Flint Water Crisis Case Study

Flint, Michigan is in a state of emergency, but help isn’t coming fast enough. The seepage of toxic lead into drinking water pipes has created a widespread public health crisis which has prompted President Obama to declare a federal state of emergency. The problem can be traced back to 2014 when the city started to use the Flint River as its primary water source. Flint was in need of an alternative water source until its connecting pipe to the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) was complete, so the city switched over to the Flint River. As soon as the transition was made, citizens started to notice discoloration in their water as well as a foul smell. In a summary of the crisis in Flint, the New York Times stated, “the switch was made as a cost-saving

One month later, another test was done at Ms. Walters’ home which revealed that her water contained 397 parts per billion of lead. NPR commented on this saying, “by that time, supply pipes had sustained major corrosion and lead was leaching into the water.” The reason lead was able to leak into the pipes in the first place was because phosphate was not added to the water, a chemical that protects the pipes from corrosion. Without the phosphate, the pipes eroded, allowing lead to leach into the water With a statewide advisory in full effect, several state regulation officials step down from their positions after a report from the Flint Water Advisory Task Force described the official's interactions with many concerned citizens as dismal and belittling. Now, with two court cases and 6 criminal charges filed, Flint is just now starting to make a recovery. In a series of cartoons on cagle.com, artists Jen Sorensen, Joe Heller, and Steve Benson analyze how race was a factor that played into the Flint