16 years ago in Walkerton, Ontario, the water supply became polluted with E.coli. In May 2000, 2321 residents of the city turned ill due to the polluted water and about 7 residents died. Almost identically in Flint, Michigan, a water crisis created by mankind, which started almost 5 years ago when in order to save money, the government made a decision to switch water sources from the Lake Huron to The Flint River.
The Flint water crisis started back in 2011, the city's water source was switched from Lake Huron to Flint River. The water system that was provided to Flint from Lake Huron was fresh water, whereas the Flint River is contaminated with farm runoff, sewage, lead and decades of industrial effluent. Straightaway, the residents of Flint began complaining about the water that was discoloured which was making them sick. The city was treating the water, but the Flint River water is burdensome to sanitize because it contains high levels of chloride. Chloride is corrosive to iron, the corroding iron consumes the chlorine, overthrowing the bacteria killer that is added to drinking water to make it safe. The water from Flint River is not contaminated with lead, but its corrosive quality leaches lead out of the …show more content…
coli infection. The seven people who have died from drinking the E. coli polluted water might have been cured if the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission had admitted that the water has been polluted sooner. The Walkerton Public Utilities Commission found out the water supply was contaminated for about 4-5 days before it told the public about anything. The contamination of the water started after a heavy rainstorm washed cattle manure into the town's well, the manure polluted the water with E. coli intestinal bacteria, which causes severe illness and death, the Walkerton chlorinating system in the well failed to kill the
The Flint water crisis started back in 2011, the city's water source was switched from Lake Huron to Flint River. The water system that was provided to Flint from Lake Huron was fresh water, whereas the Flint River is contaminated with farm runoff, sewage, lead and decades of industrial effluent. Straightaway, the residents of Flint began complaining about the water that was discoloured which was making them sick. The city was treating the water, but the Flint River water is burdensome to sanitize because it contains high levels of chloride. Chloride is corrosive to iron, the corroding iron consumes the chlorine, overthrowing the bacteria killer that is added to drinking water to make it safe. The water from Flint River is not contaminated with lead, but its corrosive quality leaches lead out of the …show more content…
coli infection. The seven people who have died from drinking the E. coli polluted water might have been cured if the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission had admitted that the water has been polluted sooner. The Walkerton Public Utilities Commission found out the water supply was contaminated for about 4-5 days before it told the public about anything. The contamination of the water started after a heavy rainstorm washed cattle manure into the town's well, the manure polluted the water with E. coli intestinal bacteria, which causes severe illness and death, the Walkerton chlorinating system in the well failed to kill the