After reading the recently released and redacted e-mails (pdf) by republican Michigan governor Rick Snyder, I ran across something called a BWA advisory (Boil Water Advisory) that was issued to the people of Flint Michigan weeks after the republicans in charge switched Flint’s water supply source from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to more corrosive and polluted Flint River water, treated [treated — ??? — an open question] at the Flint water treatment plant. (video of Michael Moore @ link)
Looking around to get a clear picture of how this all came down, and why Boil Water Advisories were issued, I came across this very helpful timeline of events.
reporting by Julia Lurie| Tue Jan. 26, 2016 6:00 AM EST
Here is just a small excerpt from the timeline:
2014
April 25: To save money [supposedly — that is], Flint changes its municipal water source to the Flint River rather than the Detroit water system. The switch is overseen by state emergency manager Darnell Earley, who, like other emergency managers around the state, is able to override local policies in the name of "fiscal responsibility."
Summer: Residents begin complaining to local leaders about tainted, foul-smelling tap water, and health symptoms such as rashes and hair loss, from drinking and bathing in it.
August/September: E. coli and coliform bacteria are found in the Flint water supply. The city instructs residents to boil tap water before drinking.
October 1: General Motors says it will stop using Flint River water in its plants after workers notice that the water corrodes engine parts.
— emphasis added
So, lead poisoning wasn’t the only problem. E-coli poisoning and Legionella bacteria was the beginning of the nightmare for the people of Flint Michigan. The following events and the decisions made then got worse.
One might think that every effort to immediately fix this deadly wrong move (Rachel Maddow reports) would be a top priority of any administration elected to represent the people. Instead, every effort was made to first deny there was a problem. Then, as people became sick, and several died, hiding the wrongdoing became impossible.
There are too many good people who came forward and fought those responsible for this criminal malfeasance to list. The author of the report, Julia Lurie does an excellent job in documenting the citizens who worked so hard to saves lives and bring this story to light. One of those people is photographer Regina Boone; the links include many more
I hope this timeline report is informative and helpful to answer some of the many questions on how this can happen in America, especially — why