Water Crisis Crusaders

Despite being falsely accused of cheating in a prestigious NASA science competition, three Washington, D.C., student innovators are bringing clean-water solutions to urban schools and communities

- Tanya A. Christian

Teenagers Mikayla Sharrieff, India Skinner and Bria Snell were just babies when initial reports of lead-contaminated water in the D.C. area first surfaced in 2001. Still, when the ladies are asked if they would sip from their school’s water fountains today, the question is met with a resounding no. “I don’t trust it,” Snell admits. Elevated levels of lead in the district’s water have plagued the city for nearly two decades. Until recently many of the fountains that line the hallways of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School were unsafe to drink from.