10 years since the Flint water crisis

 

Flint serves as a reminder that safe water isn’t a guarantee. A story of environmental injustice and bad decision-making that has yet to be fully resolved, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan began ten years ago when the city switched its drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in a cost-saving move. After government officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Learn more about how the Flint water crisis unfolded and why lead-contaminated water is a problem. After the release of test results in the fall of 2015 showed elevated lead levels in Flint’s water—and its children—local residents joined with NRDC and other groups to petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to launch an immediate emergency federal response to the disaster. The EPA failed to act, next spurring residents, the local group Concerned Pastors for Social Action, NRDC, and the ACLU of Michigan to sue the city and state officials in early 2016 in order to secure safe drinking water for Flint residents. Those efforts paid off—in November 2016, a federal judge sided with Flint residents and ordered the implementation of door-to-door delivery of bottled water to every home without a properly installed and maintained faucet filter. A more momentous win came the following March with a major settlement requiring the city to replace the city’s thousands of lead pipes with funding from the state, and guaranteeing further funding for comprehensive tap water testing, a faucet filter installation and education program, free bottled water through the following summer, and continued health programs to help residents deal with the residual effects of Flint’s tainted water. Governor Snyder seemed to signal the all-clear in April 2018 when he announced that the city would stop providing bottled water to residents. But the work of Flint residents and their advocates isn’t finished yet. While local lead levels have remained below the federal action level for the past several years, potentially hundreds of residents are still getting their water from lead pipes. And nearly 2,000 homes also still require repairs for property damage caused by the lead pipe replacement program. The slow pace of progress has drawn NRDC and local residents back to court—multiple times—to demand that Flint comply with its obligations. To protect our water supplies, it is crucial that we upgrade our nationwide water infrastructure and strengthen government protections, including the Lead and Copper Rule that provides safeguards against lead contamination. Act now to urge the federal government to strengthen protections for safe drinking water across the nation. Sincerely, Jenny Shalant Editorial Director, NRDC  Help NRDC Defend Our Environment on All Fronts

Image Credit: Brittany Greeson The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

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