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Flint crisis raised in 2014 in the Michigan state and it was
due to bad decision making and environmental injustice. The disaster raised
when the tap water of Flint became contaminated with higher levels, and the city
turned to river water in April 2014. It was due to the flow of river water,
corrosive water that caused leaching of water from the joints, fixtures, and
pipes. The water services lines in flint were installed in the years 1901 to
1920. At that time those pie were constructed with lead because it was
inexpensive and working with lead was a lot more tranquil than cast iron. As
pipes were built with lead the chances of lead contamination in water were
high. However, the Detroit Water& Sewerage Department treated the water up
to the standard which is acceptable by the Federal Government. In this research report, the factors behind
the flint water crisis are going to be analysed critically. Along with the
factors, the research report will discuss how the flint crises were resolved
and what initiatives were taken for controlling the lead contamination. For the
vast research amount of secondary data have been collected and the research is
based majorly on the literature provided by various rescuers.
Background of Flint Crisis of 2014
The water services lines in flint were installed in the years 1901 to 1920. At that time those pie were constructed with lead because it was inexpensive and working with lead was a lot more tranquil than cast iron. As pipes were built with lead the chances of lead contamination in water were high. However, the Detroit Water& Sewerage Department treated the water up to the standard which is acceptable by the Federal Government. The problem of lead contamination first arises in April 2014 when the city of Flint changes the water source. Before the change, the town gets its water from Detroit River & Lake Huron, but after changing the source, the city starts getting water from river Flint. Flint River water was not appropriately treated which becomes the reason for lead contamination.
Flint crisis raised in 2014 in the Michigan state and it was due to bad decision making and environmental injustice. The disaster raised when the tap water of Flint became contaminated with higher levels, and the city turned to river water in April 2014. It was due to the flow of river water, corrosive water that caused leaching of water from the joints, fixtures, and pipes. The spike of toxic lead increases the levels of problems in children. The cost of the crisis was estimated at $55 million. The blame of flint water crisis was on series of government failures and series of emergency managers. The federal government took action for 15 parts per billion, and state officials developed new water supply for Flint residents (Flint, 2)
After the Flint crises, many lawsuits have been filed by the citizens against the officials of the government. After disasters, the city was affirmed as in the state of emergency of the state government. Many officials resigned because they were unable to manage the crisis efficiently. The governor of Michigan state apologies to the citizens regarding the disasters and ensure the citizens that the problem will be fixed. Several significant steps such as infrastructure upgrades were taken for resolving the dilemmas. The city’s water system was upgraded so that the lead contamination can be mitigated up to acceptable levels. In the year 2017, the report of MDEQ shows that the lead contamination has reduced and reached below the federal limits.
Research Problem of Flint Crisis
of 2014
Often, the rarity of water is recognized as the lack of any access to water, but with the pollution of existing water resources, it is the quality which becomes an issue. The pollution of water is the mixing of pollutants in water. The water contamination crises should be a matter of concern for the government because such issues are related to public health.
Research goal of Flint Crisis of
2014
The main goals of the research are as follow:
Flint crises of 2014 and what were the
reasons which lead to these crises.
The main objective of this research is to analyse the flint
crises of 2014 in the US and what is the main factor that is contributing towards
the water contamination. The water pollution is becoming a matter of great
concern in the United States that is creating many of the issues like polluting
the rivers and lakes that eventually make the drinking water dangerous for
health. The research aims to come up with effective policy implementation to
overcome this urban issue in the US.
Research
Design and Literature Review of Flint Crisis of 2014
Different research studies on flint crises along with the pollution of water in the United States are analysed in this research paper with the assistance that secondary data gives. Furthermore, there are also some factors which seem to raise the pollution of water. It can be said that the secondary research has given further information on the current study. After all, the secondary data is believed to assist the present research while providing effectiveness.
Research
design of Flint Crisis of 2014
Secondary data has been analysed for gaining a better understanding of the current case. A detailed Literature review has been carried out for understanding the Flint crises. Through this analysis, answers can achieve which are related to the particular questions of research present in the research. For helping the present study, there is a focus on the previous authors that relevant to the Flint crises in the US or the efforts that are being put by the country for reaching the best quality of water. The study has not only collected that data regarding the flint crises but also regarding various Pollutants that cause water pollution. Through the vast amount of data collection, the flint crises can be analysed more critically
Literature Review of Flint Crisis
of 2014
By evaluating the data collected from the secondary research,
it can be said that the Production of these types of eatables contaminates the
water bodies which leads to blooms and dead zones. Acidification pollutes the
oceans which raise in the carbon dioxide that is absorbed by the rivers from
the environment. Just as evaluated by the researchers, twenty-five per cent of
carbon goes right into the oceans due to which the chemical makeup is changed; the
level of pH falls which makes the water acidic. The level of pH since the 1800s
has decreased by 0.1 pH units which don’t sound that harmful, but on the
Richter scale, it is equivalent to a thirty-percent increment in the acidity.
