TheFlint,MichiganWaterCrisis:AnInterdisciplinaryPerspective

onaPrevalentEnvironmentalConcern

Introduction
GiventheprevalenceoftheFlint,Michiganwatercrisis,wehavebeentaskedbythe
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)asapartoftheDrinkingWaterCommitteetoinvestigatethe
currentsituation,workingalongsidelocalgovernmentandthecommunityofGeneseeCounty.Thisreport
isasubmissionfromthecommitteetotheEPAdirectorwiththeintentofestablishingthecurrentsituation
anddevisingasolution.
PresidentTrumpsrecentannouncementoftheUnitedStateswithdrawalfromtheParisClimate
Agreementreinforcestheexigencyforthestatesthemselvestopromoteactionpreventingclimatechange.
Thefederalgovernmentspositiononclimatechangehasresultedinwidespreaddistrust,makingit
imperativethatlocallevelinterventiontakeplacetoinstilltrustbetweengovernmentandthepublicand
tofostersustainableindustrialgrowth.Throughaholisticevaluationofthesocialeffectsonthe
communityofFlint,environmentalissuesconcerningwaterthequalityandcontamination,andthe
economiccomplicationsresultingfromthewatercrisis,wehavebeenabletocometoapotentialsolution
tomitigatethepersistingnegativeeffects.

Research

Ourresearchhasgatheredaroundthe12thUNSustainabilityGoal(SDG),entitledR esponsible
ConsumptionandProduction.Thisparticulargoalcapturestheissuecurrentlyfacedbythecommunityof
Flint,Michigan,whichhasbeenstrugglingfiscallyforseveralyears.Michigansgovernorofsixyears,
RickSnyder,alongsiderepresentativesfromtheDepartmentofTreasury,cametothedifficultconclusion
thatswitchingthecityswatersourcefromLakeHurontoamuchcloserbodyofwater,theFlintRiver,
wouldbeasteptowardsavingthelocaleconomy(Kozacek).
Withprojectedshorttermsavingsofroughly$5million,GovernorSnydersawitasaneasy
decisiontoswitchthewatersource(Counts).Sincethen,projectedcostshaveclimbedtoroughly$400
millionsince,includingfutureinfrastructuralandlegalcoststothecityaswellascostscorrespondingto
thoseinevitablyaffectedbyhealthcomplicationsinfutureyears(Sanburn).Withmorethan8,000
childrenaffectedbyleadpoisoningandtheresultingmentalandphysicalunderdevelopment,itsbeen
estimatedthatroughly$395millioninfutureeconomiclosseswillarise.Thesecanbeattributedto
decreasedfutureeconomicproductivity,increasedrelianceonwelfarecompensation,andincreasedcosts
tothecriminaljusticesystem(Kozacek).Notonlyarecurrentmonetarylossesoutweighingprojected
benefits,buttheestimatedfutureeconomiclossesarebothdetrimentalandseeminglyinfinite.
Severalmajorissueshavearisenthatbringintoquestionthegovernmentslevelofconcernwith
thequalityoflifeinFlint.AnarticlebyJohnSanborninT
imenoted, furiousresidentsquestionwhat
governmentofficialsknewaboutthedangersofthedrinkingwaterandwhytheydidn'tactsooner
(Sanborn).InOctober2015,thestateofMichiganfinallyacknowledgedthatthewatersupplywas
contaminatedandunsafetoconsume.
Anongoinginvestigation,ledbyMichigansAttorneyGeneral,determinedthattheFlintWater
TreatmentPlantwascontinuingtooperatedespitethelevelofdanger.AccordingtoDetroitFreePress,
MichiganDepartmentofEnvironmentalQualityofficialshaveacknowledgedamistakeinfailingto
requirecorrosioncontrolchemicalstobeaddedtothewater.(EganandAnderson).Uponcloser
inspectionoftheriver,thewaterqualityintheriverwasnotedasbeing19timesmorecorrosivethanthe
waterfromLakeHuron(CNN).Thecontaminationcanbeattributedtothecityshistoryofpoorly
managedsewagedisposalandinvasiveindustrialfrackingpractices.
ThoughattemptedcleanupsinmanylocationsalongtheFlintRiverhadbeengoingonforseveral
decades,pollutantsremainedandthecorrosivetreatmentprocesscontinuedtocausemorecomplications.
Thecontaminantsfoundinthewaterdidntstopwithlead.Furthertestingfounddangerousamountof
iron,fecalcoliformbacteria,andothertoxicsubstancesalsotobepresent(CNN).Frombothmedicaland
environmentalperspectives,thepresenceofthesetoxinsisdangeroustohumanhealthandecosystems.

