Matt Harris
Staff Writer

There are few things more universally terrifying than the possibility of an out-of-control force affecting one’s well-being. Many people tend to take their relative comfort for granted when it comes to basic living necessities like water, food and housing.

Considering all the worrisome things that threaten the world at seemingly every corner, many feel that they should just be able to count on certain things not to hurt them. So, it makes sense that the threat of water contamination freaks a lot of people out — and with the possibilities of spilled coal ash, fracking mishaps and corrosive pipes — these fears are certainly not unfounded.

This writer can sometimes forget that the company he makes monthly payments to (often over the phone at the very last minute) has been tangled up in a slew of legal issues for the past two years. In February 2014, a stormwater pipe at a Duke Energy-owned coal ash basin along the Dan River burst, releasing nearly 30,000 gallons of toxic coal ash residue and 27 million gallons of polluted water into the river.

The contaminated water contained huge levels of arsenic and other toxic metals. This was the third-largest spill of its kind in American history — a 70-mile stretch of the Dan River had been contaminated and the clean-up effort would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

This led to a large investigation into facilities owned by Duke Energy, which found violations at five further coal ash basins. For one reason or another, Duke Energy didn’t seem to be taking the disposal of toxic chemicals all that seriously.

It’s difficult for most people to wrap their heads around such incompetence. The Dan River spill occurred just months after Duke Energy had completely ignored an inspector’s suggestion to more closely monitor the pipes in question.

The company eventually plead guilty to multiple counts of violating the Clean Water Act — all of which were misdemeanors, interestingly enough. As a result, this ended up costing the company $102 million in fines and conservation benefits. On top of that, the company has recently been fined an additional $6.6 million by the North Carolina Department of Environmental quality for the admitted violations.

This discussion has gained more intensity in the weeks since the revelation that corroded lead pipes had contaminated the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, since the city switched to a new water source in 2014.

Children are the most vulnerable to the health issues caused by lead ingestion, and thousands of children in Flint had been exposed. The controversy lead to numerous resignations by government officials, and further investigations are under way. Many have called for the resignation of Michigan governor Rick Snyder.

On top of the various Duke Energy controversies, last spring also marked the beginning of legalized fracking in North Carolina. Many citizens and lawmakers are apprehensive about the practice and think that the regulations on the practice are too loose and the required $1 million disaster bond is far too low.

Many have highlighted the potential dangers of fracking, including contamination of groundwater and negative impacts on air and climate, and stressed that the dangers of the practice far outweigh the benefits.

What seems to enrage people the most about this issue — aside from the obvious implications for public health — is the inability of governments and large companies to privilege the well-being of their customers or constituents over opportunities to cut costs.

And this does seem to be the thread that links all these cases — in Flint, the Dan River and in discussions over fracking in North Carolina. These are complex issues, but perhaps people are right to see an ugly pattern here. After all, it is their health that is at stake — certainly they are not wrong to ask for the highest possible standards and accountability.

Researchers say that water quality at the Dan River is now back to normal, and for the time being, there haven‘t been any major fracking disasters in North Carolina. In the case of any further spills or corroded pipes, this writer will be holding on to the hope that the water filter in his kitchen works well enough to keep his drinking water as toxin and metal-free as possible.