April 2014:
The city of Flint, MI switched its water source from Lake Huron to Flint River. For months, state officials maintained the water was safe to drink, however, a series of independent studies found high levels of lead in the water. Flint residents grew ill, lost hair, developed rashes, and contracted other health issues, including an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (a severe form of pneumonia). A state of emergency was called by the Federal Government in 2016.—(DHS)
Impact:
- 12 fatalities due to Legionnaires’ disease
- $97 million settlement
Related Resources:
- Commitments to Action on Building a Sustainable Water Future
- Serial No. 114-131: Flint Water Crisis: Impacts and Lessons Learned” held before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy and the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, April 13, 2016
- Examining Federal Administration of the Safe Drinking Water Act in Flint, Michigan, Part 2, Hearing Before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, United States House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, March 15, 2016
- HSDL search results for: Flint Water Crisis
Photo: Staff Sgt. Kendall Iverson, 78th Security Forces Squadron flight chief, hands a case of water to entry controllers Airmen First Class Shaquan Roberts and Aleia Moss, Feb 25, 2016. The unit collected five tons of bottled water to help Flint residents with their water crisis. (Credit: Ray Crayton/ USAF)