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[Dandy Crocodile]

From Erin Brockovitch's Facebook:

This fire hydrant in Flint, Michigan has been "flushing" for over 5-hours... after 5-hours, that's not flushing...that is the water quality in Flint.

They can look you straight in the face and say it is safe to drink... I don't need a lab test to tell me this is a violation. They are playing with words... the "LAW" doesn't require distribution testing for these constituents... so knock yourself out...it's safe. Worry not... they still add corrosive/toxic fluoride to the mix... then dump it into the local rivers and streams... but it's only flushing.

When will they take the free advice we offered over 6-months ago? Why do they feel compelled to continue to poison the community? This highly corrosive water is causing serious lean and copper leaching throughout the community and is in complete violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act...

In August of 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan dropped the Detroit Water and Sewage Department as their main provider of water for the city in order to cut costs. Flint water rates have been rising and are still well above the national average.

Flint water prices almost eight times national average, Erin Brockovich associate says

Bowcock said Flint residents are paying $15.80 per 1,000 gallons of water after service and use fees are combined, compared to just over $2 per 1,000 gallons on average nationwide.

After dropping DWSD as the water provider, Flint began pumping its own water from the Flint River. Notoriously dirty as a result of years of poor industrial waste management in a struggling city, immediate concern was raised about the water quality of the river and complaints were issued about dirty water as soon as the switch occurred.

Now, over a year since the switch occurred and after having numerous warnings issued mandating residents to boil their water, the issue is still not solved. Recent reports have shown that the water is so corrosive on the pipes that higher levels of lead are found in the water. All water tests have shown that the water is still technically "drinkable" despite its ugly appearance.

High Lead Levels In Michigan Kids After City Switches Water Source

A pediatrician with Hurley Medical Center analyzed lead levels of hundreds of children. She compared blood tests before and after April 2014. That's when Flint, unable to come to an agreement on a short-term contract with Detroit, quit buying water from its system and signed on with a new system that will draw water from Lake Huron.
...
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's research found that the percentage of Flint children 5 years and younger with elevated lead levels nearly doubled after the switch, from 2.1 percent to 4 percent.

State to tackle unsafe water in Flint with tests, filters

In certain ZIP codes, the change was even more troubling, she said — jumping from 2.5% of the children tested to 6.3%.

Just this week, a plan was revealed by Governor Rick Snyder to attempt to change the water issue in Flint, by treating the water lines for corrosion and providing water filters for all residents alongside a new bout of intensive water testing.

I live and go to school in Flint and people here don't drink the water if they can help it or unless they have a way to filter it. It tastes and looks terrible. It's a running joke among people here, because there's nothing left to do at this point but avoid the water and try to make light of it.
Families in nearby communities are literally collecting water to send to Flint schools so the kids don't have to drink the water.
It's pretty bad, but hopefully the newly announced plan can change the water situation here. Flint has a host of other problems we should be concentrating on instead of having to deal with this.

I made this thread because I hadn't seen any other news about Flint's water on GAF and with the very limited coverage on the issue outside of mid-Michigan, information should be spread.

 

[malfcn]

Require the public officials drink it. If they refuse then it must be fixed. Disgusting.

 

[Vesmir]

Holy crap. Makes me appreciate living in Oregon even more now.

 

[GhaleonEB]

they still add corrosive/toxic fluoride to the mix

The water is pretty nasty looking, but sigh. Fluoride is not the problem.

 

[sangreal]

Erin Brockovitch is anti-fluoride? smh

 

[clav]

The water is pretty nasty looking, but sigh. Fluoride is not the problem.

More like lead + copper pipes.

Quiet. Some people don't know that.

 

[Easy_D]

Pretty sure fluoride ain't a big deal (it is poisonous in large quantities, so don't eat your tooth paste though!). And even if it was, it's clearly the least of the problems that water has, looks like there's plenty of rust. Usually get similar looking water when they're fixing pipes.

 

[sangreal]

Pretty sure fluoride ain't a big deal (it is poisonous in large quantities, so don't eat your tooth paste though!). And even if it was, it's clearly the least of the problems that water has, looks like there's plenty of rust. Usually get similar looking water when they're fixing pipes.

It sounds like its a combination of that, and pumping it from a dirty river

 

[The Illiterati]

I live near Detroit and I've never even heard of this. Then again I don't have cable and don't watch local news so that would be one reason why. That situation looks insane.

 

[Easy_D]

It sounds like its a combination of that, and pumping it from a dirty river

Hm, if that's the case than maybe fluoride is a concern

Fluoride can occur naturally in water in concentrations well above recommended levels

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

It sounds like its a combination of that, and pumping it from a dirty river

Yes. Bad pipes + dirty river + lots of behind-the-scenes politics immediately after coming off a 41-month financial emergency situation that involved a couple emergency managers is not a recipe for anything good.

