A Look at 2021
Happy New Year to all! Whew, 2021 was a BUSY year for ELS, Centreville Citizens for Change, and all of our team!
Take a look below for a snapshot of what we were up to in 2021!
In March, ELS, EHOC, and Centreville Citizens for Change held our 1st Virtual Townhall with panelists such as Centreville Residents, Walter Byrd, Yvette Lyles, Leon Spruell, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Environmental Activist, Catherine Flowers.
From February through March, the Centreville stormwater flooding and sewage crisis and the experiences of residents were featured in publications such as The Guardian and on Vice News. Check our News& Events page for some of those features!
Shortly after the Virtual Townhall that was held in March, the United States Environmental Protection Agency launched an informational website about Sanitary Sewer Overflows in the East St. Louis Area.
This site includes hundreds of pages of documents related to inspections of the water and sewer systems in Centreville and the surrounding areas. See here for more information.
In June, our team helped members of Centreville Citizens for Change launch their Community Home Repair Fund.
This program provides free home assessments for Centreville residents and, based on assessments received, CCC committee members allocate funding for repairs to homeowners. See here to learn more about Centreville Citizens for Change.
In June, you also had the opportunity to check out CCC member and Board of Director, Vanessa Marion, and Executive Director, Nicole D. Nelson, on the Climate Changemakers podcast!
In July, ELS and EHOC filed a second lawsuit on behalf of 27 Centreville residents related to stormwater flooding and sewage overflows; our partners at Earthjustice also joined filing suit on behalf of the Centreville Citizens for Change. See here to read more.
July also brought about a significant addition to the water supply that residents receive in the area. Thanks to partnerships with the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis and 501CTHREE organization, a Water Box was rolled out to provide free water to residents of Centreville and other residents in surrounding areas.
In August, the USEPA entered an administrative order including the City of Cahokia Heights (formerly the City of Centreville) related to alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.
September through November team members at ELS and EHOC undertook the enormous task of canvassing every household in the former footprint of the City of Centreville to gather information about patterns of stormwater flooding and sewage overflows that residents have experienced for decades. Whew!!!
In October, thanks to our partners at Elevate and the Sierra Club, CCC + Urban League entered its second year of providing free monthly bottled water to Centreville residents.
In December, our teams closed out the year with our 2nd Virtual Townhall that featured residents and community partners as panelists.
As always, thanks to each of you for your continued support. We could not do what we do without you🖤✨🖤 and stay tuned!