The city of Florence, South Carolina, has been plagued with unsafe drinking water since roughly 2019.
What We Know:
- Florence, South Carolina Reverend Leo Woodberry is responsible for organizing the installation of four solar-powered hydro panels at his church. Woodberry took the initiative amid the ongoing water crisis the city of Florence has been suffering through. The pastor grew impatient, waiting for government assistance in providing clean water to his community.
“…to be able to come up with community-based solutions is important to show that we can move ourselves forward.” – Reverend Woodberry said in a statement.
- Florence residents have previously been informed for some time that they should boil water for up to one minute before using it. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requires the city to issue “boil-water” advisories whenever an event occurs that allows for the possibility of bacteria entering the water system. Flint, Michigan, drew national attention for its clean water crisis, and it resulted in nine criminal indictments.
- Woodberry acquired four solar hydro-panels total for $20 thousand, and they all now surround his church. He used funds that were saved up and money that was raised in order to purchase the alternative energy source. The panels store and mineralize the water, which is then filtered and runs through homes or businesses it’s connected to. Each panel is about 4ft x 8ft and can hold up to 30 liters of water.
- The four hydro-panels connected to the church produce 120 liters of water per day. Woodberry has since revealed that he will lead a campaign to raise money to secure many more panels for the areas hit the hardest by the water crisis. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from 2010-2016, drinking water systems that regularly did not meet clean water standards were 40% more likely to be in communities of color.
Residents of Florence, South Carolina, can expect more humanitarian efforts from Reverend Woodberry in the coming future.
