Sierra Griffith

Pol214 State and Local Government

Thomas Roka
15 May 2016

Final Summary Paper

Many problems have been arising in Michigan from little ones like the horrible road
conditions to huge issues like the whole transgender bathrooms ordeal. There are many different
ways to deal with these problems, but most of them are out of our, average citizens, hands. The
problem that I have chosen to summarize and evaluate is the the Flint water crisis. Prior to
deciding to use this as my topic, I knew very little about what has been going on there. Basically,
all I knew was that something went wrong with the water and people were affected. Now, after
reading up on the issue and doing immense research on it, I feel as if I understand the situation so
much better and am in a place with my knowledge where I can inform others.
According to Wikipedia, the Flint water crisis is defined as a drinking water contamination
issue in Flint, Michigan, United States that started in April 2014. (Wikipedia) How and why did
this all start? Many people have asked that question. Flint had been using treated lake water from
Lake Huron for over fifty years. That water had barely any complications, yet it was very
expensive for the city of Flint. Therefor, in late April of 2014 they switched over to using the
backup water from the Flint River. ( the Flint River was supposed to be the backup water source
for Fli for years previous) This act saved them over five million dollars over almost two years.
Over the next year in Flint, the citizens began complaining about the waters odor, taste and
discoloration. Naturally, the government didn't think much of this to begin with. But, as the

complaints grew stronger they had to investigate. After much testing and experimenting they
came to worrisome results. The water was contaminated with Coliform bacteria, Trihalomethanes
(THMs), a lot of Lead, and possible results of Legionnaires Disease outbreak within the
residents. After realizing these horrible results, the city officials said that people should flush
their pipes and add more chlorine to the water. It kept getting worse, so the DWSD offered to
reconnect the city with the Lake Huron water, waiving a four million dollar fee to restore
service. City officials declined, citing concerns water rates could go up more than twelve million
dollars each year, even with the reconnection fee waiver. (CNN) Many state officials voted to
go back to Lake Huron water, but were overruled because costs would skyrocket and "water
from Detroit is no safer than water from Flint." (CNN) To me, that is extremely pathetic. To keep
a long story short, government officials knew about the intoxicated water but kept it on the
downlow because it was saving them so much money and they did not want to get caught and
in trouble for all of the damage they even knew would occur. The fact that the government risked
the health and safety of thousands of innocent residents in order to save money is pitiful. There is
still so much more to the situation than the incredulous acts of the government when it came to
the water.
Our textbook, Governing States and Localities, hit on a lot of points pertaining to this issue
with the government in Chapter One. Id like to take a direct quote from this chapter which said,
Regardless of who you are and what you do or want to do, if you reside in the United States,
state and local governments play a large role in your life. (Smith 5) This really hits the Flint
water crisis on the head. Michigans government played a huge role in orchestrating this
catastrophe. The acts they carried out, withholding crucial information about the unhealthy water
to residents, affected thousands of people throughout Flint. That just proves that no matter what,

even though most people dont realize it, our state and local governments play a large role in our
lives, in this case, in the protection of our lives.
Our government officials became frantic when this whole situation began to go down. Many
resigned, but some stayed and tried to protect themselves. Our textbook talks about assigned
counsel in Chapter 9. They define assigned counsel as Private lawyers selected by the courts to
handle particular cases and paid from public funds. (Smith Chapter 9) I read an article
pertaining to assigned counsel. This article explained how Governor Rick Snyder hired outside
legal counsel related to the Flint water crisis. The article explains how, Gov. Rick Snyder has
hired outside attorneys to represent him in litigation stemming from the ongoing lead water crisis
in Flint, his office confirmed. (Vanhulle) He hired Eugene Driker and Brian Lennon, both of
which were assigned attorneys. (Paid for with state dollars) He is our state's governor, therefore
he played a big part in this ordeal.
There is a lot that we didnt know regarding this heartbreaking crisis. I read an article written
by Michael Moore which informed us of ten things that we dont know about the Flint water
tragedy. I wont name them all, but I would like to point out a few that were very interesting to
me. While the Children in Flint Were Given Poisoned Water to Drink, General Motors Was
Given a Special Hookup to the Clean Water. (Moore) Reading about this fact made me very
ashamed of our government. While thousands were drinking this dirty water, one special
address was hooked up to pure water, the GM factory. Another low key mishap was, Peoples
Homes in Flint Are Now Worth Nothing Because They Cant Be Sold.(Moore) That fact is
crazy to me as well, but it does make sense. That polluted water was running through the houses
of Flint for two years thanks to the government. Now, homeowners who have already had their
health taken from them because of the water are down to zero net worth when it comes to their

homes as well, because no one is going to want to buy those houses unless their plumbing is
renovated.
Summarizing and evaluating the Flint water crisis has been very beneficial to me. I went
from knowing little to nothing about it to understanding what happened and more. The Flint
water crisis was a drinking water contamination that took place in Flint, Michigan. After
switching water suppliers from Lake Huron to Flint River, the water became dirty and unhealthy.
It wouldnt have been such a huge deal if it werent for the government trying to cover it up,
risking the lives of many. According to Wikipedia, 6,000-12,000 children have been exposed to
this water and may, in the future, experience serious health problems.(Wikipedia) I have been
able to put many things into perspective that I have taken for granted, such as clean water and
honest city officials who make sure we have clean water. The whole situation is so heartbreaking
and now that I understand what is going on I wish other people would too. Not just for the
knowledge, but so more can pray for the people of Flint and maybe even donate to ge them back
onto their feet. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am when it comes to a lot of things, especially
water, and sometimes I fail to realize that.

Citations
Flint Water Crisis. - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016.

Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts CNN. Cable News Network, 5 May 2016. Web. 15 May 2016.

Moore, Michael. "Ten Things That They Won't Tell You About The Flint Water Tragedy."
MICHAELMOORE. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016.

Smith, Kevin B., Alan Greenblatt, and John Buntin. Governing States and Localities.
Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2005. Print.

Vanhulle, Lindsay. "Snyder Hires outside Legal Counsel Related to Flint Water Crisis." Crain's
Detroit Business. N.p., 02 Mar. 2016. Web. 15 May 2016.