Before the town of Bouse overhauled its groundwater system in 2025, residents were hesitant to drink from their taps. … A new study from Clemson University could add weight to those fears, seeming to confirm for the first time that arsenic exposure can lead to widespread damage to neurological systems like vision and motor function. The study casts a new light on an issue that has plagued southwestern communities for decades. Almost one-fifth of the main aquifers in the southwestern United States contain levels of arsenic above federal drinking water regulations, according to the US Geological Survey.