Flint Water Problem

Who knew that Flints water could be deadly? Everyone should be allowed to have the same clean water to bathe in, drink, cook with, and to have fun in. Unfortunately, residents in Flint could not do this for quite some time. These residents were bathing and drinking from this water before the founding of high lead levels in it. Not only was it because of the high lead levels, but the pipes were very old as well. Due to actions made by the city council this caused a lot of problems for the residents in the city of Flint. This effected children, pregnant women, and the elderly the most. Many lawsuits were filed against the city of Flint. It was so serious to the point that Governor Snyder had to declare a state of emergency. This took place January 5th of 2016. High levels of lead in the water and old pipes lead to lawsuits, the sickness of Flint residents, and the city of Flint not doing their job.

On December 3rd, 2015, the mayor of Flint, MI Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency because of the high levels of lead in the water supply. Two weeks later President Obama directed FEMA to help provide equipment and resources to the citizens affected, including providing bottled water and local water stations around the city. On March 21st, 2016, Governor Rick Snyder came out with an outline that addresses the agencies goal to help fix the crisis. It focused on providing professional support for children under 6 with elevated lead levels, replacing water fixtures in public facilities, replacing the city’s 8,000 lead service lines, and increasing resources for schools. (Michigan.gov. 2017). Through April to July 2016, nine state officials and employees face criminal

The city of Flint is 70 miles away from the costs of the Great Lakes which hold the greatest sources of fresh water, yet there residents still can't get clean tap water. 15% of homes in Flint Michigan are boarded up ,40% of the people are in poverty , high unemployment rate, and consistently on a list for most dangerous places to live in the nation .In an attempt to cut budget cost in 2014 Flint stop getting pre treated water from the city of Detroit . Problems began when the city started using water from the Flint river .Flint River is 19 times more corrosive than Lake Huron (Detroit water source) . City and state officials denied for months that there was a serious problem by that time, supply pipes had sustained major corrosion and lead

The Flint Water Crisis has quickly joined the ranks of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, Kwame Kilpatrick, and the state of Michigan’s highways as nationally televised disappointments to come out of Michigan. This paper will look at the facts surrounding the causes, current situation, and remedies for the Crisis while also confronting the ethical and unethical acts of key figures associated with the Crisis.

Flint water crisis has been a low key story that did flush out into mainstream media until recently in early 2016 when President Baraka Obama declared this as a federal state of emergency. This crisis began in April 2014 when Flint’s water supply had been switch from Lake Huron, Detroit’s water system, to the Flint River which has high rates of contamination (Craven and Tynes 2016). After many complaints and petitions to switch the water supply back to Lake Huron’s water, the water source was still not switch over, because the river was claimed “safe” by the white people who held power. However, when the switch was made, the water pipes made of lead are already damaged and contaminated. Leading poisoning in children became a serious issue as many children began to show signs of poisoning and a chance for them to get Legionnaire’s disease. Surprisingly enough, when searching up “Flint Water Crisis”, there was no article that listed race as a potential factor into this decision of switching water supplies, until the addition of “racism” to the search bar to find many articles on this case. The reason to switch water supplies seems to be just saving 15 million dollars (Martinez 2016). However, Flint is a heavily populated black community, more than 57% are black, and Flint is about 40 % poor (United States Census 2016). Therefore, Flint water crisis is the intersection of race, poverty, money and power of a current society that believes in colorblindness and that residential

The article, “Lead Levels Remain High in Flint’s Water” by Matt Davenport explores the increased lead contamination in the Flint, Michigan water source. In April of 2014, high levels of bacteria, and fecal matter were detected in the water of Flint, Michigan. While the levels of bacteria decreased, the city’s water still breaks the federal rule for lead levels. A series of tests conducted by Marc A. Edwards was able to show that the city’s contaminated water was corroding pipes, which leached lead into the water. Because Edwards was able to inform the public about the contaminated water source, Michigan officials have taken steps to improve Flint’s water quality. For example, the water-pipes were re-routed to carry water from Detroit instead

