Hi,
In 2014, Flint's un-elected emergency manager switched the city from safe
drinking water from Lake Huron provided through the Detroit Water and
Sewerage Department to the polluted Flint River - all in an effort to cut
costs.
But the city failed to put in place the proper corrosion controls when it
made the switch. The Flint River runs through a very industrial part of
Michigan, home to a General Motors facility and DuPont chemical factories.
The chemicals used to make the water "safe" made the water corrosive and it
began eating away at the city's lead pipes. Flint's water is so corrosive
that General Motors won't even use it to make car parts.
Almost immediately after the switch, residents noticed changes in the smell,
color and taste of the water coming out of their taps; tests showed high
levels of bacteria that forced the city to issue boil advisories.
Samples show off the chart lead levels in Flint's drinking water. Lead
poisoning is incredibly serious. Once lead enters your body, there is no way
to get it out. It is especially harmful to the developing brains of
children, and can cause permanent brain damage.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality were aware of the high levels in Flint's drinking water for months
and yet they kept telling residents that the water was safe to drink.
Food & Water Watch organizer Lynna Kaucheck has been working with the
residents of Flint to ensure that their water is safe and affordable and to
hold those that are responsible for this man-made public health emergency
accountable. More than 27,000 Food & Water Watch supporters helped bring
national attention to this issue by signing a petition calling on city and
state officials to switch the city's water back to the Detroit Water and
Sewerage Department's drinking water system.
On October 16, 2015, Flint's drinking water source was finally switched back
to Detroit's drinking water. The problem: Flint's pipes are permanently
damaged and continue to leach lead into Flint's drinking water.
At the beginning of January 2016 the U.S. Department of Justice opened an
investigation into how Michigan has handled the crisis in Flint. Then,
Governor Rick Snyder finally issued a state of emergency to begin to give
Flint residents the help they deserve, but this is too little too late for
many of Flint's children.
State relief may only provide the city with a small portion of the
potentially $1.5 billion it will need to fix its broken water system and
give Flint children the healthcare they need. The federal government must
step in to help provide support for Flint residents.
Stand with the residents of Flint and ask the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services to declare a public health emergency to get the city federal
aid.
That's why I signed a petition to Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of Health and
Human Services and President Barack Obama, which says:
"Michigan Governor Rick Snyder allowed the people of Flint, Michigan, to
drink water laced with lead for months, which can cause permanent brain
damage in children.
The water is still laced with lead and there is no end in sight. The federal
government must step in to help provide support for Flint residents."
Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/water-in-flint-mi-is?source=s.fwd&r_by=1126
864
Thanks!
