The Poisoning of an American City”: “Special Report on Flint’s Water Crisis

Despite having to deal with the effects of lead-contaminated water for almost two years, Flint residents paid the highest water bills in the United States, according to a study released Tuesday.

“We’ll move forward with our issues, and I expect hopefully people are asking good, tough questions of the federal government”, Snyder, a Republican, said. Democrats have said the state should fully cover waters bills, including water not consumed or used to cook or bathe.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says he wants to connect health care providers with community support networks as part of an effort to help Flint residents amid the city’s crisis with lead-tainted water.

To ensure that everyone has steady access to safe, clean, affordable water, Food & Water Watch recommends establishing a steady, dedicated source of federal funding for community water systems that could fund the replacement of lead pipes in schools and homes and update and replace our aging water systems across the country.

The Flint firm hired by the state is no stranger to the city’s water system.

WORTHY CAUSE: Devin Smith, All Star’s purchasing and market division manager (son of All Star president and chief executive Jeff Smith), spearheaded the initiative to donate water to Flint, MI, residents.

“I appreciate their (the NAACP) comments”, said Gov. Snyder.

State Representative Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, also called for money to start work now on digging up and replacing lead pipes.

Flint, Michigan Mayor Karen Weaver testifies before the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee at a hearing titled, “The Flint Water Crisis: Lessons for Protecting America’s Children” at the Capitol on February 10, 2016 in Washington, D.C. House Democrats hold a hearing on the toxic lead water crisis in Flint, MI. “In my view, they need something sooner as opposed to later … in my view, what you need is something that says, ‘OK this is what we’re going to do about this, and this is the time table”.

The governor’s team has advocated a more deliberate approach to assess the condition of the entire water system in Flint first in order to make sure any pipe removal does not increase the chances of additional lead leaching into the drinking water. The amount was proposed by Snyder last week in his budget presentation. For more than a year, Snyder and his agency heads denied that this might pose a health problem, even mocking locals who complained about the foul liquid coming out of their taps. The number is particularly striking given that over 40 percent of Flint residents live under the poverty line, and the median income is below $25,000.