Earth’s Great Storyteller — Water
One of the biggest threats to water in Appalachia is mountaintop removal. Entire communities have had their water poisoned by runoff from mountaintop removal sites. Says Alexandra Cousteau: For this reason, I unequivocally extend my support to promoting the discussion on the dangers of mountaintop removal and raising awareness of its devastating impacts not only…
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One of the biggest threats to water in Appalachia is mountaintop removal. Entire communities have had their water poisoned by runoff from mountaintop removal sites. Says Alexandra Cousteau:
For this reason, I unequivocally extend my support to promoting the discussion on the dangers of mountaintop removal and raising awareness of its devastating impacts not only on the environment—but also the communities downstream.
Mountaintop removal has gained notoriety for contaminating precious water resources. Mountain Hero Junior Walk has talked about how the blasting of mountains contaminated his family’s water; we also saw Amber Whittington write in her story, “I didn’t fully comprehend the effects of mountaintop removal until it got to the water in our home. I would open up the tap, and I would see the water. It would have an orange tint and a horrible smell, like rotten eggs.”
For Alexandra, the solution is clear:
This destructive practice has to stop. We are fragmenting our watersheds, destroying freshwater ecosystems, ruining people’s lives downstream, and accelerating our planet towards irreversible climate change by burning the coal extracted through this harmful process.
Join Alexandra in telling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that mountaintop removal cannot be allowed to continue! Please sign our petition!
Kelsey was an intern with the Communications department in the Washington, D.C. office.
Earthjustice’s Washington, D.C., office works at the federal level to prevent air and water pollution, combat climate change, and protect natural areas. We also work with communities in the Mid-Atlantic region and elsewhere to address severe local environmental health problems, including exposures to dangerous air contaminants in toxic hot spots, sewage backups and overflows, chemical disasters, and contamination of drinking water. The D.C. office has been in operation since 1978.
