Michigan to Halt Aid to Flint, Ceasing Distribution of Bottled Water

The State of Michigan has announced that it will end aid to Flint, MI on April 13, with free water no longer being available to residents.  Once the current bottled water that they have on hand has been given out, no more will be shipped to the city.

The state government has been supplying the city with bottled water since January of 2016 as part of a $450 million federal and state aid fund to help the city recover from its water crisis.  Residents will still be able to receive free water filters for their homes from the government.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that lead levels in the water have not exceeded the federal maximum for safe drinking in about two years. The government has taken this as a sign that aid to Flint may begin to be phased out, as water to residents is continually improving in terms of quality under federal standards.

Joyce Wilson, a resident of Flint, was interviewed by The New York Times, stating “I just have no trust in anything they say, because they make these claims and then shortly thereafter, it turns out that they weren’t telling the truth.”  After years of neglect and suffering caused by the lack of clean water, many residents are disappointed and suspicious of their local, state, and federal representatives.

The water crisis in Flint started in 2014 when it was announced that the city would construct a pipeline connecting to Lake Huron to provide a steady and reliable source of water to the city. While that pipeline was being constructed, it was approved that the city would begin receiving their water from the Flint River. 

This transition marked the start of bizarre looking, smelling, and tasting water flowing from the taps of Flint homes. The water was not properly treated before it was available to residents. The choice to source water from the local river rather than the Detroit water system was made because it was cheaper to use water from the Flint River. 

In 2015, the EPA published research concerning the high levels of lead in the water being provided to the residents of the city.  Ingesting high levels of lead can have toxic results on the body, and there have been 12 deaths from Legionnaires’ Disease connected to the water.  This disease is a strain of atypical pneumonia that’s caused by exposure to legionella bacteria.     

According to the Mayo Clinic, those who have contracted the disease may experience no symptoms at all but may develop a cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches, and diarrhea.  If left untreated, it can be fatal, as was the case for some Flint residents.

High levels of lead in the body can lead to significant developmental issues for the nervous system and brain in children and can increase the risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage in adults.  Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects that lead has on the body, which is why so many are concerned about the safety of their children and the state of their health when not provided with clean and safe water. 

Several government officials have been charged in conjunction with the water crisis in Flint. Workers from the water plants and former emergency workers have also been charged with felonies. Some of these arrests have been made in tandem with the outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease.

After four years of being unable to trust the water that flowed from the sinks in their homes, residents are not convinced that the water is safe to drink.  Ariana Hawk, when interviewed by CNN, stated, “Everything that me and my kids do, from cooking to boiling their water for a bath, we’re using bottled water. I do not trust anything.” After her children began to react to the lead in the water, she no longer trusts the water coming from the city.

Although the lead levels have been considered safe in the eyes of federal regulations, water can still pick up lead from the pipes when flowing through them.  The city aims to have all of the pipes replaced by 2020.  Originally, the majority of the pipes providing water to the city were made of iron and contained high levels of lead. So far, roughly 6,200 have been replaced while there are about 12,000 to still be fixed, according to Steve Branch, the acting city manager quoted in The New York Times.

While the water has been deemed ‘safe’ by the government, many believe it is still unsafe. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha said to CNN that “This is wrong. Until all lead pipes are replaced, the state should make available bottled water and filters to Flint residents.”  She was one of the first pediatricians that noticed the lead levels rising in the blood of children in Flint.

Flint residents are currently left in a state where they’re unsure about the future of clean water in their city.