When the Rivers Run Dry : Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century A few counties, New Hanover among them, require new wells to be tested for unfriendly bacteria. But no tests are required when houses change hands. And the state has all but ignored drinking water safety. Educated and possibly even embarrassed by newspaper stories that pointed out the state’s neglect of elementary public health, Gov. Mike Easley and his administration are pushing legislation that would require new wells to meet state construction standards and then be tested.

Though the Senate voted to give the governor the $1.1 million he requested to help counties enforce state well construction standards, it rejected his request for $1.3 million to hire 19 people to inspect public water systems. Most of that money would have come from increasing fees on such systems. The fees haven’t been raised since 1992, but apparently local officials squealed loudly enough to squelch that idea.

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