The extent of my knowledge on Flint, MI: Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Antonio Smith, and Morris Peterson all played basketball together at Michigan State, all were from Flint, and were nicknamed the Flintstones.
The issue is that the state took over Flint services and switched from Huron water (very clean) to the Flint river (ass nasty). A combination of long unused piping to the flint river and the corrosive water from the Flint river attacking the pipes caused lead to leach into the water. There was no corrosion control added after the switch was a very bad error. The residents had foul smelling dis colored water and were told it was no issue. Kids started showing elevated levels of lead but no changes were made. Finally after 18 months the powers that be decided it was an issue. Put this in perspective, some homes taps measure at 1000 times the permissible level of lead. There was some serious lack of governance and copious amounts of mismanagement here.
I don't think the Republican Party is responsible for the situation (I know some present it as such, I do not agree with them). The governor is, however, directly responsible. I don't give a shit that he has an R by his name.
Because when they were getting their water from Detroit they were putting a chemical in the water that coats the pipes and kept it from leaching into the water supply and a lot of the housing and buildings has the older pipes there. Since the treatment stopped the coating that was previously there from treatment has been eroded away, and now they're getting leaching into their system. I thought that the water had passed all EPA standards at the water treatment plant
1. It is federal law that such a chemical treatment occurs for municipal water 2. The new "state budget friendly" water source was far more corrosive and contaminated with heavy metals from the start. That they didn't properly treat it is quite literally criminal. 3. You are confusing the EPA with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which was run by political cronies who have already resigned over this and should see jail time.
There's reports about the EPA knowing about it and down playing it as well. I think it was miss handled at pretty much every level.
I see what you're talking about now. Looks like a guy within the EPA was ignored by his superiors for months, even after he blew the whistle.
All they had to do was add phosphates to coat the pipes. The water source and treatment at the plant was up to standards.
