The State of the Union's Water

Guest: Marc Edwards, PhD, Professor of Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech, Winner of the 2018 Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award, American Association for the Advancement of Science  In Flint, Michigan, court hearings are underway for a number of state and city officials facing prison time for the notorious contaminated-water crisis. Scientists say the water system in Flint is improving, but citizens are still encouraged to use filters or bottled water to avoid lead exposure. For years, Flint residents suspected their tap water was harmful, but local and state water quality officials insisted it was safe. Virginia Tech civil engineer Marc Edwards did the testing that exposed the truth about Flint’s water. He’d done the same thing a decade before in Washington, DC. And he’s doing it for other cities around the country. If something like Flint could happen, can any of us ever have confidence in the safety of our drinking water?