews. If it’s an opinion piece, we’ll be sure to indicate that it’s commentary. Our aim is to provide you with information on energy matters that could impact you and your NC neighbors! How do I sign up? If you are already signed up for our Coal Ash Updates or Fracking and Pipeline Updates, no need to register, as you have likely seen our January editions in your inbox. If you’d like to begin receiving our weekly NC Energy Digest, great! Just sign up here!
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Honoring Dr. King, His Legacy, and the Work that Remains
We recognize the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not only on the third Monday of January, but all year round. Environmental Justice is Social Justice, and this January 17th, we continue to acknowledge and reflect on the work that remains to be done for racial equity. Belinda Joyner, our Northeastern Organizer based in Garysburg, honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. below: As we approach the Birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. there's a sadness and happiness. Sad because he's no longer with us and happy for the LEGACY he left behind. The Dream that someday ALL GOD'S CHILDREN would come together as one and the INJUSTICE we face still today will one day be a thing of the past. That's why I can't set back and be silent. Like Dr. King, I have to be a VOICE for My People because those same INJUSTICES we faced then we are still facing them today. So we must continue the fight, we must continue to stand for those who feel like they can't. And I quote Dr. King as he sat in the Birmingham Jail from the letter that he wrote to his Fellow Clergymen "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty" - Belinda Joyner, Clean Water for NC Northeastern Organizer
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PRESS RELEASE: DHHS Launches Low Income Household Water Assistance Program
JANUARY 3, 2022 - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program will expand to include all low-income households needing assistance in paying their water bill. LIHWAP was created in December 2021 after the State of North Carolina was awarded more than $38 million in federal funds to establish a new water assistance program for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, households with a current water/wastewater bill can begin applying for LIHWAP assistance if they meet the eligibility requirements, whether or not their water service has been disconnected. Households that have had their services disconnected or are in jeopardy of having their services disconnected can continue to apply. "Due to the pandemic and its impact on our economy, many households are struggling to maintain their water service," said Tara Myers, NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Employment, Inclusion and Economic Stability. "LIHWAP will continue to help families in North Carolina keep their water running, a basic human need that’s critical for good sanitation and better health." LIHWAP is a temporary emergency program that helps eligible households and families afford water and wastewater services. The program provides a one-time payment for eligible low-income households directly to the utility company. LIHWAP runs through September 2023 or until the funds run out. Individuals can apply online at epass.nc.gov. Individuals can also apply by printing a paper application from epass.nc.gov and dropping it off at or faxing it to their local county Department of Social Services or by calling their local county Department of Social Services to apply by phone. To be eligible for LIHWAP, a household must have at least one U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and: Have income equal to or less than 150% of the federal poverty level Have household services that are disconnected, in jeopardy of disconnection or have a current outstanding bill Be responsible for the water bill Households can apply through Sept. 30, 2023, or until funds are exhausted. For more information on this program and eligibility, visit the LIHWAP website at www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/energy-assistance/low-income-household-water-assistance-program-lihwap. × ICYMI: We just published our newest report "A Pandemic's Impact: Utility Disconnections, Evictions & Houselessness". Included is a list of resources for individuals facing economic hardships caused by the pandemic.
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Our Policy Wishlist for Private Well Users in 2022!
Direct advocacy with communities on the ground for safe water and clean air is just one part of our Environmental Justice work! Policy development is a key aspect to ensure meaningful, sustainable change. We are excited to share our Well User Protection policy recommendations with our membership & NC legislators in 2022! Support Our Work Today Almost one third of North Carolinians rely on private wells for their drinking water - a source that is not protected under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. In partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill and the statewide Well Water Working Group, our team at CWFNC has developed two policy recommendations that we will be publishing in 2022 with the goal of raising support for these protections on the state level. Increased Funding for Private Well Tests Cost can be a major barrier for regular testing of private wells, particularly for low-income households. We believe this obstacle can be addressed by the Bernard Allen Fund, created in 2006 to improve the state’s response to private well water contamination and provide low-income households with a safe drinking water supply. Recommendations for the Fund include increasing funding available, providing a public application, increasing the household income limit or providing a sliding scale, and further addressing testing of naturally-occurring contaminants to better address threats to safe drinking water for well users. Requiring Well Testing Before a Real Estate Transaction A safe drinking water supply is essential to human health as well as protecting the value of residential property. If a real estate transfer is finalized before the property owner or renter discovers that the groundwater is contaminated, there may be limited options to remediate the issue. CWFNC believes that adequate testing is essential to due diligence prior to the purchase or rental of any property supplied by a private drinking water well, and is exploring policy initiatives in other states to help develop a similar policy recommendation here in NC. Thank you to all our new and recurring members for sustaining our Well User Protection policy work in 2021! We look forward to sharing more of this work and with you into the New Year! If you haven't given yet, consider donating to Clean Water for NC today and receive a tax deduction before the end of the year! Support Our Work Today
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Happy Holidays from CWFNC: A Year of Thanks!
