The Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan
The latest report shows Michigan state officials repeatedly played down or denied the fact that Flint's water supply is and has been poisonous for more than a year.
Lindsey Smith, Michigan Radio's West Michigan reporter and producer of the three-part documentary, "Not Safe to Drink," talks about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and the governor's response.
Smith explained how it happened: Flint had been buying water from Detroit, but costs were escalating and the city was looking for a cheaper water source. So they voted to adopt a new water system once it's finished being built (expected this summer, in 2016). But in the meantime, Detroit caught wind of this new deal and said they'd either terminate their water contract or charge them more until the new system was adopted.
In the meantime, the governor of Michigan appointed an Emergency Manager to Flint, to help the city avoid bankruptcy. And this manager decided it would be best to get water from the Flint River, saving $10 million before the new system would be ready to be implemented.
"The emergency manager, it’s fair to say, did not foresee these problems [with the river water]. They’re not really scientific experts, they’re finance guys. They turn to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality to sign off....They really dropped the ball here. [The DEQ] misled the city on how to properly treat the water."
→Tune in for more: WNYC will be airing part of Michigan Radio reporter Lindsey Smith's documentary on Flint's water crisis this Saturday at 6pm on 93.9FM and Sunday at 9pm on AM820.