DiscussionandProposedSolutions

Thelocalgovernmentsexpectedsavingswereovershadowedbytherealmonetarycostsfacing
thecity.Michigansstategovernmentandfederaladvisorsseemtohaveneglectedthesocialand
economiccostsinordertorealizeashorttermfiscalgain.Theircleardisregardforthestandardofliving
inFlintwascombattedby$400millionineconomiclosses(Whitcomb).Byfailingtoconsiderall
possibleeffectsofswitchingthesourceofwater,GovernorSnyderandhisofficialshavejeopardizednot
onlytheeconomicgrowthpotentialofthecity,butalsothequalityoflifeinFlint.Severaldonationsfrom
organizationsliketheEPAhavebeenreceivedtohelprebuildFlint.Thus,thelocalgovernmentshould
beginworkingtoalignwiththepeopleofFlinttocontinuefindingwaystoraisemoneyforthisseemingly
unendingcrisis.
ThemostprevalentsocialissuesthathavearisenthroughtheFlintwatercrisisconcernthe
resultingwidespreadhealthcomplications.In2014,thelocalgovernmentissuedaboilwateradvisory,
whichgenerallyindicatesthatunsafelevelsofvariouspathogensarepresentinthedrinkingwater,urging
citizenstoboiltheirwaterpriortoconsumption.Followingthisinearly2015,thecityofFlintwas
chargedwithviolatingtheUnitedStatesDrinkingWaterActduetoitsdangerouslyhighlevelsof
trihalomethanes,whichareknowntocauseanincreaseinthelikelihoodofcancerandothersevereliver,
kidney,andcentralnervoussystemrelatedcomplications.Finallyandmostnotably,inthelatterpartof
2015,investigationofthepipesystemleadtothediscoveryofpipecorrosioncausingleadmatriculation
intothewaterconsumedbyFlintscitizens(Kozacek).Highamountsoflead,whenconsumedby
children,cancauseseverementalandphysicaldevelopmentaldefects.
Tohelpcombatthesesocialcosts,Flintshouldconsiderimprovingcognitivedevelopment
treatmentcentersandadditionalleadtestingcenterstohelpthosecontinuouslyaffected.With
lackadaisicalgovernmentintervention,thepeopleofFlinthavebeenwithoutafigureheadtohelplocate
medicalassistance,provideadvicetoavoidfurtherhealthcomplications,andserveasasourceof
answers.Bystrengtheningthelimitedresourcesthatthecommunityhasforassistance,thesocialissues
thatcontinuetoprevailcanbegintobecontrolledeffectively.Inordertoimprovethelocaleconomy,the
initialgoalofthisplan,Flintneedstotendtothefuturegenerationsofthecity,whichincludesthe
childrenwhohavecontractedhealthcomplicationsthroughoutthewatercrisis.
TheenvironmentalconcernsassociatedwiththeFlintRiverhavepersistedfordecades(CNN).
Manyweresurprisedtohearthattheriverwouldbecomethecitysmainwatersourcegivenitsreputation
ofbeingfilthy(GanimandTran).Giventhepublicconcernalone,therepresentativesfromthestate
shouldhavehesitatedonselectingtheFlintRiverasthetemporarysource.Hadofficialsdecidedtousean
anticorrosivetreatmentinitially,itwouldhavecostroughly$100aday,butitsestimatedthat90%of
Flintscurrentwaterrelatedissueswouldnotexist(GanimandTran).Thoughthecityhadbeen
strugglingfiscally,thiswouldhavebeenasmallfeetoavoidthemillionsthatthecitycurrentlyfacesin
recoverycosts.
Thiscontaminationissueisrootedinlongstandingunsustainabledisposalpracticesrelatedto
frackingbyproductandindustrialsewage.Byimplementingagreenerformoffracking,suchasa
GasFrac,thewastedepositedintheFlintRiverwoulddiminish.GasFracandotherwaterlessfracking
techniquesusealessintrusiveandfarlesswastefulpropanegelinsteadofwater(Kriger).Ratherthan
remaininginthegroundasapollutant,thegelevaporatesunderthehighheatandpressureofthefracking
process.Thevaporisreleasedalongwiththenaturalgas,safelycontained,andcanbereusedinfuture
projects(BrinoandNearing).Thismethodwouldeliminatecontaminatedwastedisposalandsignificantly
decreasethelikelihoodofwaterinfiltrationandpollution.Theprocesscanalsobemoreefficientthan
waterfracking,asmorenaturalgasisgenerallyreleasedduringtheprocess(Brino).Thishasbeena
difficultprocessinthepast,duetothehigherinitialcostofusingpropane.However,thiswouldbea
smallcostifthewatercontaminationinFlintwasdiscontinuedasaresult.

Conclusion

Theenvironmental,social,andeconomiccoststothestrugglingcityofFlintarestillhightoday
andmanyresidentscontinuetopayfortheirstillcontaminatedwater.Thisreportservesasawakeupcall
forthegovernment,thecitizensofthiscountry,andasabranchofsupporttothepeopleofFlint.Itis
imperativethattheinputofthepeopleofFlintisconsideredbeforeanyactionistaken.Undoubtedly,
frackingtechnologymustimprovebeforeitcancontinuetobeused.Althoughithasgivenusaccessto
unimaginablefuelpower,itsnotultimatelyeffective,andmustbemadesaferforthepeoplelivingnear
itsoperation.AligningwiththegoalsoftheUN,itisourresponsibilityasanationtosupporteachother
andourenvironment,whileensuringeconomicfreedomandprosperityinthefuture.

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