On August 2nd, guest mentor Adriana Ortega of Environmental Advocates of NY, and visiting guest Jona Favreau joined Water Justice Lab fellows share information about local water justice issues and the lead pipe crisis in Troy. Adriana’s presentation covered regional water politics and the advocacy and policy work she does as a Clean Water Associate at EANY, while Jona talked about her personal journey as a mother discovering her water was contaminated with lead, and how she became an activist raising her voice to make change in Troy. Before the tour, Youth Science Fellow Muzzamil Moate interviewed Jona about her experience with lead contamination, then Emily Shusas interviewed WJL mentor Ellie Irons about what the team learned on the tour. Listen to Jona, Muzzamil, Emily and Ellie here! After the drinking water treatment plant tour, Trey interviewed Adriana. Listen to Trey and Adriana here!
Following these presentations and discussions at NATURE Lab, Jona and Adriana joined us for a field trip to our local drinking water treatment plant, where we received a tour from Bill Spillane. Bill is in charge of water quality testing at the treatment plant, and gave us a full tour of the plant including the lab where he tests water as it comes into the plant from the Tomhannock Reservoir, and at various points in the treatment process before it exits the plant into municipal pipes that take it to taps throughout Troy and beyond.
