As an advocate for safe and clean drinking water, one could understand my frustration to know that Illinois is one of the worst states in regards to contaminated water. Illinois is my home state and during my time as a trustee member of the Buffalo Grove board of trustees, safe drinking water was an issue that was brought to my attention and I have strived to maintain my passion for this issue ever since. Finding out that Illinois was one of the five worst states for contaminated drinking water only feeds the fire I have for this cause. I want to make sure that everyone has access to safe and clean drinking water.

We can do that by ensuring that the systems in place that carry water to residents of our communities are lead free and copper free. The current systems are carrying these deadly elements into our drinking water and they build levels within our bodies. There is no “safe” level of lead in a human. Any lead is detrimental to a person’s health, especially young children. Lead exposure can cause irreversible damage to developing brains and nervous systems.

The current administration in the White House has proposed funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which would severely affect the state of drinking water in the nation. The EPA regulates drinking water and any kind of cut to their funding would decrease those regulations and prove it near impossible to maintain safe drinking water in our communities.

When you see that nearly 20 million Americans fall ill each year due to pathogens within their drinking water, you have to ask yourself when will this be fixed? Why are any of our citizens getting sick from their drinking water?