There are certain things we come to expect from our local government: calling 911 in an emergency, having access to public schools for your kids, safe water at the tap. Consider Flint, Michigan. You’ve probably heard by now about the lead and copper contamination and how long it took officials to sit up and take notice.

Given that delay, it seems only fair to ask what about our water. Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe, reporter with the Denton Record-Chronicle, says Texas water suppliers are supposed to test their water for lead and copper every three years. Denton hadn’t been able to meet the testing deadline and send the city’s residents a notification, as required by law.

When she spoke to Denton area officials about the delay in their mandated testing, the conversation gave her pause.

“In the way that the lab manager was answering my questions, I could hear that there were changes that had happened at the state level,” she says. “I thought, something went on at the state level.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– The statistics for failure statewide, including how many of the 2,200 water supplies that were supposed to be tested but weren’t.

– Why the water suppliers asked the state for the ability to shop around for a lab to do their testing.

– Where most Texans get their water and how most of it’s treated.