The biggest state news IMO this week was the announcement that the good people of Flint, who have been subject to dangerously-contaminated water since the former EM decreed that the city should get off of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, will now be RECONNECTED to the DWSD post-haste.
In Sunday's Detroit Free Press, this article by John Wisely and Robin Erb, "Chemical testing could have predicted Flint's water crisis," provides a pretty good overview of the rolling disaster. The entire article is worth the read; here's an excerpt:
Among red flags that popped up over the last 18 months: • General Motors announced in October 2014 that it was pulling its engine plant off Flint water after workers there began noticing rust spots on newly machined parts. The city approved letting GM switch to water from Flint Township, but didn't change its own water treatment procedures.• The University of Michigan-Flint alerted city officials that it found elevated lead levels in its water in January, prompting the school to shut off some some drinking fountains and add water filters to others.
• Testing in the fall of 2014 found E. coli in the city's water system, prompting "boil water" notices. The city's procedures for killing the E. coli produced chemical by-products known as trihalomethanes, which can cause cancer with long-term exposure. The city had to adopt additional measures to reduce them.
(My Weekly Open Thread diary from July 15th also has extensive background information FYI: Michigan/Motor City Kossacks Weekly Open Thread: SE MI Water Crisis; MDP Leadership News)This change also carries a hefty price tag--$12 million, to be covered by Flint, the state of Michigan, and the Mott Foundation. I'm sure I'm not the only one to lament this abysmal waste of funds. It's as though this money were simply flushed down the toilet. Especially since this is a temporary move. When the new Flint water system is complete, after the construction of a new intake source from Lake Huron, the plan is to switch BACK to the independent water/sewerage entity. And this was supposed to be a cost-saving measure in the first place!!
Yet it is a victory, and a people-powered one at that. Without the activism by residents and the pressure put on elected officials at the local and state level; without the support of many organizations, including the ACLU and progressive media sources; without the scientific validation obtained from an external agency--the Flint River would still be poisoning tens of thousands of people. So this is no small thing, and we should be happy and proud of this accomplishment.
But--what of the damages suffered by the residents of Flint, subject to this toxic water for 18 long months? Will they be compensated, those who spent extra money out of pocket in an attempt to stay healthy? Even more importantly, what remedy will be available to those who developed illnesses from the water, and those who were lead-poisoned?
I suspect they will be SOL, that there will be no legal recourse for them to obtain compensation from any governmental entity or individual agent who promoted this disastrous course of action. I hope I'm wrong, but I fear I'm right.
This is your state under Emergency Management, Michiganders: Reckless, corrupt, and unaccountable. Other states should take heed of our catastrophic outcomes and act accordingly to prevent them.
Please help us build this weekly Michigan thread so that it includes any information relevant to turning MI Blue again that you would like me to highlight. MI contributors are always welcome! You can reach me through kosmail at peregrine kate. Or say hi through email here: peregrinekate@gmail.com And please follow me on Twitter @peregrinekate I'm sure there was other important news throughout the state this week. This is so emblematic of just what is wrong with our state, however, it's hard to match it. But please do feel free to add other news and announcements in the comments. Thanks for being here tonight. The floor is yours.