A CNN report found that water authorities are distributing water from known hazardous sites in PR

CNN broke a story today that people in Puerto Rico are being provided drinking water from a known federally designated contamination site, originating from a well at the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site under the Superfund program. This follows reports from the EPA that local residents, in which clean drinking water is not available, have been tapping sealed contamination wells.

The island's water utility is distributing the water.

CNN tells the story of Jose Luis Rodriguez 

Jose Luis Rodriguez waited in line Friday to fill plastic jugs in the back of his pickup truck with water for drinking, doing the dishes and bathing.

But there is something about this water Rodriguez didn't know: It was being pumped to him by water authorities from a federally designated hazardous-waste site, CNN learned after reviewing Superfund documents and interviewing federal and local officials. Rodriguez, 66, is so desperate for water that this news didn't startle him. "I don't have a choice," he said. "This is the only option I have."

From Telesur on the CNN piece today.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated in a Superfund report that the area was polluted with industrial chemicals, including tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene, which "can have serious health impacts including damage to the liver and increasing the risk of cancer."

Superfund is a United States federal government program that was instituted to fund the cleanup of hazardous sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Superfund sites are designated by the EPA as sites that “pose a risk to human health and/or the environment.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has been an outspoken critic of the EPA, as a notorious climate change denier.

Trump's proposed federal budget would cut funding to the EPA drastically, with the Superfund program alone being dealt a 31% fund reduction.

The Superfund program was initially funded by taxes on corporations that contaminate the environment, taxes on industrial chemicals, and crude oil production. However, these taxes expired in 1995. During both Democratic and Republican administrations, funding to the Superfund program has gradually dropped.

However, Trump's proposed budget would mark the most drastic reduction of funds to the EPA since it's founding.

Testing of the Dorado site has been scheduled by the EPA as it remains clear if this particular water source is contaminated with the dangerous chemicals.

Regional EPA spokesman Elias Rodriguez confirmed the location is part of a Superfund site.

"The EPA is gathering more information about the quality of water from the wells associated with our Dorado groundwater contamination site, as well as other Superfund sites in Puerto Rico," the agency said in a statement issued to CNN. "While some of these wells are sometimes used to provide drinking water, the EPA is concerned that people could be drinking water that may be contaminated, depending on the well. We are mindful of the paramount job of protecting people's health, balanced with people's basic need for water."

Residents continue to drink the possibly contaminated water despite these reports as a result of Puerto Rico's dire humanitarian crisis.

Pendejo

DONATION LINKS

Here’s some great agencies with aid-workers hard at work on the ground in PR right now:

Hispanic Federation

Americares

Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund

Catholic Relief Services Hurricane Relief (Caribbean-wide)

Here is a GoFundMe we can get behind as well.

To help those in the most need, celebrities and others started sending their private planes to pick up cancer patients, elderly, people needing medical care, etc.  And we thought -- we can do that too!  We started this effort looking for a charter plane to get our parents (who are elderly and already out of their medications), sick friends, and children out.  But we soon realized that there were a lot of people who were just like our family and needed help, and there were plenty of people in the mainland that wanted to help.  We paired up with a dedicated charter company who has been going above and beyond to find us a plane, and next thing you know -- we think we have an airliner!  Now we just need the funding to pay to get it down to and out of Puerto Rico.  Expected cost is around $100K for 100 people (so about $1K per person) for the airliner.  But these are people that can't afford even that amount given everything that they just lost.  Which is why we are setting up this campaign! Now you can have a direct and tangible impact in the Puerto Rico rescue efforts.  This isn't donating with hopes that the money gets used to help someone.  This is literally getting people that need to get out of Puerto Rico in a plane and to the mainland U.S. Help us fund this evacuation flight! Every little bit helps. We will be prioritizing (1) people over 65, (2) people with medical needs (unfortunately charters can't take bedridden people -- folks need to be able to walk up the plane stairs), and (3) families with children.  

Chef Jose Andres provides nutritious food to Puerto Ricans

You can donate right to the Chef’s group at https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org

Hurricane Irma relief organizations

Here’s a link from Bill McKibben for an org to help Puerto Rico:

Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund

From Vetwife, Former Presidents Working for All Americans:

One America Appeal

Another choice, from Denise Oliver Velez:

Unidos Fund, from the Hispanic Federation  (After you click the orange DONATE button on the Unidos page, you’ll see a dropdown below your name & address. You can choose to donate to hurricane relief for PR, and also to Mexican earthquake relief.)

And of course, h/t TexMex:

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