> How can these individuals feasibly react in a rational way knowing such things, with their local regulations being poor? Were the water sources reliable befor

> How can these individuals feasibly react in a rational way knowing such things, with their local regulations being poor? Were the water sources reliable before these corporations moved in? Generally no; biological contamination came along with population growth and a lack of regulations, now you have biological contamination plus potentially industrial contamination (depending on where you are).