Contamination of the Water in Flint, Michigan

Case Study 2

Synopsis of the case: I have been assigned to a task force to analyze contamination of the water in Flint, Michigan. In my research, I found a thorough synopsis of the events of the case compiled by the CNN Library. The timeline shows three clear phases of the crisis, the initial phase (2007-Jan 12, 2014) which denotes when Flint was affected by the switch to the Flint River as a water source but the issues were not widely investigated or reported, the investigation phase (Jan 21, 2014-Oct 8, 2015) which is highlighted by the investigations by the EPA, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, investigative reporters, and the aftermath phase (Oct 15, 2015- Present) where the extent of the emergency is realized by Governor of Michigan and steps are made to resolve the issues of the contaminated water, and responsible parties are accused. Initially, Flint was motivated to change how they source their water due to the costs associated with bringing in water provided by the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. The initial plan was to construct a new pipeline to Lake Huron to circumvent the costs of purchasing water from DWSD. During the construction of this pipeline, it was decided to use water from the Flint River. This was not an ideal solution, due to industrial and sewage waste that was known to present in the water by the locals of Flint (CNN Library).

        The initial phase is highlighted by the decision of the Flint City Council to utilize Flint River as an alternative source of water during the transition phase, the discovery of fecal bacteria in the water and issuance of boil warnings to neighborhoods in the area, the decision of General Motors to stop using Flint’s corrosive water in the manufacturing of automobiles, and the city warning residents of safety issues of the water after the state determines the levels of disinfectants exceed the recommendations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (CNN Library). A contributing cause to the bacteria issue is the aging iron pipes utilized in the municipality. These pipes encouraged a buildup of bacteria. Flint began trying to mitigate issues of bacteria in the water by flushing the systems and adding more chlorine to the water system. The added chemicals had the potential to cause their own health issues, and the state and city notify the public of this. Clearly, in this phase, there are problems with the choices made, but there are some attempts to correct the issues while staying the course. More action from the government during the onset of these problems would have saved the Michigan immensely in goodwill and financially, but that is only clear retrospectively. Flint felt pressure due to GM switching to another water source, as it cost the city $400,000, so it is understandable to further commit to the current solution to mitigate further costs. DWSD offered Flint a way out of the initial solution by offering to waive the reconnect fee to get the city water from Lake Huron. The city declined.

        The investigation phase began with a televised city council meeting that featured members of the community bringing brown water from their taps to show the terrible conditions. Medical complications become common, starting with rashes. Further complications arise as the chlorine and bacteria are forming a cancer-causing byproduct called TTHM (CNN Library). Lead is now found in concentrations of 880 times the limit of the EPA and would be considered hazardous waste. The Flint city council vote to stop using Flint River as a water source, but are stopped by the state. Virginia Tech now begins studying the situation, and finds that the water is 19 times more corrosive than Detroit’s water and recommends that citizens not cook or bathe in the water (CNN Library). Media attention falls to the situation, and the government begins understating the gravity of the issue. The Hurley Medical Center discovers that children in the affected areas had lead levels double since the switch. These findings were verified by the government. Schools are tested and high lead levels are found in drinking water. It is only at this point that the Governor makes the call to stop using the water of the Flint River. There are many points during this phase that Michigan’s State Government could have made this decision, but instead there were many points that they were more interested in saving face and continuing down the path that they were on. The Mayor of Flint drank the water on tape to prove that it was safe, and the Governor did interviews decrying the media attention as not giving the state the “benefit of doubt” in the situation. At this point the problems were evident and the early action in this phase would have been the logical choice of action.

        The aftermath of the Flint Water Crisis is still being felt to this day. After pulling Flint river water away from the city, Governor Snyder signed a $9.3 million spending bill to assist in the switch back to Lake Huron.  The EPA established the Flint Safe Drinking Water Taskforce and publishes a public report on the case to smooth the transition and help mitigate lingering effects from the issue (CNN Library). Several class action civil suits are filed against the EPA, members of the Flint local government, and State of Michigan officials from residents and clergy members. A state of emergency is declared from the local to the national level for Flint. Criminal charges have been filed against involved local and state officials, from misdemeanor dereliction of duty to felonies such as destruction of evidence and involuntary manslaughter for the deaths caused by Legionnaires Disease. The costs of this debacle are staggering. $93 million was awarded in a class action settlement to the people of Flint. The legal costs of all the criminal and civil cases involved, the millions of dollars of aid required for the region, and the untold human damages are gargantuan compared to the estimated $12 million a year to switch back to DWSD water when the issues started.

Problem #1 The City of Flint had cost issues regarding the source of their water. In selecting an alternate source while they made a permanent fix, they did not take due diligence in generating alternate solutions or evaluating the solution they chose. These are steps 2 and 3 of logical decision making (Kinicki and Fugate). The officials involved aggressively pursued their goal of saving money without thinking of the possible ramifications of their actions. It was public knowledge that Flint River was a dubious water source that was contaminated, but the officials took the path of least resistance in solving the problem, essentially satisficing instead of optimizing the situation. This is especially troublesome considering the impact their choices had on other peoples lives.