The thought of not having access to drinking or bathing water may not cross many minds and unfortunately, Flint’s residents are experiencing this horrible issue. The city’s running water was deemed undrinkable due to high lead levels; therefore, taking a bath or shower in the brown water wasn’t possible for some time. Without acceptable running water how does one bath? Well, one way is to boil water and pour it in the sink or tub. The process enables one to bath from the sink, which is also known as a bird bath. Imagine doing this regimen every day.
Many Detroiters drink tap water, however, my visit back home this past January was different; homes in Detroit were stocked with bottled water. Needless to say, drinking from the faucet wasn’t an option. Perhaps it was due to being so close to Flint; the water crisis was headline news. Each local news program covered a story related to the dirty water effects. Flint residents eagerly answered questions providing clear details of how the water with high lead levels has affected their lifestyles. Flint’s Mayor Karen Weaver spoke publicly about the city’s water condition; requesting assistance and an overwhelming display of support came from many celebrities.
According to The Detroit Free Press article, “House panel on Flint water: Failure at every level,” U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, directed most of his criticism at the Environmental Protection Agency, saying there have been “festering” problems there for years. “It took a year from the first (reports of high lead levels) … before EPA issued a directive” ordering the state to implement recommendations in Flint.”
The Detroit News article, “Michigan officials warned of Legionnaires’ link,” informed 10 months lapsed before Michigan’s governor held a news conference to inform the public of the water condition dangers. The article states a top aide for Gov. Rick Snyder was notified the Legionnaires’ disease cases were linked to the change of Flint’s water source, which was switched to come from the city’s river and supporting data revealed startling statistics. Reports verified 87 Legionnaires’ disease cases were reported in Genesee County between June 2014 and November 2015; at least nine deaths were linked to the outbreak.
President Obama recently visited Flint and met with residents at a local school’s gym; he even had a glass of water during the meeting. Many homes and institutions have filters in place. The President assured Flint residents, the government will follow through to ensure the water disaster is corrected. The FBI has begun investigating the events leading to the water source change from Detroit via Lake Huron to the untreated Flint River water.
The Detroit Free Press article, “AG Bill Schuette: Flint water charges only the beginning,” reveals Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette office filed charges against Mike Glasgow, 40, of Flint, the city’s laboratory and water quality supervisor; Mike Prysby, 53, of Bath, a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality official; and Stephen Busch, 40, of DeWitt, the Lansing district coordinator for the DEQ’s Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance. The investigation will entail reading hundreds of thousands of emails, which each person charged is blaming another. Glasgow signed a document stating the properties tested had lead service lines, which was confirmed untrue and he wrote an email to the DEQ stating the Flint Water Treatment Plant wasn’t ready to treat the water but the process proceeded over his objection. Glasgow has a felony and a misdemeanor charge pending despite his efforts; charges include neglecting to perform duties of a certified water treatment plant operator. Prysby faces six criminal counts that include in office misconduct and several tampering with evidence counts. Busch has five misconduct in office charges, tampering with evidence, and a monitoring violation.
Finally, after years of complaints from Flint residents, the issue has been exposed with data confirming the water’s high lead levels, which has been linked to illnesses and deaths. Many people who never heard of Flint, Michigan now knows about the horrible water conditions in a city 69 miles north of Detroit. The Michigan Senate approved $128M to correct this issue, now the residents must wait for the Senate vote on the matter.
References:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/02/04/flint-water-crisis-legionnaires/79828822/
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/02/03/live-congressional-panel-meet-flint-water-crisis/79743588/
http://sacredheartspectrum.com/2016/03/former-flint-officials-set-to-go-before-congress-this-week/
http://inewstoday.net/2016/05/president-obama-asks-flint-michigan-can-i-get-some-water/
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/04/20/2-mdeq-employees-city-employee-charged-flint-water-crisis/83272760/