Hey all, here we are in the home stretch of Leafy Thoughts, and this issue I’d like to catch y’all up on the state of the water crisis in Flint, in case you haven’t been following the developments. No doubt it’s turning into one of those things they’ll mention in future drinking water treatment classes, akin to Walkerton and Toledo.
Flint is a city in Michigan of just over 100,000 people, the seventh largest in the state. Located about 100 kilometres northwest of Detroit and west of Sarnia, they have been experiencing a severe case of drinking water contamination since April 2014 that has resulted in adverse effects to public health. Elevated levels of lead in thousands of residents have been discovered, resulting in various health problems.
It all began when, in March 2013, the city council decided to cut costs by switching their water supplier, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), to another company, the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA). Both suppliers source their water from Lake Huron. DWSD was reluctant in severing their long-standing agreement, making a final counter-offer that was ultimately rejected. As a result, they gave a 12-month warning of termination, cutting off services in April of 2014.
However, the KWA plant was not slated to finish construction until 2016. Flint therefore chose to obtain their water from the Flint River, running through the city, and treat it themselves. An unanticipated factor in the switch was the fact that the river water was more corrosive to the city’s old piping and aged infrastructure. No tests were conducted to check for such an occurrence. The old pipes have since leached large quantities of lead into the system. Despite having switched back to Detroit, residents are still facing tough challenges in receiving safe drinking water.
Complaints from the residents dealing with strange tastes and smells were largely dismissed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). When shown samples of turbid, brown water, state regulators stated that the water was still safe to drink, and that “aesthetics” were not regulated. It was claimed that homes serviced with lead-laden piping were tested for contamination when in reality it is unknown which homes actually source their water from such pipes.
Action was not taken until October 2015, when Flint physicians ended up bringing fairly conclusive proof of contamination, showing that instances of elevated blood lead concentrations had nearly doubled for young children since the water switch. Furthermore, a link between the Flint crisis and a spike in deaths from Legionnaires’ disease has also been suggested. A state of emergency was declared in December for the city, and a county-wide one was subsequently accepted by the governor for the entire Genesee County. Two DEQ officials have since been suspended by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, with some powers returned to the mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver, after the state had taken control. President Obama has also granted $5M in funding by signing an emergency declaration.
While government officials from all levels have been working to improve the situation, Flint residents have since been relying on rations of bottled water, including some provided by Ontario cities such as Windsor. Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger has offered advice in dealing with infrastructure renovations in similar cases. The situation was exacerbated by poor management. Since then, a number of class action lawsuits have been filed against the Governor, the ex-Flint mayor, and several state officials.
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