“Since April 2014, 25.8% of households reported a lot of stress related to compromised health. Approximately one-half (49.6%) of households reported a lot of stress related to feeling overlooked by decision makers, and 49.6% reported feeling that the Flint water crisis will never be fixed. When asked what their most trusted source of information about the Flint water crisis was, many households reported only trusting themselves or did not trust anyone 31.2% ; trusting none of the sources (eg, school system, federal agencies, or social media; 26.4%; and having no trust in government.” (Fotenberry, G.et al. pg.259)
Over a year of government denial, officials finally decided to switch the water source back to Detroit. However, the damage had already been done to the pipelines, nothing had changed to bring safe water to the people of Flint. The pipes were already damaged from the lead which ultimately destroyed the system. Finally, after months of avoidance, the president of the United States, President Obama, declared a state of emergency. Since then, the city has been trying to fix the damage which took place in 2014. Much of the community was hesitant towards the assistance of the federal government. They felt as if they could not be trusted due to the disasters they had caused. This injustice ultimately hindered the relationship between the people and state legislatives.
Obama adminstration distributed free water bottle and filters to the residence of Flint to help them cope until a solution was made. Stations across Flint like in the picture were set up across the city in hopes of a part time solution. This solution is still enforced today and was heavily imapcted by the 2020 covid-19 pandemic.
“In April 2018, the State of Michigan announced an end to dis- tributing free bottled water to residents after water lead levels consistently registered below federal standards for four monitoring periods over two years… the decision was widely portrayed as residents claimed “chemicals and bacteria in the water are at an all-time high” and “I don’t trust the water.”(Siddhartha Roy. pg.16)
Bottled water did help many of the citizens, however, it was an impossible permanent solution.
There isn’t enough bottled water to be sent to the city to be environmental and politically sustainable. The citizens were unable to shower or bathe their children at home with this solution. Cooking had to be minimal to save water for other means. The solution was solely for the purpose of drinking.
Another solution that was used is the implementation of water filters. This allowed citizens to take control of their own water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated a filter would be able to remove heavy metals from the tap giving citizens the opportunity to choose their own safety. The Obama administration gave out filters to the community and those who did not receive them would have to buy one for themself.
A permanent solution for Flint would be replacing all the water pipelines. At least 30,000 pipes were determined to be lead pipping and would require replacing. Replacing lead pipes with plastic pipes along with the switch to Detroit for clean water would be the safest opportunity for the people of Flint.
Counter argument:
Flint Michigan is known for it economic decline the cost that the city has accumulated since this crisis has been astronomical. The estimated cost to fix the pipes is 1.5 billion making this solution extremely expensive. Many people feel that this cost is too much and would be safer to just move the citizens permanently out of Flint. Allowing nature to take its course within the city. Since the Obama administration the government has put some funds toward the pipe replacement but it has been an extremely slow process. Most pipelines that have been fixed consist of the upper class citizens and little has been done for the lower class. In regards to the water bottle solution and the filtration system these are expensive decisions that have left most of the community restricted. Not to mention the pollution the water bottle solution caused. It ultimately harmed the carbon footprint of the city. Some citizens did not have access to these solutions based on locations and a means of transportation. Other citizens struggled when cases of water ran out they would have to buy their own. Because much of the city lives in poverty the choice between food, water, and housing become a huge debate. Only the upper class have been able to afford a filtration system for their homes since the outbreak. A flirtation system can cost anywhere between $60- $4,200 depending on what type of system.
