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State Representative Jim Buchy
High Quality
H2O Always Needs a Bobby Boucher
Over the past few months we have learned a lot about the water crisis
in Flint, Michigan and I must say that I am appalled by the failure of
their local government to do what’s right for the people of Flint. The
reason we have laws is to reinforce the Ten Commandments. Now is
not the time to react in Ohio by passing laws that focus solely on lead
concerns considering the many lingering dangers on Ohio’s drinking
water sources.
For decades communities have failed to upgrade their public water and
waste water infrastructure and now many small towns and cities are
trying to carve a new path forward to safe water systems. Other
municipalities are celebrating their good fortunes and efforts to
provide citizens high quality H2O. For those municipalities who
have not had the dedication of Bobby Boucher from the 1998 Adam Sandler
Film “Waterboy,” we should work with them to correct the wrong doing.
For all those Bobby Boucher’s who have taken the right steps, we should
remember to pat them on the back and put them in the game to help their
neighbors who have struggled.
In western Ohio, we must recognize the efforts by cities such as Celina
where harmful toxins are sometimes present in the drinking water
source, but is always removed from the water as it is purified and made
safe for drinking.
In another Ohio city, decisions have been made in the past that put its
citizens and surrounding areas at risk because of their inability to
purify the water and upgrade their community’s infrastructure.
Maintaining the capital resources necessary to clean waste water and
provide clean drinking water are costly, but should be a priority for
every local government. We cannot allow the crisis in Flint to
misdirect our efforts solely to lead contamination concerns. We
must continue to promote communities who take care of their water
systems and provide a nudge to those who need to take the right steps
to improve their aging systems.
To solve these drinking water problems we need to return to the basics,
follow the Ten Commandments, and expect those entrusted with caring for
their community to do the job correctly.
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchymay2016
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