The Stress Impact on Children and Family of The Flint Water Crisis

415 last name, first name 7
CHFD 415
Name Course Instructor Date
Incident
The Flint water crisis (2016–2018) in Michigan is one of the environmental contamination incidents that showed officials' failure to ensure that residents have access to safe drinking water. In April 2014, Michigan’s governed directed the drinking water supplied and distributed from Lake Huron to be redirected to the Flint River, and the latter is highly contaminated (Pauli, 2020). The switch from Lake Huron and Detroit River to the Flint River, failure to warn residents about high concentrations of bacteria, and failure to treat pipes explain the high contamination levels. Water at the Flint Water Treatment Plan was poorly treated, which compromised the water quality and the residents’ health. There was high bacterial growth from low chlorine and high trihalomethane levels, and by 2015, studies showed high lead levels (Pauli, 2020). Even after redistributing water from Lake Huron water, the water supply had already been contaminated, and officials were slow to heed to residents' and activists’ concerns about water qualities. 
The issues involved
When the city of Flint, Michigan, switched its water source, residents in the area started complaining of the water quality. Still, the city and state officials refused to accept the water quality problems that existed and had been caused by their decisions. Flint is a majority-black city with a high poverty level, and the water supply meant that the residents were supplied with lead-laced water (Kennedy, 2016). The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) initially provided water, but the need to find a cheaper source resulted in changing theater supply. Lead can cause irreparable damage to children and pregnant women, including mental retardation, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities (Kennedy, 2016). The state of Michigan agreed to compensate the residents affected by lead contamination of water in the city of Flint for more than a year, Flint's drinking water was contaminated with highly poisonous lead, and this was worsened by political negligence and inaction political negligence. 
Access to clean and safe drinking water to all Americans regardless of their backgrounds is an issue of sustainability and environmental justice. Political negligence is likely because of the area’s residents being low-income and mostly black. Systemic lead contamination was also linked to faulty water treatment decision and poor preparation in Flint as there was more focus on cost cutting and not maintaining the water to the acceptable quality standards. There was outbreak of Legionnaires ‘disease a form of pneumonia linked to waterborne bacteria, but still city officials did not take responsibility for Flint’s worsening health outcomes.
The stress impact on children and family
 Flint switched its drinking water provider to the Detroit water system, but the damage had already been caused to the pipes allowed the lead to continue to seep into the water by then. Consequently, for more than a year, Flint residents had to use bottled water to drink and cook with the state distributing the water. Still, numerous challenges were reaching the most v...