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Am I Flint?
Author(s) -
Mercer Kenneth L.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.5942/jawwa.2016.108.0175
Subject(s) - potable water , current (fluid) , environmental science , water quality , water supply , lead (geology) , archaeology , water resource management , environmental engineering , geography , geology , oceanography , ecology , geomorphology , biology
In April 2014, the City of Flint began using the Flint River for its potable water supply. The changes in the water quality were enough that the network of pipes, connections, and their protective coatings began to corrode. Customers reported a series of problems and ultimately had to fight to be heard, but in the end it was discovered that lead concentrations in the water had spiked, in some cases to incredible levels ‐ this for a poison for which we are told there is no safe amount. Flint reconnected to Detroit's water in late 2015, but only in 2016 have the lead levels decreased below current action levels.