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The water that rushes through the city's older pipes is getting contaminated due to the fall of asbestos and raises concerns. Richland residents are now being warned not to drink unfiltered tap water.
The city is aware of the issue for approximately 10 years.
It is said that at least two miles of underground pipes contain the asbestos. It has already reached unsafe levels.
City is planning to replace the old pipes. A state grant of around $900,000 is being expected to help fund the project.
Adolph McLendon, the Mayor of Richland expects the replacement of old water pipes can be started in one month.
"We'll have to put in new water lines completely. We've put in a few and are in the process and hopefully we'll have it completed as fast as possible," he said.
Asbestos is a combination of several minerals that separate into long, threadlike fibers. The fibers can enter the lungs as a person breathes and can cause many diseases cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by this lethal substance. Symptoms of this incurable disease are persistent coughing or coughing of blood, chest or abdomen pain, fatigue, and weight loss.
These symptoms may not appear for decades after exposure. But it kills more than half of its victims within seven months of diagnosis.
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