A Solution to the Flint Water Crisis
Eyoal Mengistu, Nitai Michalski, Harris Nasar Bajwa, Camille Blackford, Tenzin Choedon
Lakeshore Collegiate Institute
SCH3U1-A1
Shahir Al Rashid
June 12, 2022
, Background:
In April 2014, the government of Flint Michigan made a decision that would unknowingly affect
the lives of hundreds of thousands of people (Torrice, 2016). At the time, Flint was facing a severe
financial crisis, so to save approximately $12 million the government changed its water supply (Denchak,
2021). Flint planned to change its water supply from the Detroit River to a new independent system, the
Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) (Denchak, 2021). However, this would require the construction of a
new pipeline infrastructure that would connect to this new system (Scishow, 2018). In order to
temporarily provide water to its citizens, water from the Flint River was treated and transported (Scishow,
2018). As in many old cities, Flint has lead and iron pipes in its water systems (Dingle, 2016). Previously,
this did not pose a health hazard as anti-corrosion chemicals, such as orthophosphate, were used in the
water, preventing metals such as lead from corroding (Dingle, 2016). These chemicals form a compound
that creates a protective layer inside pipes (Dingle, 2016). Without this layer, substances that acquire
electrons, known as oxidants, can react with the metal ions on the pipe, causing it to dissolve into the
water and cause contamination (Scishow, 2018). However, in an attempt to reduce cost, there was no
form of water anti-corrosion treatment added (Torrice, 2016). This caused harmful metals, in particular
lead, to leach into the water. Lead is a toxic metal with detrimental health impacts (Dengler, 2017). The
EPA set zero maximum level of contaminant goal for lead in drinking water (Dengler, 2017). This is due
to lead being a toxic metal that may be detrimental to human health even at levels of low exposure as it
may bioaccumulate over time in the body (Denchak, 2021). It has been associated with several health
issues such as nervous system damage, hearing impairment, elevated blood pressure, and even issues with
reproduction in both genders (Denchak, 2021).
The water from the Flint River also contained higher levels of chloride which can contribute to
the corrosion of metal pipes through the formation of soluble chemicals (Scishow, 2018). Abnormally
high chlorination of the water was caused by salt pollution in the river resulting from the use of sodium
chloride to remove ice from roads and its use to eradicate large amounts of harmful bacteria found in the
river's water (Dingle, 2016). Scientists observed that the chlorine disinfectant reacted with metals from
the corroding pipes to form compounds that did not aid in killing bacteria (Larsen, 2020). Chlorine also
reacted with certain chemicals in the river water to form trihalomethanes (Dengler, 2017). Officials
increased the amounts of chlorine in the water systems because the pipes were already significantly
corroding (Denchak, 2021). Scientists also added ferric chloride, since it reacted with the compounds that
formed the trihalomethanes and it could be used to filter out these substances (Torrice, 2016). However,
this resulted in an increased amount of chlorine in the water (Denchak, 2021).
The levels of corrosion were also increased due to the low levels of pH in the water (Dingle,
2016). This is because the solubility of the protective layer in the pipes is low in solution with a relatively
high pH level, of around 10 (Dingle, 2016). The pH of treated Flint River water was low, and it continued
to fall over time, reaching 7.3 in April 2015. Metal corrosion and leaching increase as pH is decreased,
especially in the absence of phosphates that prevent metal dissolution (Cook, 2016). Since Flint's water
was found to have pH values between 7 and 8, the water was not basic enough to prevent the
dissolution.(Dengler, 2017). As a result of all of these factors, Over time the concentrations of hazardous
metals rapidly increased, while disinfectant concentrations decreased and dangerous bacteria continued to
grow (Dingle, 2016).
, Response to the Crisis:
Flint's residents were unable to drink water directly from their pipes when it was found that the
water in the city was hazardous to health. The state's first steps included providing free bottled water, free
water testing for lead and copper, and the usage of NSF-certified filters (SOM, n.d). While providing free
water testing and advocating the use of filtered water were both acceptable ideas, giving away free bottled
water was not. This method was helpful in the short term, but it was not sustainable long term because it
became costly over time and contributed to plastic pollution. The city was going through more than 20
million water bottles per day at the height of the crisis (Flemming,2020). To cook, drink, bathe, and brush
their teeth, many people consumed over 100 bottles of water per day (Zdanowicz, 2016) and 30 to 40
cases of bottled water per week (Detroit Free Press, 2015). Between 31 and 100 million bottles were
generated as waste within the first three weeks of the crisis (Science Daily,2018). The cost of the water
alone was $22,000 per day and an average of $668,719 monthly (Fonger, 2018), indicating that the
government would spend $8,030,000 on bottled water each year. As funds and supplies started running
out in 2018, Michigan's free water program came to an end, and residents were advised to drink and cook
with filtered water (Chaves, 2018). The citizens of Flint were outraged, as many did not trust the
government or the water, and many had not used their faucets in years. The government also decided to
replace the deteriorated pipelines. Flint has uncovered 26,886 pipes to determine if they are lead and
replaced 10,088 lead/galvanized pipes (Kelly, 2022). The cost of replacing all of Flint's lead pipes is
anticipated to be $60 million, and the job will take 15 years (Ridley, 2022). External costs such as
repaving streets and sidewalks, repairing any damages to the residences, and resodding lawns are not
included in this calculation (Ridley, 2022). This indicates that $60 million is likely a low estimate of the
total cost.
