SOCECOL E8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Flint Water Crisis, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coliform Bacteria

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Social Ecology
• Course: SOCECOL E8
• Professor: John M.Whiteley

Document Summary

Months after warning signs emerged about problems with the water in flint, mich. , city, state and federal officials are responding to the public health emergency. High levels of lead had leached from pipes into the water supply. The city switches its water supply from detroit"s system to the flint river. The switch was made as a cost-saving measure for the struggling, majority-black city. Soon after, residents begin to complain about the water"s color, taste and odor, and to report rashes and concerns about bacteria. City officials issue boil-water advisories after coliform bacteria are detected in tap water. The michigan department of environmental quality blames cold weather, aging pipes and a population decline. The city has taken operational steps to limit the potential for a boil-water advisory to re- occur. Stephen busch, a district supervisor for the state"s department of environmental quality. A general motors plant in flint stops using municipal water, saying it corrodes car parts.