I haven't seen it discussed here. And frankly I can't read or think about it without getting very, very angry so I'm not the one to start the conversation. However, I can't just stand by and pretend it isn't happening. I found this list of things we can do to help:
Thank you. It's all crazy to be in the midst of this. I feel incredibly fortunate that I'm not on Flint water at home and campus has been filtering from the onset I can't believe in this day & age I am inviting people to my home to "gather" water. It's infuriating to be honest.
Certainly donations are needed in many places but I'd like to throw out there that you might think about some of our local shelters or missions, they are huge in need and often get overlooked.
There are also many Go Fund Me pages set up if you want a really convenient option.
The light in all of this is how gracious & generous people have been.
Another option would be to think about donating gallon jugs if possible. The number of smaller bottles is now a small concern. Many recycling companies have stepped up to provide recycling options but it's just something to consider. Plus I think about the people who are opening up many many bottles to cook with, it might seem like a small thing but when you're in upheaval every little thing adds up.
If you're an animal lover & wish to help them out keep in mind that they can't drink the water either so donations are needed there as well.
bex1973 : Are there any groups giving out effective filters people can affix to faucets, shower heads, pipes? Something so that people can bathe their kids without worrying they might drink some water? That and and free labs testing children's blood for lead levels come to mind.
snipsnsnails, @tambcat and everyone else with kids in the high risk age groups: it's horrifying. I can't imagine what I would do if I found out my kids' water had been poisoned with lead and other toxins for a year.
bex1973 : Are there any groups giving out effective filters people can affix to faucets, shower heads, pipes? Something so that people can bathe their kids without worrying they might drink some water? That and and free labs testing children's blood for lead levels come to mind.
snipsnsnails , @tambcat and everyone else with kids in the high risk age groups: it's horrifying. I can't imagine what I would do if I found out my kids' water had been poisoned with lead and other toxins for a year.
Yes, the Pur filters and test kits are given out in many places. When they went in to neighborhoods & distributed it was a case of water, a filter and a test kit.
We are distributing filters on campus as well.
They are saying that filters need to be changed every 2 weeks and that people shoulf continue using them until specifically instructed otherwise.
Morgan goes to the ECDC on campus, I can't describe to you the pit in my stomach when her friends were going for testing. We haven't decided if we're having her tested given the filtering and clean water at home.
Does anyone know if there will be criminal charges filed? They were talking about that on NPR this morning and the guy they were talking to basically said that everyone had been punished by being forced to step down. It doesn't seem like enough.
Please PM any funding info you find. I haven't wrote them a check the calendar year yet. So, I can send something over earmarked as an early Valentine's gift. I think I'm only a couple of $$ away from my next rose.
The upside of having been a foundation director for two years is that my required donation level put me up a few pins pretty quick. It was fun to see them arrive!
Now I have a baby and a new house, no new roses for me lately :-)
Please PM any funding info you find. I haven't wrote them a check the calendar year yet. So, I can send something over earmarked as an early Valentine's gift. I think I'm only a couple of $$ away from my next rose.
The upside of having been a foundation director for two years is that my required donation level put me up a few pins pretty quick. It was fun to see them arrive!
Now I have a baby and a new house, no new roses for me lately :-)
Are you going to check with the foundation? Let me know if you hear anything and I'll see if we can do an alumnae thing here to raise some funds.
The upside of having been a foundation director for two years is that my required donation level put me up a few pins pretty quick. It was fun to see them arrive!
Now I have a baby and a new house, no new roses for me lately :-)
Are you going to check with the foundation? Let me know if you hear anything and I'll see if we can do an alumnae thing here to raise some funds.
Yeah, I'm going to rattle the cages I have here. Through an old listserve I've heard they may be working on something, but I have not heard any details as to what yet. I'll keep you posted!
Are you going to check with the foundation? Let me know if you hear anything and I'll see if we can do an alumnae thing here to raise some funds.
Yeah, I'm going to rattle the cages I have here. Through an old listserve I've heard they may be working on something, but I have not heard any details as to what yet. I'll keep you posted!
Keep me posted, too! I haven't been very involved as an alum, but I'd be happy to contribute.
Additionally you can contact the Community Foundation of Greater Flint at 810/767-8270. They are fielding a lot of calls and helping to direct donations.
