A number of North Carolina communities are struggling to access safe drinking water. A WRAL investigative team tracked two decades of data and uncovered high rates of water violations, which are most pervasive in rural areas including the towns of Carthage and Butner in central North Carolina.
With lower tax incomes from residents, businesses and manufacturing, some towns struggle to replace water infrastructure at an adequate rate to meet health and safety needs. The reporting draws connections between those towns and their struggling economies and the out-migration of residents. WRAL’s investigative reporter Cullen Browder speaks with host Frank Stasio about the report.