What's Up With Water - December 6, 2021

·13 min·1 clip

Uganda is jailing truck drivers who fill in wetlands, as regulators scramble to restore natural flood defenses after 40% were destroyed.

The episode opens with news from Uganda, where national regulators have suspended new construction in wetlands and are prosecuting truck drivers who fill them in, aiming to curb flooding after 40% of wetlands were destroyed in two decades. It then shifts to California, where researchers from UC Berkeley and UCLA mapped 440 toxic sites at risk of flooding by century's end, noting communities of color are five times more likely to be affected. Next, it covers the Chesapeake Bay, reporting that Virginia completed a 438-acre oyster reef restoration, the world's largest, as part of a 2014 water quality agreement with Maryland. The focus moves to Michigan, where a new report from the University of Michigan Water Center, Michigan State University Extension, and Safe Water Engineering reveals a sharp rise in water affordability issues, with households paying over 5% of income for water increasing from 1.6% in 1980 to 6.7% in 2018. The report offers six recommendations, including regulatory measures like prohibiting water shutoffs for vulnerable households and government aid for low-income communities. It mentions a failed Michigan bill, House Bill 5093, that would have required utilities to report on rates and shutoffs. The episode notes a $20 billion funding gap for water infrastructure in Michigan and estimates that reducing high bills could cost $78-146 million annually. It broadens to national concerns, citing a study where low-income households in some areas pay up to 12% of disposable income on water. The concept of affordability is discussed, with experts like Manny Teodoro emphasizing that thresholds must be community-specific, and Jen Reed advocating for a public process to define affordability. The episode ends with a call for support to Circle of Blue.

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