Residents near the Palmetto and Parrish area have reported some discolored tap water from their faucets, but Manatee County officials say the water is safe to drink despite the change in color.
The Manatee County Utilities Department said the color is from recent changes to the water treatment process at the Manatee County Water Treatment Plant. Parts of the plant were taken offline during these changes, and the discoloration happened after those parts were reconnected, according to a news release.
The department is working to clear the water by adjusting the chemistry, but officials said it may take time for the discolored water to work its way out of the system.
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Morgan McCabe- Mustangs Ahead
(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- Three Lakewood Ranch High School (LRHS) Mustangs have won the 2021 Water Conservation poster contest hosted by the Manatee County Utilities Department.
Every year Manatee County Utilities Department hosts the Drop Savers Water Conservation Poster Contest, organized by the Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA).
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The goal of the contest is to promote awareness and importance of water conservation in daily routines. Sixteen Manatee County schools participated in the 2021 contest. The first-place winning entries from each division were sent to the statewide Drop Savers contest.
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This essay is featured in
Boston Review’s new book,
Climate Action.
Tallevast, Florida, is a predominantly Black, unincorporated community between Manatee and Sarasota Counties. If anyone outside of the area knows of the town of fewer than eighty homes spread across two square miles, it is likely because, about twenty years ago, its groundwater was discovered to have been poisoned by the manufacture of weapons-grade beryllium during the Cold War.
Environmental racism is global, but it is particularly common to Black communities in the U.S. South, where state authorities tend to allow more latitude to industrial polluters.
The plot will sound familiar: a polluting industry, privately owned but authorized by the state, is placed near Black homes, fouls the natural resources, and causes irreversible harm to the community’s health. Environmental racism is global, but it is particularly common to Black communities in the U.S. South, where state authorities tend to allow more