Considering the American economy, the pollution of water is harming the
industry of shellfish which is worth a hundred billion dollars. In the last
four decades, the bleaching of coral has increased five times, and in the early
1980s, it took place every thirty years, and by 2016, it seems to take place
every six years. Just as it is indicated, the levels of acidity will fifty per cent
higher bu almost 2100 which is the highest since the Miocene era. The high
levels of carbon dioxide might benefit kelp, seagrass, and algae but shells,
clams, and mussels are eroded due to the acidity which depletes the food source
The research study conducted by Lindsey J. Butler, Madeleine K. Scammell and Eugene B. Benson has provided detail information about the Flint water Crises. In the study, several Regulatory failures were identified which were the leading causes of Flint water crises. The management of the water system or the authorities has not taken rational decisions due to which the people of Flint faced a severe water crisis. If the authorities upgrade the lead pipes before changing the water source than the issue might not occur. Also, the water treatment was not as much effective as the Detroit Water& Sewerage Department. Therefore, the water becomes contaminated with lead.
To survive, healthy ecosystems depend on the complex network
of animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants which seem to connect indirectly or
directly. If any of these organisms are harmed, it will create a chain effect.
When a bloom of algal occurs in the marine environment by the pollution of
water, plant growth and algae are stimulated by the proliferation of nutrients
due to which the level of oxygen is reduced underwater. This causes the plants
and animals both to suffocate and slowly die away. It creates dead zones
Marine ecosystems are threatened by the marine debris which
suffocates, starve, and strangle animals. A lot of it is composed of solids
like plastic bags and soda cans which are swept into the sewers and then to the
sea which pollutes the oceans. The pollution by phosphorus has reached
dangerous levels globally, and until 2011 the commercial use of fertiliser was
very high. In America, waterways haven’t always been in a compromised
condition. When stream flowed from rocks, they were suitable for not even
agricultural use but also drinking. As the populations of immigrants got high
over the nation of America, the resources of water started to pollute both from
dumping and runoff of different types of waste. These are the practices that
seem to decrease the quality of water in the US since urban sprawls keep coming
to beautiful areas and regions
The research study conducted by Susan J. Masten, Simon H. Davis & Shawn P. Mcelmurry have discussed the Flint crises of 2014 in detail. The research findings have shown the mismanagement of the situation. The water infrastructure was older and did not upgrade with time. Moreover, the water treatment facilities were not as better as they should be. All these issues cause flint crises, and many people faced inconvenience and problem. Such items show that there is a need to take necessary actions for further improvement & development of the water infrastructure in the USA.
The bloom of red algae in 2018 createdan emergency in the
southwest coast of Florida and 1.5 million dollars were promised in the
emergency by the state. Efforts regarding the red-tide clean-up between 2004-7
reached 250,000 dollars per event, and the admissions got high by almost fifty
per cent because of the vapours
Action Plan for Flint Crises
Several Major Steps were taken for controlling the crises and making the water safe for human consumption. The governor of Michigan sent $28 million for the citizens of Flint for infrastructure upgrade and medical care. The government again sent $165 million for replacing the lead pipe. $170 was spent on improving the water system of the city. Special measures were taken for improving the infrastructure of the Flint city. Due to the significant infrastructure developments and water system improvement the lead in the water level decline below the federal limits. However, authorities state that further improvements are needed for making the water system safer.
Source: http://www.publicworksgroup.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FlintWaterAnalysis20160213.png
The above pie chart was describing the situation of the year
2016 when the total of 9264 sites was tested regarding the lead contamination.
From them, only 7% were above the action limit. 93% of the sites show a lower
level of lead contamination. The above-discussed initiatives reduced the lead I
the water and that how the issue of Flint was finally resolved.
Other Policies for Mitigating such Issues
Other than the regulatory policies and voluntary options,
three economic methods can be used by EPA to reduce the pollution of water
Taxes: set charges on the firms which are polluting or on units which are pollution emitted. For instance, Y must be paid by the firm for all the chemicals that it uses X. The standards of emission are illustrated as:
Subsidies: Payment should be received by the firm as a subsidy if the pollution levels in the impacted bodies of water are lower than or equivalent to the amount that is desired.
