Personal Narrative: The Flint Water Crisis

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.

Water is one of life’s most precious resources. Without it, life as we know it would cease to exist. Almost all life is dependent on water for survival. Humanity uses water in almost everything they do in their daily lives, whether that be for consumption or production. However water itself is not enough to sufice, clean water is required for life to thrive. Dirty untreated water can be the cause for death as well, so it is integral that water be kept clean. The government has enacted laws to ensure that our water is maintained and kept clean. These laws cover industries, plumbing, and sanitation among other things. Unfortunately, the city government in Flint Michigan willfully failed to provide safe water for its citizens.

I watch or read the news pretty regularly, but I only watch news which has the traits that I value most. The news to me isn’t about being entertained, it is about learning, in an unbiased, clear, and concise way. Other television shows can entertain, but the news should be reserved for information relevant to people’s everyday lives, allowing them to make informed decisions. I feel this way because I don’t like when a news source is pushing a hidden agenda. I look for a fair telling of both sides of the story. I also feel that because I stay relatively busy, I think it is insulting that the news would choose to waste my time with extraneous background information, off topic statements, or articles over 1,000 words. Most importantly though, It needs to be clear, if I can’t understand it, it’s the worst kind of news, no news. I have chosen three articles regarding the Flint Michigan water crisis to evaluate based on my criteria. One from CNN titled, “Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan, Draws Federal Investigation,” written by Greg Botelho, Sarah Jorgenson, & Joseph Netto, which focuses on the investigation but also background into the crisis. The next article I have chosen an article from the New York Times (NYT). This article titled, “As Water Problems Grew, Officials Belittled Complaints From Flint.” From the contributions of writers, Julia Bosman, Monica Davey, & Mitch Smith. I chose this article from other ones, because this article primarily focuses on politics like who

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.

Even before this crisis, the people of Flint, Michigan were struggling. To fix this problem the government came up with the plan to end the purchases of drinking water from Detroit and join a country-wide system that supplied water from Lake Huron. Although, this system was not fully built yet, so in the meantime they turned to the Flint River to provide water for the city. The problem with taking water from the Flint River was that the water was corrosive and if the proper chemicals weren’t added, the water could cause damage (Durando, 2016). Since the water wasn’t properly treated or tested, that’s exactly what happened. The water caused lead from the pipes to drain into the city's drinking water, and it all went downhill from

Growing up in the city of Flint, Michigan shaped me into the person I am today. Just recently my community was faced with another crisis. Occurring just a few weeks ago was the “Flint Water Crisis”; it was and will forever be remembered as a community wide tragedy. I got the feeling that I needed to do something to help those who were victims to this. I did my best to volunteer at as many places that were giving out free fresh water, such as with the Upward Bound Program on the Mott Community College campus.

The Flint water crisis broke newsstands around September 2015. A town exposed to a poisonous level of lead from the drinking water. This was followed by previous problems they have experienced since the switch of water sources in 2014, to save money. The history of the Flint water crisis is complicated and made so by small governmental agencies. The trial for this tragedy is still on going because of the lack of clarity. (Lin) In my opinion Governor Snyder is part to blame.

What makes Flint, Michigan's current water situation a crisis? Is it the children not being able to stop their thirst by consuming water at their schools, or moms who can’t give their child water from the tap due to high levels of lead in the water. This crisis should not be taken as a joke, as it may lead to harmful situations. Plenty of families in Flint are badly affected by this upsetting case. How would you feel if the water in your community was tainted?