Comparison to Another Case:
In 2015, Hong Kong experienced a water crisis when excessive amounts of lead were discovered
in the tap water of ten public housing estates, exceeding the World Health Organization's
recommendations (Chang, 2015). The highest concentration found was 153 micrograms per liter, which is
14.3 greater than the WHO limit of 10 micrograms per liter (Chang, 2015). This is similar to the high
levels of lead in Flint, Michigan, where tests revealed elevated amounts of lead (20 parts per billion) in
the drinking water, and government rules require action if lead levels are above 15 parts per billion
(Denchak, 2018). Existing lead pipes caused the crisis because illegal soldering was used to connect water
pipes, construction work on water supplies was inadequately supervised, and there was no requirement for
reporting lead levels during inspections (Chang, 2015). Whereas the Flint water crisis was exacerbated by
insufficient water treatment, which was principally caused by a lack of government foresight (Denchak,
2018). The significant distinction between the two incidents is that the problem in Hong Kong was limited
to ten public housing estates, impacting 15,000 (Chang, 2015) of the city's 2.67 million households
(Statista, 2022). While the water issue in Flint impacted all 110,000 residents (MacroTrends, 2022). The
Hong Kong government's solution was to fix the damaged pipes, supply distilled bottled water to affected
housing estates, provide water from tanks in common spaces, and provide free health consultations
(Chang, 2015). This strategy was successful because it was tailored to the requirements of those who were
affected by the crisis. Although this idea was comparable to what the Flint government proposed, it would
Eyoal Mengistu, Nitai Michalski, Harris Nasar Bajwa, Camille Blackford, Tenzin Choedon
Lakeshore Collegiate Institute
SCH3U1-A1
Shahir Al Rashid
June 12, 2022
, Background:
In April 2014, the government of Flint Michigan made a decision that would unknowingly affect
the lives of hundreds of thousands of people (Torrice, 2016). At the time, Flint was facing a severe
financial crisis, so to save approximately $12 million the government changed its water supply (Denchak,
2021). Flint planned to change its water supply from the Detroit River to a new independent system, the
Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) (Denchak, 2021). However, this would require the construction of a
new pipeline infrastructure that would connect to this new system (Scishow, 2018). In order to
temporarily provide water to its citizens, water from the Flint River was treated and transported (Scishow,
2018). As in many old cities, Flint has lead and iron pipes in its water systems (Dingle, 2016). Previously,
this did not pose a health hazard as anti-corrosion chemicals, such as orthophosphate, were used in the
water, preventing metals such as lead from corroding (Dingle, 2016). These chemicals form a compound
that creates a protective layer inside pipes (Dingle, 2016). Without this layer, substances that acquire
electrons, known as oxidants, can react with the metal ions on the pipe, causing it to dissolve into the
water and cause contamination (Scishow, 2018). However, in an attempt to reduce cost, there was no
form of water anti-corrosion treatment added (Torrice, 2016). This caused harmful metals, in particular
lead, to leach into the water. Lead is a toxic metal with detrimental health impacts (Dengler, 2017). The
EPA set zero maximum level of contaminant goal for lead in drinking water (Dengler, 2017). This is due
to lead being a toxic metal that may be detrimental to human health even at levels of low exposure as it
may bioaccumulate over time in the body (Denchak, 2021). It has been associated with several health
issues such as nervous system damage, hearing impairment, elevated blood pressure, and even issues with
reproduction in both genders (Denchak, 2021).