Tradable Pollution Permits: Permits would be
traded by businesses if the cost is lower than the cost needs for decreasing
the pollution for a buying company or if the price is over the abatement cost
for the selling company
Discussion of Results and Findings
of Flint Crisis of 2014
By analyzing the data gathered from the research, it is found that the US’s economy has suffered a lot because of the diverse impacts of the pollution of water. Many sectors including commercial fishing, recreational businesses, tourism, and property values have suffered. The costs of treatment are immensely increased by algal blooms and nitrates. Systems for removing nitrates in Minnesota causes an increment in the prices of supply, and it reached ten cents per 1000 gallons to over four dollars per 1000 gallons. Billions are cost by the treatment of polluted water, and every penny invested in the safety of drinking water saves in the costs of treatment of water. The loss in tourism is another economic effect of the pollution of water in the US; the decline in this industry is near one billion dollars every other year, mostly due to the injuries in fishing as a result of bodies of water impacted by pollution and algal blooms.
Water Treatment at Flint Water Treatment Plant
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5353852/bin/nihms845813f2.jpg
In the above diagram, the water treatment plant of Flint city can be seen. The water treatment plant of Flint city was unable to treat the water as Detroit treatment plant was treating the water. That is why the Flint River water gets contaminated with lead.
The above line graph is depicting the use of polymer in the
water treatment plant. Before the crises, the use of polymer was quite lower.
However, after the crises the treatment plant has increased the use of the
polymer.
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5353852/bin/nihms845813f4.jpg
The industries of shellfish are hurt by harmful algal blooms
as shellfish are contaminated, and fish is killed. Millions of dollars are
analysed as annual losses to these types of industries from the pollution of
water. The value of a close house can be raised by the clean water up to almost
twenty-five per cent, and it can also be decreased due to the unpleasant sight
and bad odour emitting from the algal blooms
It can be said that heavy instruments are needed in the
infrastructure for securing reliable and uncontaminated sources for many large
cities like waterworks, treatment plants, dams, and pumping stations
Moreover,
environmental quality is actually the main asset over which regulators are
worried. The environmental quality, however, is facing an issue because of the
resources’ public nature. Obviously, water is recognized as a public good which
is normally subjected to free use and riding. That is why private firms don’t
provide it, and this will not be making them any better. Resources with open
access are the most problematic, and it is an asset that is quite valuable and
able to delivereconomic value so that individuals can utilize it without anyone
owning it. Resources with open access are the most troublesome as an asset that
is important and capable of delivering economic value to the people that use
it. Environmental goods are applied by it that seem to belong to this category.
Some specific countries own the oceans, but the areas which are not owned by a
person will be resources with an open-access
Conclusions and Recommendations on Flint Crisis of 2014
If all the above discussion is summarised than it is evident that flint water crises occur due to severe negligence and mismanagement by the authorities. The crisis raised when the tap water of Flint became contaminated with higher levels and the city turned to river water in April 2014. It was due to the flow of river water, corrosive water that caused leaching of water from the joints, fixtures, and pipes. The spike of toxic lead increases the levels of problems in children. The cost of the crisis was estimated at $55 million. The blame of flint water crisis was on series of government failures and series of emergency managers.
Nutrient pollution in groundwater is caused by countless
people in the US and can be quite damaging at low levels. Children are quite
sensitive to the compounds which are based on nitrogen in the drinking water.
Water pollutants are created because of the excess of nitrogen in the
environment like ammonia and ozone which can affect the ability of humans to
limit visibility, alter the growth of plant, and limit the human ability to
breathe properly The health of soils, waterways, and forests is harmed by the
excess of nitrogen
The flint water crisis was resolved through upgradation of
the lead water pipes. When the old infrastructure was replaced with a newer one
than the contamination of lead decline up to a lot of extents. Changing the
lead pipes with plastic pipes and improving the water treatment system is the
only solution to the problem. Organizations must have an eco-auditor just as a
financial auditor. Companies’ eco-auditors should be accountable for assessing
if an organization is externalizing the costs and if the organizational
production has been harming the systems of life-support; they must also be
obligated to show just how organizations can evade the pollution of water. The
EPA or Environmental Protection Agency was formulated by the American
government to address the negative externalities which are caused by various
pollutions including water pollution
References of Flint Crisis of 2014
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American Geophysical Union. (2018). Phosphorus pollution
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Bennett, D. (2013). Half of All U.S. Rivers Are Too Polluted
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Sencer. (2017). Should the U.S. Government Restrict
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