MANHATTAN —
Residents of the Jacob Riis Houses were not shocked when the New York City Housing Authority announced that arsenic had been detected in their water.
Tenants have been buying bottled water for years because they are afraid of what comes out of their taps.
“I’ve been calling and complaining for five years,” said Maribel Soto. “Every time I open the water it smells like sewage.”
The arsenic fiasco—triggered by a botched test, officials eventually said—was all too familiar. Residents have long lived with discolored water, leaks, gas outages, mold, and roach and rodent infestations..
“I am constantly having nervous breakdowns,” Soto said.
