Welcome to Black Town Hall! The bedrock of Black culture is community. When the system fails, our community is our safety net. That’s why the fight in every town and city matters for us. Black political power starts with local politics. This series is designed to highlight local stories that affect Black communities nationwide. Let’s get to it!
Black residents in Brunswick County, NC, have rallied to fight for clean water in their communities. On March 17, members of several Black communities in the county urged commissioners to do something about the lack of clean water in their neighborhoods.
Led by the Brunswick NAACP and EarthRights International, residents are concerned about the decline in the quality of their water.
Why are there so many wells in North Carolina?
Over 2.4 million residents in NC rely on well water — meaning water that seeps into the ground and flows into a well. In North Carolina, many unincorporated, Black communities were established just outside incorporated white municipalities. While many of these communities sought to join a neighboring municipality, they are often blocked by majority-white counties and their governments. This phenomenon is called “muncipal underboudind” or the refusal of these white-controlled cities to add Black neighborhoods to their municipalities. As a result, Black residents are left to fend for themselves when it comes to accessing clean drinking water, sewage systems and other services.
Federal law requires most public water sources to be tested and treated, but this does not apply to private wells. Proper testing and treatment can be inconvenient and costly —- potentially costing around $1405 a year. This can prove to be an economic burden for residents who are already having to choose between their medicine and clean bottled water. As a result, residents in these communities have higher exposure to contaminated drinking water.
What’s Happening In Brunswick, NC?
Brunswick County has seen significant development over the years, much to the chagrin of residents. It’s wreaking havoc on the well water. Many residents are seeing their wells run dry. They’ve been advised to consider connecting to the county’s water supply. But for Black residents, it feels virtually impossible. It could cost thousands of dollars to hook up to the county’s water line. And even the county’s water system isn’t reliable.
Brunswick County’s NAACP president has said so at county meetings where he criticized the all-white county commission for not doing enough to ensure Black residents on the edge of the county can access the county’s water infrastructure.
At a March county meeting, residents expressed their concern to the same county commission. They brought stories of relying solely on bottled water to brush their teeth or wash their hair. Residents reported that the water had a funny smell or turned their towels and clothes yellow.
The Future for County Residents Remains Uncertain
Recently, the county decided not to apply for some state grants that would’ve helped residents afford connections to the county’s water line. However, the county said it plans to work with consultants to identify and apply for other grants this year. The Trump administration has cut additional federal funding. For now, clean water remains a memory of the past and a hope for the future.