The water from the Flint River also contained higher levels of chloride which can contribute to
the corrosion of metal pipes through the formation of soluble chemicals (Scishow, 2018). Abnormally
high chlorination of the water was caused by salt pollution in the river resulting from the use of sodium
chloride to remove ice from roads and its use to eradicate large amounts of harmful bacteria found in the
river's water (Dingle, 2016). Scientists observed that the chlorine disinfectant reacted with metals from
the corroding pipes to form compounds that did not aid in killing bacteria (Larsen, 2020). Chlorine also
reacted with certain chemicals in the river water to form trihalomethanes (Dengler, 2017). Officials
increased the amounts of chlorine in the water systems because the pipes were already significantly
corroding (Denchak, 2021). Scientists also added ferric chloride, since it reacted with the compounds that
formed the trihalomethanes and it could be used to filter out these substances (Torrice, 2016). However,
this resulted in an increased amount of chlorine in the water (Denchak, 2021).
The levels of corrosion were also increased due to the low levels of pH in the water (Dingle,
2016). This is because the solubility of the protective layer in the pipes is low in solution with a relatively
high pH level, of around 10 (Dingle, 2016). The pH of treated Flint River water was low, and it continued
to fall over time, reaching 7.3 in April 2015. Metal corrosion and leaching increase as pH is decreased,
especially in the absence of phosphates that prevent metal dissolution (Cook, 2016). Since Flint's water
was found to have pH values between 7 and 8, the water was not basic enough to prevent the
dissolution.(Dengler, 2017). As a result of all of these factors, Over time the concentrations of hazardous
metals rapidly increased, while disinfectant concentrations decreased and dangerous bacteria continued to
grow (Dingle, 2016).
, Response to the Crisis:
Flint's residents were unable to drink water directly from their pipes when it was found that the
water in the city was hazardous to health. The state's first steps included providing free bottled water, free
water testing for lead and copper, and the usage of NSF-certified filters (SOM, n.d). While providing free
water testing and advocating the use of filtered water were both acceptable ideas, giving away free bottled
water was not. This method was helpful in the short term, but it was not sustainable long term because it
became costly over time and contributed to plastic pollution. The city was going through more than 20
million water bottles per day at the height of the crisis (Flemming,2020). To cook, drink, bathe, and brush
their teeth, many people consumed over 100 bottles of water per day (Zdanowicz, 2016) and 30 to 40
cases of bottled water per week (Detroit Free Press, 2015). Between 31 and 100 million bottles were
generated as waste within the first three weeks of the crisis (Science Daily,2018). The cost of the water
alone was $22,000 per day and an average of $668,719 monthly (Fonger, 2018), indicating that the
government would spend $8,030,000 on bottled water each year. As funds and supplies started running
out in 2018, Michigan's free water program came to an end, and residents were advised to drink and cook
with filtered water (Chaves, 2018). The citizens of Flint were outraged, as many did not trust the
government or the water, and many had not used their faucets in years. The government also decided to
replace the deteriorated pipelines. Flint has uncovered 26,886 pipes to determine if they are lead and
replaced 10,088 lead/galvanized pipes (Kelly, 2022). The cost of replacing all of Flint's lead pipes is
anticipated to be $60 million, and the job will take 15 years (Ridley, 2022). External costs such as
repaving streets and sidewalks, repairing any damages to the residences, and resodding lawns are not
included in this calculation (Ridley, 2022). This indicates that $60 million is likely a low estimate of the
total cost.
Comparison to Another Case:
In 2015, Hong Kong experienced a water crisis when excessive amounts of lead were discovered
in the tap water of ten public housing estates, exceeding the World Health Organization's
recommendations (Chang, 2015). The highest concentration found was 153 micrograms per liter, which is
14.3 greater than the WHO limit of 10 micrograms per liter (Chang, 2015). This is similar to the high
levels of lead in Flint, Michigan, where tests revealed elevated amounts of lead (20 parts per billion) in
the drinking water, and government rules require action if lead levels are above 15 parts per billion
(Denchak, 2018). Existing lead pipes caused the crisis because illegal soldering was used to connect water
pipes, construction work on water supplies was inadequately supervised, and there was no requirement for
reporting lead levels during inspections (Chang, 2015). Whereas the Flint water crisis was exacerbated by
insufficient water treatment, which was principally caused by a lack of government foresight (Denchak,
2018). The significant distinction between the two incidents is that the problem in Hong Kong was limited
to ten public housing estates, impacting 15,000 (Chang, 2015) of the city's 2.67 million households
(Statista, 2022). While the water issue in Flint impacted all 110,000 residents (MacroTrends, 2022). The
Hong Kong government's solution was to fix the damaged pipes, supply distilled bottled water to affected
housing estates, provide water from tanks in common spaces, and provide free health consultations
(Chang, 2015). This strategy was successful because it was tailored to the requirements of those who were
affected by the crisis. Although this idea was comparable to what the Flint government proposed, it would
