preview

Water Pollution Essay

Decent Essays

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

Get Access