 

[Brianimaniac]

Isn't the entire city just one big crisis?

 

[Strike]

Wow, that's beyond unacceptable. Dropping services that are essential to the quality of life in an effort to cut costs is never a good idea.

 

[Kimawolf]

What the fuck kind of water is that?! Is that what flouride does to water? No WAY it can be legal to drink it. Wow... All to cut costs. So we ruin the rivers, then they take away the major water cleaning people to save money.

 

[sangreal]

What the fuck kind of water is that?! Is that what flouride does to water? No WAY it can be legal to drink it. Wow... All to cut costs. So we ruin the rivers, then they take away the major water cleaning people to save money.

I don't think she is suggesting fluoride has anything to do with the water being brown.. she is just making a sarcastic/flippant remark -- the suggestion being that the Government will say any water is safe as long as they're getting their fluoride in. Regardless, she outs herself as an anti-fluoride crusader in doing so

 

[Smokey]

Looks perfectly fine guys. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

Michael Moore covered Flint and its problem in Bowling for Columbine. What a shit place. Fuuuuckkk.


Companies like Nestle gonna use this sort of desperation to get ahold of the water? When the government fails the people, the companies will step in and save the day, and then they can monetize it as they see fit. It's a recipe for disaster.


How the fuck did it end up like this?

 

[AlexMogil]

That picture is sensational but does the hydrant system in Flint get sourced from the clean water supply? Some municipalities do not.

The numbers don't lie, though.

Edit: eek I've seen more pictures of collected tap water. Pretty tan water.

 

[SuperBanana]

Require the public officials drink it. If they refuse then it must be fixed. Disgusting.

I feel like I saw a video a while ago where that exact thing happened. A guy showed up and asked them to drink a glass each. They all refused.

 

[Aylinato]

Governor Synder should drink some with those filters, if he won't do it then it isn't safe for anyone else

 

[Elfforkusu]

Smh at the floride red herring in the middle of that.

Anyway, that's horrifying. I like the "make city officials drink it", idea.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Michael Moore covered Flint and its problem in Bowling for Columbine. What a shit place. Fuuuuckkk.


Companies like Nestle gonna use this sort of desperation to get ahold of the water? When the government fails the people, the companies will step in and save the day, and then they can monetize it as they see fit. It's a recipe for disaster.


How the fuck did it end up like this?

His first movie was all about Flint

Roger & Me

 

[Jack Remington]

WTF, don't they have a lake right next door?

 

[Nevasleep]

The fuck is wrong with America. Things like this, police, gay marriage refusals....show that power should be taken away from little towns imo.

 

[theepicoftyler]

There is a currently a Superfund site that has undergone no remediation that sits on the banks of the Flint River that is owned and under jurisdiction of the city. The current status of the site according to the EPA is...

EPA has finalized a "prospective purchaser agreement" for the Chevy in the Hole property with the City of Flint. This agreement allows the city to implement a cleanup plan that is safe for the community, protects the environment and provides redevelopment opportunities.

Under the PPA, the City of Flint will not be responsible for pre-existing contamination provided it follows a work plan that protects the environment and human health.

http://www3.epa.gov/region05/cleanup/chevyinthehole/index.html

In other words, as long as the City of Flint leaves the site vacant, they don't have to do anything with it, and if you look at it currently on Google Earth (https://www.google.com/maps/place/F...0x882378fba5977317:0xc1853a098e33686b!6m1!1e1), it is a giant vacant slab of concrete with high levels of contaminated soil which are vulnerable to to leaching contaminants into groundwater which flows directly into the Flint River.

It sounds to me like they're trying to stall as long as possible as they try to hook up to Lake Huron, so they don't have to handle problems like the one above.

EDIT: Here is the second huge Superfund site right on the Flint River that's undergoing remediation efforts.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/B...0x882383958cd9df61:0x1f542f20340c69be!6m1!1e1

Buick City contains soil and ground water (underground water supplies) contaminated with various petroleum products, chemicals and metals. Some of the ground water under Buick City contains free-floating petroleum product called “light non-aqueous phase liquid” or LNAPL, which is particularly difficult to remove. A variety of contaminants have been identified at the Site, including 15 LNAPL areas some with Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination. Soils on-site are contaminated with metals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs). Groundwater is contaminated with VOCs, SVOCs and dissolved metals. Surface water VOC impacts are also present from storm sewer outfalls.

 

[SuperBanana]

The fuck is wrong with America. Things like this, police, gay marriage refusals....show that power should be taken away from little towns imo.

Rampant corruption and bribery.

 

[Manmademan]

It sounds like its a combination of that, and pumping it from a dirty river

I read a story about this elsewhere. Apparently the problem is that the Flint river water is SO dirty that the amount of chemicals needed to "clean" it is so high it literally eats metal. The local auto manufacturers had to stop using the water because it was destroying cars.

