The Flint Water Crisis
The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when officials who aimed at cutting costs changed the drinking water source of Flint City, from the Detroit City system to River Flint. The new water system from River Flint was highly corrosive and was not treated thoroughly. In addition, the corrosive water flooded thousands of homes after leaching out from the aging pipes. The Flint water crisis sickened an approximated 90 people and claimed the lives of 12 people. However, sources indicate that the number of casualties from the water crisis was much higher. Flint suffered a major blow due to the poisonous water; however, five years on, Flint tap water has significantly improved.
The Flint water crisis began in good faith. The mayor of Flint initiated a project which saw Flint’s water supply change from Detroit’s water system to Flint River. Initially, when Flint was using Detroit’s water system, the cost of water supply was high. Therefore, in an attempt to save money, the water supply system was switched. Within the first days of the switch, Flint residents started complaining that the water was unfit for consumption. In line with Natural Resources Defense Council, the water was foul-smelling, cloudy, and tasted like chemicals and metal. After a series of complaints from residents, the city acknowledged that the water was unsafe. However, the government officials insisted that the water was safe for consumption. The delay in taking immediate action and treating the water resulted in many deaths as well as a rising number of sick people.
The government officials were aware that the water from River Flint violated the Safe Drinking Water Act. However, the officials defended the water to save their jobs. Soon after, Flint residents took to the streets and protested. The protestors demanded the officials switch the water supply back to the Detroit water supply system. For close to 18 months, Flint residents depended on bottled water for survival. In line with Paynter, Flint residents were required to provide identification and received one case of drinking water per person (2). After protests and uproars, people were not required to provide ID, and they could receive two cases per person. Although the bottled water prevented more people from getting sick, it was only a temporary solution.
Water from River Flint caused an outbreak of diseases. During the water switch, the water from River Flint was not treated adequately. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires water from river sources to get treated and tested to be safe for human consumption. The old water treatment plant in Flint was not ready to treat the water from River Flint by the time the switch occurred (Taddonio). The inadequately treated water caused the outbreak and spread of Legionnaire’s disease. The disease was caused by a waterborne legionella bacterium that would continue spreading in summer. Also, the lead levels in the blood of children increased due to the high amount of chemicals in the water. Despite the deaths and the diseases, the government officials persisted that the water was fit for consumption.
The highly corrosive water from River Flint corroded water pipes. Most of the water lines to homes in Flint are made of lead. The corrosive and untreated water from River Flint corroded the pipes and lead leached into the water supply, spiking the levels of lead and iron in the water. Exposure to high levels of lead can affect the nerves, the heart as well as the kidneys. Children who were exposed to the high levels of lead in Flint were placed at risk of developing behavioral disorders, hearing difficulties, delayed puberty as well as impaired cognition. Although the city officials were aware of the contaminated water, they did not notify the public on time to stop consumption of the poisoned water.
Flint is not the only city that has faced a health crisis due to poor infrastructure. According to Paynter, across the US, broken infrastructure has caused poisoned public water, land, air which creates havoc in the health of people, particularly low-income neighborhoods (7). In Flint, the road to recovery is long, but the federal and state funds have been put together to fix the deadly water supply system. Although the damage has already been done, the government is determined to prevent such a crisis from reoccurring.
Tests indicate that Flint tap water has significantly improved since 2014. However, there are some claims that the water is still not safe. The government adviced Flint residents to use filters on their taps until all corroded pipes have been replaced to prevent diseases. Despite the changes, it will take several years to know whether the leaded water affected the development of thousands of children who were exposed to high levels of lead. However, Flint residents live in the hope that the water crisis is a pas event that will not affect the future of their children.
In conclusion, it is the future of the children in Flint that will determine whether Flint truly conquered the water crisis. Thousands of children were exposed to high levels of lead, placing them at risk of developmental impairment. The government officials in Flint, in collaboration with Flint residents, have worked tirelessly to replace corroded pipes and treat their water. In the future, officials should take precaution against using short cuts to cut costs at the expense of public health.
Works Cited
National Resources Defense Council. Flint Water Crisis. 2019. 13 September 2019 <https://www.nrdc.org/flint>.
Paynter, Ben. The Ripple Effect. 1 June 2016.
Tadonnio, Patrice. Flint’s Deadly Water. 5 September 2019. 13 September 2019 < https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/exclusive-before-flints-water-crisis-one-man-warned-that-people-are-gonna-die/>.