The Water Chronicles

During the first year of the pandemic, activists and community organizers in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois led a state-wide campaign to stop utility corporations from being able to shut off people's water, electric and gas as the pandemic raged on. Check out these discussions with Drake Materre of Natural Path Nutrition and Ben Theobald of WEFT Radio 90.1 fm (recorded in March 2021) about the #NoAmeranShutoffs Campaign and why we need to build the systems of abolition to take back power to the people. Hosted by Becky Lyons and Elle O'Malley. Produced by Tim Foley and Becky Lyons.

Becky talks with Bryan McDaniel from the Illinois Citizens Utility Board about how CUB works on behalf of Illinois utility customers to lobby against the power of private water corporations. 

Becky dives into an Illinois water law passed in 2013 and renewed in 2018 that changed the private water game in Illinois. She also asks what the Illinois Commerce Commission is and why people know so little about it. Featuring insights from previous guests- State Rep. John Connor, Zhenya Polozova from Food & Water Watch, and Ryan Hidden from Change Peoria. 

In this episode, Becky talks with Zhenya Polozova, Regional Organizer with Food and Water Watch, about the differences in cost, quality and accountability between public water and private water. Becky also draws connections with water shutoffs in Chicago in the time of Covid-19 and with national calls to divest from police and the military and invest in community needs, including public water. 

Becky is joined by Allyson Nolde as they discuss potential solutions and alternatives to privatizing drinking water systems. They also talk with Illinois State Representative John Connor about state laws that could make private water more fair. 

Becky talks with Ryan Hidden with Change Peoria about the challenges that Peoria residents have faced in looking into buying back their drinking water system from Illinois American Water Company. 

Becky talks with Reverend Benjamin Chambers with Faith Movers Church in University Park, Illinois about the lead in water crisis that broke in June 2019, and the responses from residents and from Aqua Illinois, who operates their water system. 

In this first episode of the Water Chronicles, Becky talks about the history of drinking water systems in the US and concerns about privatizing water.