Another little thought of item is baby wipes - because people are limiting showering & bathing in the water these are welcomed
Can someone let me know if I'm understanding this correctly? So Flint has switched back to Detroit for its water source, but lead levels are still too high for to safely drink (although dropping) b/c of the corrosion that already occurred from the river water. Is the hope that with enough time lead levels will return to safe levels? Is there concern the pipes have been permanently damaged and lead levels will stay above federal limits?
Can someone let me know if I'm understanding this correctly? So Flint has switched back to Detroit for its water source, but lead levels are still too high for to safely drink (although dropping) b/c of the corrosion that already occurred from the river water. Is the hope that with enough time lead levels will return to safe levels? Is there concern the pipes have been permanently damaged and lead levels will stay above federal limits?
From what I've read, the lead is leeching from the pipes into the water because they were corroded by the river water. The damage is permanent and the entire pipe infrastructure will need to be replaced.
Can someone let me know if I'm understanding this correctly? So Flint has switched back to Detroit for its water source, but lead levels are still too high for to safely drink (although dropping) b/c of the corrosion that already occurred from the river water. Is the hope that with enough time lead levels will return to safe levels? Is there concern the pipes have been permanently damaged and lead levels will stay above federal limits?
The pipes have been permanently damaged.
Basically, they ran crap water through old pipes, and didn't properly treat the water so that it could travel through those pipes safely. This caused the pipes to deteriorate and for lead to be leached into the water. Now that they are back onto the Detroit water, you basically "good" water going through "bad" pipes. Until the pipes are replaced, the water is likely not going to be ok for large parts of the city.
Can someone let me know if I'm understanding this correctly? So Flint has switched back to Detroit for its water source, but lead levels are still too high for to safely drink (although dropping) b/c of the corrosion that already occurred from the river water. Is the hope that with enough time lead levels will return to safe levels? Is there concern the pipes have been permanently damaged and lead levels will stay above federal limits?
From what I've read, the lead is leeching from the pipes into the water because they were corroded by the river water. The damage is permanent and the entire pipe infrastructure will need to be replaced.
It's all so awful.
Yes. This.
River water (any river water) is by nature more corrosive than lake water so they should have been even more aware of this. Its sounding like this all could have avoided if they added a chemical before sending it through the pipes. So many people are immediately thinking that the river is polluted and why would they switch when it's just naturally more corrosive. Not putting the chemical basically allowed the water to remove the "protective" sludge that was coating the insides of the pipe - I'm not 100% certain I totally understand that part but I've heard that.
This was just supposed to be temporary until the new pipeline was finished
One of our faculty members is going to be working on the mapping of the pipes & knowing him he is going to bust ass to get it done quickly. Prior to this the city had notecards (WTF) at the water plant indicating where lead pipes MIGHT be.
Can someone let me know if I'm understanding this correctly? So Flint has switched back to Detroit for its water source, but lead levels are still too high for to safely drink (although dropping) b/c of the corrosion that already occurred from the river water. Is the hope that with enough time lead levels will return to safe levels? Is there concern the pipes have been permanently damaged and lead levels will stay above federal limits?
The pipes have been permanently damaged.
Basically, they ran crap water through old pipes, and didn't properly treat the water so that it could travel through those pipes safely. This caused the pipes to deteriorate and for lead to be leached into the water. Now that they are back onto the Detroit water, you basically "good" water going through "bad" pipes. Until the pipes are replaced, the water is likely not going to be ok for large parts of the city.
Not quite. I addressed this at the same time you posted
Oh, I understand that they didn't properly treat the river water, which is what cause this whole mess. I just wasn't sure if switching back to Detroit would fix the issue after enough time passed or if the pipes have been irreparably damaged. Thanks sonrisa and sparkythelawyer!
The ridiculousness in all this is that residents knew right away that something was wrong when they switched from Detroit to river water back in 2014 because their water started coming out all nasty looking. And yet it took until late 2015 for the switch back to Detroit water. Never mind this whole mess could have been avoided if they (officials) had either A.) taken the discount Detroit offered them and had never made the switch or B.) spent the money to treat the river water like they were supposed to to make it less corrosive. Ridiculous. All of it. Like did people call in saying "Hey my water isn't clear. This isn't drinkable." Water folks: "Extra vitamins! Er... minerals! It's fiiiinne."