Water pollution has been a major issue around the country time and time again. It has been seen in the Cuyahoga River, Washington, D.C., during oil spills, and most recently, in the city of Flint, Michigan. The Flint water crisis became a serious domestic issue in early 2015; it involved exceedingly high levels of lead in Flint’s water supply which lead to significant health problems and the exposure of fraudulent government officials. This crisis did not have to be as severe as it was, but unfortunately, it was this serious due to the incompetence and greediness of the officials. They picked saving money over the residents’ health and best interests. They even hid crucial information from Flint residents that led to multiple deaths that could have been prevented.
On April 25th, 2015, the city of Flint, Michigan changed its main water source to the Flint River. Flint, Michigan is a blue collar, industrial city about 68 miles northwest of Detroit. It is the home of General Motors (GM), which was founded in 1908; a GM assembly plant is located along the Flint River. Flint was once a booming automobile manufacturing city until GM tremendously downsized their workforce. What was once a profitable metropolis turned into an almost bankrupt city with high crime rates; in 2013, it was ranked as the most dangerous city in America (Poisoned Water). The governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, declared that Flint was in a ‘state of financial emergency’ and brought in emergency managers to
As Doidge et al. illustrate, the historical background of Flint City’s drinking water supply emanated from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. This was through a contractual basis for over three decades, and its main source of water was Lake Huron. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is an extensive system encompassing almost 1,080 square-miles, and provides to more than two fifths of the Michigan State population. In the year 2000 alone, the system covered 11,000 miles of water channels with a storage volume of about 360 million gallons. It supplied water to nearly four million people in Detroit and its metropolitan locale.
Before the water crisis, Flint was receiving water from Detroit’s water pipes which gave out very healthy water. Detroit had enough water to share with other cities. Doing this was not free though and it was not very cheap. Flint had to pay Detroit in order to use the water. After so long, Detroit’s water system had begun to cost too much for Flint. Flint then switched to another water system. The Flint city council voted to switch their supply of water from Detroit to the Karegnondi Water
When you think of problems in the world today, water pollution isn’t one that would normally come up. In fact it is one of the worst problems in the world today. Water pollution, by definition, is the contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by any substances harmful to living things. All living things contain water and most need water to survive, so water pollution is a big problem. If severe, the pollution can kill off birds, fish, and any animals that use the water source. In some cases even killing an entire species.
An attempt to save money by changing water sources by an indifferent government caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, negative health effects, and a total loss in faith in the government of Michigan. Although measures have been taken to mitigate these problems, their effects have already marred the city of Flint and its
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 left no one from the damage, even the pets are getting sick of the poisoned water. That was what residents Lee and Ernie of Flint Michigan saw with their cat. Flint is a city in Michigan with a total population of approximately one hundred thousand residents. The issue with the water for Flints and its residents stated in 2014 when the city decided to switch from their water resource from the city of Detroit to a local river. Immediately after the switch residents filed complaints about the water’s smell and color. In Ryan Felton’s “Flint’s Water Crisis: What went wrong,” it is apparent that the crisis should not have happened, and that flint was neglected just because it was an impoverished city.
Flint in Michigan is located 70 Miles away from the shores of large fresh water bodies, the Great Lakes. Despite this close proximity to the fresh water bodies, the residents have not been able to get the clean water. The water supply of Flint in Michigan in the United States has undergone serious water contamination crisis. The water crisis started in April 2014 (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, 2016). The contamination of drinking water began when the source of water was changed from the treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. This later led to a serious contamination of the water due to lead contamination hence creating more danger in the public health. The Flint River had a corrosive nature and caused lead from the old pipes to leach into the water supply. This caused heavy metals in the water supply. This posed serious health problems. For example, six thousand to twelve thousand children were exposed to the contaminated water. The blood-lead level in children increased. The alteration in the water source was the main reason behind the water crisis in Flint.
According to City Council meetings the switch would end up saving the region $200 million over a course of twenty-five years. While they were waiting on the Karegnondi Water Authority to hook up a pipeline they used the Flint River as a source of water. They had previously used the Flint River as its main water source until the 1960’s (Kennedy). Residents were concerned about the use of the Flint River, because of its unsafe history. Flint signed onto the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which uses Lake Huron, in 1967. The Flint Rivers water quality deteriorated the 1970’s because of the fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients, oils, and toxic substances found. In 2001, the state organized a cleanup of 134 polluted spots near the Flint River area. Industrial complexes, landfills and farms laden with pesticides and fertilizer were among the sites ordered to be cleaned up (CNN Library). By May people begin to notice the awful smell and color of the water. The complaints were ignored. Three months later E. coli and total coliform bacteria are found in the River. A boil order is put in place to help prevent the residents from being exposed to the bacteria. (Kennedy). The
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.
Flint Water Crisis, independent professionals reported testing the drinking water and what was found that there is lead and it was leaching into the main water supply. Contaminated water with lead and iron may be the most intense image of environmental and social injustice. Flint, Michigan, is amongst the poorest in the U.S. and majority African American, since 2014(npr.org 2016). The citizens of Flint had been complaining that their tap water was foul and discolored and had an odd taste. Nonetheless city, state, and federal officials ignored the issue. It has been stated that by changing the Flint water pipeline back to Lake Huron will not rectify the damage, investigators and many researchers believe that it may not be possible to ever undo
Most of my life I thought Detroit was the worst city in Michigan and I thought it couldn’t possibly get much worse, until I watched the documentary ‘Flint Town’. Flint Town is a documentary on Netflix that follows the Flint Police Department and lets the officers and citizens of the community explain their undiscovered struggles and difficulties with decreasing resources, crumbling infrastructure, and of course the violence. Furthermore, they have faced a major water crisis caused by lead in the old pipes that supplies Flint their water. These things coupled together has found the city of Flint in a crisis.
There is much discourse on environmental racism in the U.S., and while many of its cases are documented in great detail, focus on cases from other countries is important to have and should be highlighted as well. On the international level, policies that have been described as environmental racism included first world corporations exporting dirty technologies, dangerous chemicals or waste materials banned by the domestic laws to developing countries, with lax environmental policies and safety practices. Since April 2014, residents of Flint, Michigan a city that is almost 57 percent black and notably impoverished, have been drinking and bathing in water that contains enough lead to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's definition of "toxic waste". Before 2014 when the city of Flint switched to their own river as means of water, Lake Huron provided the area with water. Researchers at Virginia Tech discovered in 2015 that the Flint River is 19 times more corrosive than Lake
All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.
Air and water pollution is one of the biggest problems the environment faces today. It is one of the highest leading cause of death. Air and water pollution has been affecting the environment for many years causing many diseases among people especially children. I will study and examine the early childhood growth between two countries which are Australia and Tanzania. I will discuss how clean and polluted their air and water is for each country. Their access to clean water. I will also explain the effects that can occur when water is contaminated. How children are affected when they don 't have access to primary essentials and how each country and their environment and living condition might threatened a child 's life.