Flint, Michigan is a rather small city of about 99,000 people, with a majority (56.6%) of the population being African American and about 41.6% of residents living below the poverty line. Once the home of the United States’ largest General Motors plant, Flint’s economy suffered a major blow when General Motors downsized during the 1980s. A low budget, contaminated water source, and outdated infrastructure have led to a water crisis in Flint, Michigan which is a danger to local residents in regards to public concerns for health, loss of confidence in government, and a larger deficit.
Once General Motors downsized their plant in Flint, Flint’s economy went downhill. Many people lost their jobs, which in turn forced many people into poverty. …show more content…
This order by the state may have been the cause for much of the pollution in the Flint River as contaminates from the polluted sites may have flowed into it. A study conducted by Dr. Marc Edwards and Christina Devine from Virginia Tech showed that, on average, Flint River’s water is 19 times more corrosive than water from Lake Huron, Detroit’s water source. Contaminated water means that residents of Flint must use bottled water for everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, showering, and the like. However, Flint’s river was not the city’s first choice for a water source. In 2013, Flint city council voted to purchase water from the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) in an attempt to save the community money. The switch to KWA was not expected to be completed until 2016. Therefore, the city decided to use the local river as their main water source during the transitional period, which has obviously proven to be a big …show more content…
Many pipes that flowed through Flint homes contained a considerable amount of lead. A class action lawsuit brought by multiple residents against the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, the State of Michigan, the City of Flint, and many others, showed that the state Department of Environmental Quality violated the federal law when they failed to treat the water from the Flint River with an anti-corrosive agent. Treating water that flows through Flint’s water pipes is crucial due to the fact that, as stated earlier, many of the pipes contained lead. Lake Huron’s water is treated with orthophosphate, an anti-corrosive agent. However, as detected by studies, the Flint River is not treated with any anti-corrosive agent. Therefore, when the water from the Flint River flowed through the city’s water pipes, the pipes that contained lead in them quickly corroded; eroded iron and leaking lead caused the water to become
Once General Motors downsized their plant in Flint, Flint’s economy went downhill. Many people lost their jobs, which in turn forced many people into poverty. …show more content…
This order by the state may have been the cause for much of the pollution in the Flint River as contaminates from the polluted sites may have flowed into it. A study conducted by Dr. Marc Edwards and Christina Devine from Virginia Tech showed that, on average, Flint River’s water is 19 times more corrosive than water from Lake Huron, Detroit’s water source. Contaminated water means that residents of Flint must use bottled water for everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, showering, and the like. However, Flint’s river was not the city’s first choice for a water source. In 2013, Flint city council voted to purchase water from the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) in an attempt to save the community money. The switch to KWA was not expected to be completed until 2016. Therefore, the city decided to use the local river as their main water source during the transitional period, which has obviously proven to be a big …show more content…
Many pipes that flowed through Flint homes contained a considerable amount of lead. A class action lawsuit brought by multiple residents against the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, the State of Michigan, the City of Flint, and many others, showed that the state Department of Environmental Quality violated the federal law when they failed to treat the water from the Flint River with an anti-corrosive agent. Treating water that flows through Flint’s water pipes is crucial due to the fact that, as stated earlier, many of the pipes contained lead. Lake Huron’s water is treated with orthophosphate, an anti-corrosive agent. However, as detected by studies, the Flint River is not treated with any anti-corrosive agent. Therefore, when the water from the Flint River flowed through the city’s water pipes, the pipes that contained lead in them quickly corroded; eroded iron and leaking lead caused the water to become