Flint residents began to complain about the color and smell of the water in the spring of 2014. When Governor Rick Snyder emailed the State Department of Health and Human Services regarding such complaints, the response was astonishing. Based on an analysis of children’s blood-lead levels, the State Department of Health assured Gov. Snyder that the water in Flint was safe to drink. Worse yet, a contradictory report that shed light on the faulty analysis went largely ignored. While residents began to notice rashes, hair loss, and even seizures, concerns about the water only increased.

The water was indeed contaminated with lead. But how could such a contamination occur in such a widely populated area? With exposure to lead affecting almost 9,000 children younger than 6 years-of-age, it simply begs the question: who is at fault for this environmental catastrophe in Flint?
                                                                                                   

To cut costs, the city of Flint began to use the Flint River as its source of drinking water, rather than drawing its water from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. This change in water supply was only intended to be temporary, as a direct pipeline from Lake Huron was undergoing construction. Consequently, the State Department of Environmental Quality needed to add certain chemicals to the heavily-polluted Flint River, so that the water might be safe for consumption. The State Department of Environmental Quality failed to add all of the necessary substances. As a result, lead from leaky pipes and fixtures found its way into the water supply.

Much blame for the Flint calamity has reflects back on  Governor Snyder, especially concerning his support for tax cuts and limited municipal spending. As Michigan State University economist, Charles L. Ballard, mentioned in an interview with PolitiFact, “There was a lot of wishful thinking by which the tax cutters dreamed that they could keep on cutting taxes without having any real consequences, but tax cuts of this magnitude, some of which were passed during the first year of Gov. Snyder’s administration, were bound to have real consequences.” In addition, Snyder appointed the two emergency managers who signed off on the use of the corrosive Flint River for the city’s water supply.

Governor Snyder bears further responsibility, due to the untimely manner of his response. For nearly two years, the governor didn’t issue a state of emergency, while the residents of Flint continued to drink toxic water. He failed to declare an official state of emergency until January of this year, almost adding insult to injury for the suffering people of Flint.  

Likewise, the State Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department of Environmental Quality share much of the blame. The two public organizations were warned several times by an official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the water was not safe to drink, due to the lack of anti-corrosion safeguards. Nonetheless, these warnings were not conveyed to the public until months to come.           This failure of state government has caused severe problems for the city. Businesses like General Motors have stopped using the water in Flint after noticing that it caused parts and machines to rust. Small businesses carry the burden of the water crisis, as well. In an interview with Michigan Public Radio, a small restaurant owner in Flint explains, “It’s tough enough running a business in the struggling city of Flint. But, when you’re running a restaurant in a city suffering through the worst tainted water crisis that Michigan can remember, you’ve really got your work cut out for you.”

Due to Flint’s majority African-American population, some have suggested that the poor handling of the Flint Water Crisis has to do with race. New York Daily News reporter Shaun King argues, “Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder did nothing as Flint’s water crisis became one of the worst cases of environmental racism in modern American history.” King also noted the city’s mass opposition for the Republican governor’s reelection in 2014,  especially among black voters. He implied that the governor didn’t feel like he owed anything to black voters in Flint. Feeling victimized by environmental racism, the NAACP issued a statement, “Would more have been done, and at a much faster pace, if nearly 40 percent of Flint residents were not living below the poverty line? The answer is unequivocally yes.”

Where to go from here for Flint residents? As for now, donations of bottled water are being shipped to the city in mass quantity. According to CNN, the city is expected to get $28 million in aid. Additionally, Michigan’s two senators announced a $600 million proposal to replace contaminated pipes and help those exposed to lead.

If it seems like the water crisis in Flint was easily preventable, that’s because it’s true. The switch in Flint’s water supply, a result of the governor’s “limited spending” policy in Flint, only saved the city about $100 per day. Currently, the FBI and the Michigan Attorney General’s office are investigating the matter. The state council, appointed by the Attorney General’s office, claims that charges of manslaughter are not “far-fetched” (PolitiFact). While justice might be served on behalf of Flint residents, many will have to bear the toxic defects of lead exposure for a lifetime.

Sources:USA Today, PolitiFact, Vox, New York Daily News, Michigan Public Radio, CNN, Detroit Free Press