CofC Professor Explores the UK's 'Broken' Water Systems

^{“The monstrous contents of a magnified drop of River Thames water,” as envisaged by the artist William Heath in 1828. Wellcome Collection, CC BY-NC-ND}

College of Charleston history professor Jacob Steere-Williams has published an article, “Britain’s ‘broken’ water system: a history of death, denial and diarrhoea,” for The Conversation concerning the United Kingdom’s history of waterborne diseases.

Steere-Williams says that, given the UK was once known for its revolutionary sanitation projects, people want to understand what lies at the heart of this inability to keep the water clean and people free from waterborne infection.

“A better future depends on proper outbreak investigation in concert with appropriate legislation, which offers the chance to provide true accountability,” he writes.

He says if evidence collected in a timely fashion by an independent agency stands up in court, legal routes to compensation become a viable option for customers. He believes this should provide considerable motivation for water providers to finally start cleaning up the water systems.

Read the complete article on The Conversation.