Projects ranging from air monitoring in Georgia to installing indoor plumbing in an Alaskan village to providing septic tanks in Alabama have collapsed, leaving residents in the lurch.Cheryl Middleton, a resident of rural Lowndes County in the Black Belt region of Alabama, has gone almost three decades without a working sewer or septic system. Instead, a plastic pipe carries raw sewage from her home and empties it near her backyard.Charity Rachelle for NBC NewsAug. 15, 2026, 7:02 AM EDTIn Lowndes County, Alabama, where inadequate plumbing leaves yards damp with raw sewage, children risk contracting parasites if they play barefoot outside.Just a moment.We are getting your experience ready.