Another uniquely challenging year is coming to an end, as many communities continue to struggle with economic insecurities, health burdens, and social justice challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While work on-the-ground again remained limited in 2021, we have done our very best to stay in touch with community members by email, phone, and Zoom, as well as to plan, inform and advocate for Environmental Justice. This Holiday Season, we would like to reflect on the amazing work our team has accomplished in 2021 to address disparate environmental health impacts faced by our rural, low-income, and BIPOC neighbors. Please enjoy our Photo Year in Review, and we look forward to sharing many more community successes with you in the New Year! Our Northeastern Organizer, Belinda Joyner, speaks out against the polluting wood pellet industry and its Environmental Justice impacts on communities in North Carolina during a rally at the legislature building in Raleigh. Rachel Velez, the Water Justice Program Director, organizes private well testing bottles in preparation for an upcoming outreach campaign in Union County. A main focus of our project is to promote environmental health literacy in underserved communities. July 5, 2021 marked the one year anniversary of the defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline! While a victory for countless communities, we continue to review restoration plans and working with partners to restore easements back to property owners. Clean Water for NC staff hosted our Fall Virtual Meeting in September focused on “The Intersection of Civil Rights & Environmental Justice“! Many thanks to our speakers Belinda Joyner and Naeema Muhammad, as well as our 100+ participants! Amanda Strawderman, Polluter Accountability Program Director, monitors air emissions from an industrial animal waste-to-energy plant in Anson County. She sits on the NC CAFO roundtable and is working with groups to develop Environmental Justice policies requiring permitting authorities to consider EJ and cumulative impacts of a proposed facilities. Clean Water for NC joins in celebration with all the groups and community members who have worked effortlessly to STOP the MVP Southgate extension from cutting through North Carolina. In early December, it was announced that the VA Air Board denied a key permit for the Southgate project – a massive victory for our land, air, water, and communities! As with all our work, these actions and successes could not have been possible without the support of our dedicated membership. Consider making a gift today to promote our work towards Environmental Justice for all NC communities. Happy Holidays! We hope for a peaceful, prosperous and joyous season for you as we head into 2022. Our offices will be closed December 22nd – December 31st. If you have any questions or concerns and would like to contact a member of staff, please email our Executive Director, Veronica Oakler: veronica@cwfnc.org
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REPORT: “A Pandemic’s Impact – Utility Disconnections, Evictions & Houselessness”
Clean Water for NC has been involved in advocating for low-income North Carolinians against utility rate increases for years, and we saw new concerns emerge with COVID’s significant financial hardship for many families nationally and in North Carolina. Staff, along with volunteer Lee Barnes, explored the nuances and impacts of the pandemic on utility insecurity, eviction insecurity, and houselessness in the U.S., and specifically North Carolina, during COVID-19. Read the Report: "A Pandemic's Impact" The Utility and eviction moratoria are discussed in the context of race and class, especially considering access to utilities and reasonably priced rent before the pandemic as compared to during. The nature of utility shut-offs and why utility access is so important during a pandemic is covered in some detail, and there is discussion of private vs. public water utilities. We examine types of evictions and the legal nature of these evictions, along with the geographic patterns of evictions in the United States. The emotional, financial, and medical impacts of houselessness on Americans, especially during the pandemic, and especially during the climate crisis, are explored, as well as their racial context. We also include resources and highlight organizations providing assistance. Clean Water for NC aims to demonstrate our commitment to holistically considering the issues facing underserved communities. We hope state policies better protect BIPOC communities facing water disconnections, higher rates of eviction, and unhoused status. Read the Report: "A Pandemic's Impact"
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Safe Drinking Water for ALL this Giving Tuesday!
Hi friends! We work directly with low income, rural, and BIPOC communities to help address drinking water concerns, provide resources for water testing, and educate individuals on their drinking water rights, among MANY other education, outreach, and advocacy services. We are a small team with a HUGE vision: Safe, affordable drinking water for ALL North Carolinians! Just this past year, we helped draft policy recommendations that we hope will strengthen protections for private well users across the state, including increasing funding for low-income households to test their drinking water. This Giving Tuesday, consider joining our membership and supporting our work to help more rural, low-income households have access to clean drinking water. We couldn’t do this work without supporters like you – any amount can make a huge difference! Yours for Water Justice, Clean Water for NC Staff
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