Water Sector Topic Flint water disaster Sea Ark

(Water Sector) Topic: Flint water disaster Sea. Ark: Candice Randall, Humeyra Ekin, Errol Craig, Artez Hendricks Jr. Infrastructure, Environment, & Society

What is the water sector? HE Before we get into our topic we would like to explain what the water sector is: The water Sector is specific plan addresses risk-based critical infrastructure protection strategies for drinking water and wastewater utilities, regulatory primacy agencies, and an array of technical assistance partners. The Plan describes processes and activities to enable the protection, and increased resilience, of the sector’s infrastructure. The Water Sector Grade: D CR There an estimated 240, 000 water main breaks per year in the United States. Assuming every pipe would need to be replaced, the cost over the coming decades could reach more than $1 trillion, according to the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The quality of drinking water in the United States remains universally high, however. Even though pipes and mains are frequently more than 100 years old and in need of replacement, outbreaks of disease attributable to drinking water are rare.

Purpose/Goals HE ❖ Our purpose/goals of this project is to present the reason why the lead was exposed into the water and how it could be prevented.

Expected/Intended Outcome CR The intended outcome of this project is to be able to have a better understanding of why the lead was exposed to the water and how it could be prevented. We will be taking a closer look to investigate what happened!

Research question ❖ What will it take to fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan? ❖ How could it be avoided? CR

Flint Michigan Water Crisis ● CR For almost half-a-century, Flint purchased water from Detroit, which properly treated the water with orthophosphate, a chemical that essentially coated the pipes as water flowed through them, preventing lead from leaching into the water supply.

what happened. . ● Flint switched from Detroit’s water supply to the Flint River in 2014, in part to save money. But the city did not use corrosion control to prevent lead from entering the water. The river itself was also found to contain eight times more chloride than Detroit’s water, a chemical that is highly corrosive to metals. Most residents in Flint have decades-old lead service lines that connect their homes to the city’s main water pipes. When water from the river flowed through those pipes, it ate away at their insides, allowing lead to enter the supply. Here’s what it looked like after the switch—with red used to connote lead, a colorless substance.

Once Flint switched its water supply, most Flint residents knew it immediately. Residents described the water coming from their taps often as a brownish-yellow and said it both smelled and tasted odd.

. . It was later discovered that the water was carrying significant amounts of lead, which can prove especially damaging to children. In October 2015, the city switched back to the Detroit water supply, but Flint’s water is still deemed unsafe to drink. (Flint had levels that were more than 5 parts per billion )

Q: What will it take to fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan? Q: How could it be avoided? : What's happened already and what still needs to happen prove that there is no simple fix. 1. Change the pipes 2. Recoat the pipes inside with phosphates. If that is successful then the lead will no longer leach into from the pipes into the water, but it may take months for the phosphates to take full effect. 3. In the beginning they should have stayed with detroit's water instead of trying to save money. Before they switched over to Flint’s river they should have taken data from the river to see if it was drinkable and if the pipes would be able to handle the water flowing through them.

Ways to remove heavy metals from water. A distiller A filtration system Install a reverse osmosis system, attaching it to your water system.

Nontechnical Aspects (Con’t) EJ Societal impact: Over 100 Flint children have high levels of lead poisoning and there could be many more. This can mean a sharp decline in a child’s IQ Unusual behavior Can be passed down through generations “The impact on the children is irreversible & multi-generational” A Flint pediatrician at the Hurley Medical Center, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, previously told RT that the highest readings she and the state had recorded for elevated blood levels in children were 38 micrograms per deciliter. That is more than seven times higher than the level classified as “elevated” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (5 micrograms). The CDC states there is no safe blood lead level for children.

Nontechnical Aspects (cont’d) EJ Historical impacts on the environment: Flint was the home of the modern industrial manufacturing process. Flint was built and quickly became an industrial dump. Wages were poor and working conditions were terrible. The history of this town is built around industrial processes. The river was lined by industrial plants that were polluting along a miles-long stretch of the river. Flint would be doomed to be an industrial waste dump. And it can be argued, as Michael Moore has, that General Motors gutted the city and then abandoned it. This history lay the groundwork for today. A polluted river harming the pipes and now the public (Moore, 1).

Nontechnical Aspects (cont’d) EJ 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 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. Governor Rick Snyder is actually being sued by several hundred residents of Flint.

Codes and Standards AH In the United States, drinking water standards are set by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). U. S. pollution control standards are developed jointly by EPA and state environmental agencies pursuant to the Clean Water Act.

Water quality standards consist of four basic elements: AH 1) Designated uses; 2) Water quality criteria; 3) Antidegradation policy 4) General policies. Flint River water does not meet these criteria because it has about 8 times more chloride (Cl–) in it than Detroit water. Chloride is generally considered to be very corrosive to iron making it highly toxic to humans and animals alike.

Systems Approach Our research topic relates to many different aspects of Flint, Michigan infrastructure. Flint’s Infrastructure isn’t good, like earlier in their presentation they have a D for there poor roads and transportation. ASCE shows that the dangerous and expensive decision to delay the repair of roads and bridges across Michigan and the rest of the country is costing individual families more than $1, 000 per year

Links https: //lockerdome. com/6904549562791233/8458471146422292 http: //www. newser. com/story/217563/lead-levels-in-michigan-kids-blood-prompts-state-of-emergency. html http: //rollingout. com/2016/01/20/president-obama-shares-why-flints-water-crisis-is-an-american-tragedy/ http: //flintwaterstudy. org/tag/drinking-water/ http: //www. npr. org/2016/02/01/465150617/flint-begins-the-long-process-of-fixing-its-water-problem https: //www. rt. com/usa/336479 -michigan-snyder-flint-water-plan/