The crisis all began in April of 2014 when Flint changed their water source from the Detroit water to Flint River in order to save money. Despite reports and health claims, the city neglected to address the water issue, and even corrupted water analysis data at the risk of the city resident’s health. In September of 2014 the city issued no less than three E. Coli warnings and advised citizens to boil all water before use. General motors found the water unsuitable for industrial use and ceased the use of Flint’s water in October 2014, not 5 months after the switch. The water was too acidic and would corrode their cars as well as disrupt the metallic structure due to the metals and compounds within the water. General Motors pushed the city to analyze the water’s safety and insisted that it is neither safe to use in industry nor for drinking. Not

Clean drinking water is a necessity in everybody’s life. Many cities take for granted their seemingly infinite amount of water available to them but for Flint, Michigan residents, there is no such luxury. Many people in that area have been sickened or even killed with the water that is available to them. Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan should resign due to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan because his negligence may have long and short term effects on the health of the city’s residents. There is no excuse for how he is handling this; slowly, and ineffectively.

To begin with, the problem was the water contained elevated levels of iron and lead. The problem was such a huge issue because it affected every resident in Flint. Water is a major essential to one’s daily life and dozens of families were using the water supply for several purposes such as showering, drinking, cooking, washing one’s car or home, and watering plants. Furthermore, worried parents are going to the doctor because of rashes and hair loss, it also affected children by dropping their IQ, affecting their behavior, and it has also been inked to criminality and has multigenerational impacts. As a result, the fault of the problem lies with the state DEQ. It was said that the state ignored federal law and didn’t use an anti-corrosive agent to treat the water.

Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote an article about Flint, Michigan’s lead water out break. Complaining about hair loss (even in pets), nausea, and rashes. This happened in April and now in January it is becoming a big deal stated in the article. Flint switched their water supply to Flint River because it was cheaper. The river is filled with bacteria and chemicals. Leonard talks about doctors that are finding lead in little kids blood and that can lead to a lot of damages including brain damage, anti social behavior, and more. The city is very poor and this problem could have been taken care of if they just paid an extra 100$

An online slideshow titled “How Flint Water Crisis Emerged,” published by MLive, a Michigan news source, written by Wilson, Samuel, Michelle Tessier, and Erin Kirkland gives a timeline of how Flint’s water crisis emerged. The second slide, written by Samuel Wilson, claims that the water crisis actually began in 2013, shortly after Flint’s emergency manager, Ed Kurtz, signed an agreement to stop buying water from Detroit. Kurtz and the city council, in an effort to save money, voted to join a

The source of Flint’s water crisis was in 2013 when the city decided to switch their water source and supplier from Lake Huron (Detroit’s water) to the Flint River in order to reduce costs, since the city was in a large deficit of $25 million. The switch was made by an emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder, Jerry Ambrose, and was said to be temporary until the two year construction of the pipeline from Lake Huron to Flint was complete. In the 1970’s, The Flint River had been badly degraded and had poor water quality, containing oils, toxics, fecal bacteria, and more harmful substances. By 2001, the state of Michigan ordered a cleanup of the river’s polluted sites, but the water was later found to not be properly treated by The Department of Environmental Quality with an anti-corrosive agent, a violation of federal law, resulting in the water

UC Davis,CA-The lack of concern shown by government can be seen in recent events that have unfolded in a matter of weeks. The events leading to this disaster were caused by the unsuccessful actions taken by Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder. Upon appointing and replacing the Water committee with officials of his own choice Flint, Michigan’s water source also changed. The majority of the citizens inhabiting Flint are low income and people of color. It may seem evident that the lack of concern shown by the state government on the Flint Water crisis may be actions of discrimination towards people of color, low status and low income.

A decision made by officials appointed by state Governor Rick Snyder around April 2014, switched Flint, Michigan’s water supply from the natural Lake Huron to Flint river, which had a high level of salt and was once used as a dumping ground for a local motor company, General Motors

For instance, Flint, Michigan was in an enormous debt, thus there was a financial emergency. The city has a huge amount of poverty throughout half of the city. When Gov. Rick Snyder apprehended this issue, he decided to take action and was determined to stop acquiring water from Detroit. Instead of consuming water from Detroit, he came to a conclusion and proposed that Flint, Michigan should start obtaining their own water resource. He first thought the city should acquire their water in Lake Huron, but the construction of its pipeline had not been connected yet, instead connecting the pipeline towards Flint River. The switch was made by state emergency manager Darnell Earley and therefore the citizens of Flint, Michigan have been receiving