With our second look into a global water issue we will examine an issue closer to home than Cape Town, which we examined last week. The Cape Town situation is an instance of water shortage; this week let us dive into an instance of water contamination. I am of course alluding to the issues around water cleanliness in Flint, Michigan.
Map of the state of Michigan
Flint Michigan, the seat of Genesee county, lies roughly 60 miles northwest of Detroit in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Founded in 1819, Flint grew in direct correlation with the boom of the Michigan automotive industry, housing the single largest General Motors plant in the 1950’s, and only falling behind Detroit itself as America’s leader in automobile production. However, with the decline of the auto industry and the departure of multiple plants in the 80’s and 90’s, Flint’s economy and population have declined. Today, the cities population is estimated at just north of 102,000, with roughly 426,000 people residing in the metro area as a whole.
As mentioned before, Flint was pushed into a long standing economic recession following the downsizing of General Motors in the 1980’s, and in 2011 the state of Michigan seized control of Flint’s finances when a roughly 25 million dollar deficit was predicted by an audit. In an attempt to conserve long term water expenses, construction of a new pipeline from Lake Huron was implemented, and in 2014, to save money during the construction period, the city water source was switched from Detroit to the nearby Flint River.
Soon after the switch residents begin to complain of discolored and strange tasting water, and two seperate water boil warning are placed on the city after fecal coliform bacteria appeared in water testing. Both bans were lifted after chlorine levels in the water supply were increased. However, complaints of bad water did not disappear, and in February 2015 a team from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found lead levels in the water supply at a home to be 104 parts per billion (ppb); for comparison, this is nearly seven times greater than the EPA limit of 15 ppb for potable water. A month later, another EPA team detected lead at 397ppb. A study done by the EPA found that in violation of federal law, Flint’s river water wasn’t treated with anti-corrosive agents, and as a result water pipes corroded allowing substances such as lead and iron to leach into the water supply.
This teaspoon of sugar contains 4,000mg of sugar; only 10mg of lead is needed to hurt a child.
But why is this a big deal? Lead has been an integral part of human society for millenia, why is this such as cause for alarm? The answer to the question is that lead is incredibly toxic! Lead has the ability to accumulate over time in the body, meaning low concentrations, over enough time, can be extremely dangerous. Children, infants, and fetuses are the most at risk, as doses of lead that adults could withstand can be life threatening for children. High lead concentrations in the blood have been linked to nervous system damage, stunted growth, learning disabilities, impaired hearing and reduced blood cell function. In fact, research has show that only 10mg of pure lead is necessary to cause the above detrimental effects in children. For comparison the teaspoon of sugar shown above contains upwards of 4,000mg.
A week after the EPA’s findings the city council voted to move the water source back to Detroit, but this was overturned on ground it would be too expensive. Months continue to pass, and in June 2015 scientists at Virginia Tech found lead levels at 13,200 ppb in homes (note that lead at 5,000 ppb is categorized as hazardous waste by the EPA), and calculated that 40% of Flint homes were being affected by high lead levels. In September of the same year, the EPA says it will help develop a plan to fix the cities corroding water lines. In October, a review by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) showed instances of children admitted to the hospital with elevated blood lead levels had doubled since the switch to river water. Within the same week, water lead levels were found to exceed federal standards at three separate Flint schools.
Thirteen days after the findings by the MDHHS, it is declared that Flint’s water will be switched back to Detroit as a source, and funds were given to do this by the state. This does not immediately stop the damage done to the pipes, and it was expected to take weeks possibly months for lines to completely flush. In December 2015, a state of emergency was declared in Flint, and the National Guard was mobilized to aid in bottled water distribution.
Since the state of emergency, the EPA has pledged 100 million dollars to fix and replace the lead and galvanized steel water lines in the city. Furthermore, the state of Michigan is required, by the order of a federal court, to replace the water lines of almost 18,000 homes by 2020. At at the time of writing, this is where Flint stands, in a state of recovery. Water lines are being replaced and studies are beginning to show long-term levels of water lead below the federal requirements.
Lead contaminated water
The crisis that was initially underappreciated and underestimated by the government, finally appears to finally be moving in the right direction. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against everyone from city officials to the State of Michigan, and some officials face criminal charges ranging from negligence to involuntary manslaughter.
As the water lines continue to be repaired, all one can do is hope that any damage done to the residents of Flint, especially the areas children is not severe and life changing.
Recently, a USA Today investigation found lead contamination in over 2,000 water systems across every state in the nation. Furthermore, the CDC estimates that nation wide over half-a-million children have elevated blood lead levels. Water lead contamination and all the severe health risks it causes for our children is not a Flint problem, but an American problem. A problem that is severely underestimated and often ignored by this nation’s governments. I only hope that we learn from the events of the past three years, so that there is never another Flint Michigan in this country.
Sources Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Flint.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Flint-Michigan. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . “Lead.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Dec. 2017, www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/. CNN Library . “Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/index.html. Environmental Protection Agency . “Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 23 Mar. 2018, www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water. Young, Alison, and Mark Nichols. “Beyond Flint: Excessive Lead Levels Found in Almost 2,000 Water Systems across All 50 States.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 27 Mar. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/.