The lead pipes and whatever are now being corroded by the treated water running through them and there is crazy amounts of lead in the water now which will brain damage kids if they drink it.

 

[Lebron]

That has jack all to do with fluoride. That's straight corrosion from the pipes brought about from the salts and minerals in that dirty ass river.

 

[The Illiterati]

That's pumping out pure Orange Gatorade. Have a taste of the delicious sour sweat potion.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

It's a shame people can live in conditions like that in America.

 

[NintendoRev]

I was debating on making a topic about this myself. We just had to go to an event at U of M Flint to go get a free PUR water filter to remove the lead and make our water safe to drink. Thankfully they're giving them to everyone this afternoon. Apparently the lead issue is because we don't have any anti-corrosion chemicals in the water, so it's leeching lead out of the older water piping system. Hopefully the filters help while they fix this fuckery.

WTF, don't they have a lake right next door?

We do. They're building a pipeline to get water from it, problem is our emergency manager didn't want to wait 2 years and decided to switch us to treated Flint River water in the interim to save a bit of money. He then ran the fuck away and now we're left dealing with this mess. Yaaaaay.

Also as far as the Fire hydrant pic, that's not something you can use the represent the situation. I've seen that image floating around my Facebook and from what I gather is that it's an older hydrant that hasn't been flushed in way too long. It's going to take a while for water to clear out from all the rust and whatnot from older service lines. No one's got tap water in their homes that's THAT awful.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Also as far as the Fire hydrant pic, that's not something you can use the represent the situation. I've seen that image floating around my Facebook and from what I gather is that it's an older hydrant that hasn't been flushed in way too long. It's going to take a while for water to clear out from all the rust and whatnot from older service lines. No one's got tap water in their homes that's THAT awful.

I didn't know the hydrant was so old , but it was attached to the Brockovitch quote which... I should probably have edited the fluoride bit out of. It's not a fluoride issue.

But hey, nice to see other Flint Gaffers, haha.

 

[Shiggy]

Do you have to use THAT water to shower? Wow.

 

[ghostofsparta]

Is that seriously how the water looks, or is that an exaggeration? If that's how it really looks coming out of the faucet then ho shit. Imagine washing your dishes with that, taking a shower, filling up your ice cube trays.

edit: nevermind, just saw previous post

 

[WedgeX]

They should really switch back to Detroit Water.

 

[Jon Armdog]

The water is pretty nasty looking, but sigh. Fluoride is not the problem.

Seriously. She detracts from her valid arguments by throwing "crazy conspiracy lady" statements out like this

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Is fluoride good for you or something?

Edit: just read up on the physiology and toxicity of fluoride from the Indian Journal of Dental Research.

Seems like it can be beneficial. According to this journal, there definitely is certain levels in drinking water that can be very detrimental to ones health over time.

Have they tested this water there? Are the levels of fluoride safe? She said they were in violation of the safe drinking water act which requires certain levels of fluoride.

I am just trying to understand why people are reacting the way they are about her being a crazy conspiracy lady for mentioning it.

Can someone explain this to me?

 

[Faltimar]

Fuck your crisis and Photoshopped water. I cant even water my lawn, which is now just a dirt patch. Cant wash my car, cant do shit. If I do I'll get busted and hit with a big ass fine.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Is that seriously how the water looks, or is that an exaggeration?

Here's a better representation.

 

[Oppo]

pollution probably got to a lone water tower left unattended in the zoned industrial area *cough*

 

[Easy_D]

Here's a better representation.

Looks like a jug filled with piss. Ugh.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

Holy fuck....that's absolutely hideous. As somebody who is trying to get a job into sustainability, this sickens me.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Looks like a jug filled with piss. Ugh.

That's the man's fetish there

 

[Skellig Gra]

Straight out of back to the future 3. Pretty dire times up in there in Flint.

 

[tokkun]

Is fluoride good for you or something?

The CDC ranked it as one of the top 10 achievements in public heath of the 20th century:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4850bx.htm

 

[SmackAttack]

Poor Flint. There's always something.

 

[finowns]

OP why can't you guys go back and get your water from DWSD? Seems like the majority of the city would want to do that.

 

[grumble]

Strikes me that, long term, a lot of places will have water like this. We pollute a lot and eventually it has to get back to us

 

[DonasaurusRex]

go back to the Detroit water supplier then who suckered you guys into that deal? or maybe try the Lansing water company geezus , when you don't read this is how you get treated.

 

[Iorv3th]

So some politicians are going to prison over this right?

I know every year my city sends out results for the drinking water including lead levels etc and comparing it to the national average and accepted ammount etc. Can't imagine they are passing any of that.