President Donald Trump cancelled a program that would help residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, stop human waste from building up in front of their homes, according to an NBC report.
Human wastewater contaminating homes and yards in these rural parts of central Alabama “has become a way of life,” according to Annye Burke, who’s lived in the county, which is about 40 miles southwest of Montgomery, her whole life.
The Biden administration allocated nearly $26 million to rebuild Lowndes County’s water infrastructure. The Department of Justice said the area was suffering from “environmental racism,” as it is a majority-Black area.
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When President Trump signed the executive order that killed the deal, he called it “illegal DEI.”
It’s not just human waste that is becoming a problem, but also standing water. “Heavier rainfall related to climate change has meant that contaminated water floods into the home, spills across open areas, and contaminates local vegetation and water, exposing residents to illness,” according to NBC.
The county’s failing water infrastructure has led to serious health concerns, including hookworm, which at one point had been thought to be eradicated from the United States.
Hookworms are mainly contracted by walking barefoot on soil contaminated with infected feces. It can cause abdominal pain, skin rashes, diarrhea, fever, and other ailments.
“We have to be extra sanitary because people getting sick can be a problem,” Burke said. “The health concerns are real. In 2025 we shouldn’t have to deal with this, but it is what it is.” She told NBC she uses various disinfectants multiple times a day to clean her home and protect her children and grandchildren.
According to Environmental Activist Catherine Coleman Flowers, it's not just money preventing many from moving but also a connection to the land.
“My family has been in Lowndes County since slavery,” Flowers told NBC. “It’s home for people. Why would we want to move? That’s where our people are buried. We’re talking about giving up a culture,” she added. “So, we will continue this fight.”