In Flint, Michigan around a couple years ago decided on the worst decision to save money for the state. The state decided to earn money by switching from Detroit's Lake Huron to one of the Rivers most known for its filth, the Flint River. Residents were shocked at the sudden change and started getting worried, this, being long-term residents there it was a fear amoung them . Most were concerned whether it would be safe for the health of everyone due to the fact the the water looked brown until Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling drank the brown water in front of everyone to prove a point in front local TV. One of them said, “‘You’re paying for poison. I’m paying for water that’s a toxic waste,’ Kelso said” (Ganim, Tran 1) after realizing that

Chemistry is a branch of science that deals various compositions of matter which involves investigating properties that affect us directly, including our environment and our way of life. One of such issues is the public water contamination of Flint, Michigan. The state experienced a water crisis for almost two years continuously, which highly devastated the town since its main water source had been contaminated. There were increasing levels of lead in the city’s drinking water (Broadsidedpress.org). The issue started in 2014 when the city of Flint changed its source of water from their original source, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, where they received treated water, to the Flint River. Drinking water from Flint River had a series of problems, including lead and bacterial contamination, which led to serious health issues (Dixon). Flint River water was corrosive thus it caused lead from old pipes leach into the water supply and this caused very high levels of metal neurotoxins in the water. So many children have been exposed to the contaminated water leading to a series of health issues. The children have elevated blood-lead levels and the number increased drastically from 2014 to 2015 (Dixon). The change in the water source also led to Legionnaire’s disease breakdown that killed more than ten people while affecting another 77 in 2015. Due to this issue, many people and organizations stepped in to aid the city of Flint by providing them with bottled

What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions Idaho? Potatoes, right? What about Florida, do oranges come to mind? Universally, Michigan is known for the Great Lakes. Given the fact that the Michigan Great Lakes are the largest supply of fresh water on earth, it is unimaginable that Flint residents are in the midst of a water crisis (“Great Lakes”). The Flint water crisis was man-made and potentially poisoned 100,000 people; tragically, it will affect the city of Flint as well as these people for years to come. This crisis could have been prevented by remaining with the Detroit Water and Sewage Department, (DWSD), including an anti-corrosive additive to the water, and systematically replacing the aging lead pipe infrastructure.

The water crisis in Flint has caused mixed effects on the local businesses. There is one factor that every business has in common and that is the use of water in one way, shape or form. Because of the lead contaminated water in Flint, the city officials have given out water filters; however, for some businesses this will not do. In a story from INC.com we see the story of a man beginning his new business in Flint. The business in question is a coffee shop. Luke Leffel the owner of Wild Root Coffee states that, “He cannot afford to spend a couple thousand dollars on a filtering system. While the city is giving out tap filters to residential homes, businesses need to outfit their shops with filters at their own cost. Instead of waiting until he can afford a filtering system, Leffel found a bottled water delivery company that he can afford in the meantime.”(Yakowicz) This is the expense that this small business owner now is faced with, with drinking water that is not safe.

In America, there are many crisis that affects us as citizens of our country. Whether or not these crisis affect us financially, mentally or physically, these are still important events that go on within our country that needs more attention. Immediate actions should be taken when such crisis occur or are ongoing, so other crisis can be dealt with. Especially with the amount of crisis going on in America one has to be controlled for another possible crisis to be taken care of. Three crisis I will be talking about are hunger in america, the opioid crisis, and the Flint Michigan water crisis.

Flint is a recovering city. Arches that line “the bricks,” or the main street that runs through the downtown section, proudly proclaim it to be “Vehicle City,” but the Vehicle City took some of its hardest punches as GM shuttered their factories in the area. It is finding its footing though, redeveloping and rebuilding. Now however, Flint is going through another crisis. This is the Flint water crisis, where lead has leached out of the pipes and into the water supply. The water is considered unsafe to drink, with the worst of it being so contaminated that it is considered hazardous waste (Lurie). The governor and the emergency managers that he appointed to the city have taken most of the blame for the elevated lead levels. They have taken this blame because the laws designed to ensure the public’s health were undermined by a lack

There are amenities in our modern society that many take for granted. We do not have to take our garbage farther than our property line to expose of it. We do not fear the night due to the accessibility of our electricity. Unspoken competition between neighboring lawns can be held thanks to our modern plumbing. But what happens when one of these amenities, not only is cut off from use, but become a danger to you and your family? A city in Michigan called Flint, who over ninety-nine thousand Americans call home, experience tribulation that brought national attention to this once thriving city. The citizens of Flint could no longer use their own running water in their homes due to how polluted it was and still is.