Flint Michigan (1 Viewer)

[Saint_Ward]

Being an expat of Michigan (granted, the other side of the state), people want to focus on the switching of the water supply, which did lead to a slightly lower pH, thus leached lead out of old pipes as the issue.

To me, the issue is that all these houses have old lead pipes.

That infrastructure needs to be updated, and I'm not sure how much of it is from the city vs homeowners.

I would be on shaky ground trying to argue that my home water was killing me, when I drank out of a mug made of babbit metal (lead alloy).

The water source isn't the issue (even though it was the catalyst), but the lead pipes are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

 

[FWtex]

It appears the city of flint and the city of Detroit may have gotten into a squabble that led to emergency action.

How the Flint water crisis emerged | MLive.com


Flint decided to move to a new water pipeline from Lake Huron that was not to be finished for another 3 years. Detroit decided to cut off Flint Michigan current water supply. State forced to jump in to find alternative source until the new pipeline is completed.

It looks like a full breakdown of competent local and state government. Why could Detroit not continue to supply water? Why could the state not force detroit to continue to supply water?

 

[Norwajun]

Simply because we all know that infrastructure is crumbling all over this nation. What else is almost a disaster? Where will it strike? Is this drive to cut spending and taxes reaching a point where peoples lives are in danger?

American Infrastructure Report Card | Society of Civil Engineers

Want to really be terrified? Most of the service lines for natural gas running under our major cities are a century old and cast iron. And they are failing at an increasing rate.

Look out below: Danger lurks underground from aging gas pipes

About every other day over the past decade, a gas leak in the United States has destroyed property, hurt someone or killed someone, a USA TODAY Network investigation finds. The most destructive blasts have killed at least 135 people, injured 600 and caused $2 billion in damages since 2004.

The death toll includes:

• The explosion that leveled part of a New York City block in East Harlem in March, killing eight and injuring 48 more.

• A blast that flattened the concrete floors of an apartment building in Birmingham, Ala., killing one woman in December.

• A flash fireball in 2012 that left an Austin man dead, a scarred foundation where his house once stood and debris strewn across yards of his neighbors.

 

[Tapxe]

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Anyone catch his state of the state address?

 

[Saint_Ward]

This country needs to bite the bullet and invest Billions, if not Trillions into infrastructure over the next decade.

Gas lines, Water works, flood protection, road ways, bridges, power grid.

All of it needs a boost.

 

[Tapxe]

This country needs to bite the bullet and invest Billions, if not Trillions into infrastructure over the next decade.

Gas lines, Water works, flood protection, road ways, bridges, power grid.

All of it needs a boost.

Only one candidate for president has that plan...

 

[Saint_Ward]

Only one candidate for president has that plan...

I'm guessing Bernie.

I have heard Bill Clinton speak on that as well, so I assume Hillary at some point has mentioned infrastructure. It's hard to pick it out of debates, because for the most part, they often agree on a lot of big picture ideas. The primary difference is that Sanders has a lot more ambition to work on EVERYTHING, and Hillary is calculating what issues to push on and what to leave be.

I said it before, Sanders is a home run or strike out (boom or bust, for the NFL analogy), and Hillary is a reliable single/double.

I'm worried with the Republican entrenchment, especially in congress (and it will stay that way, due to demographics and gerrymandering), that pushing on everything is going to continue this "obstructionist" style of government.

Which, other than a flurry of activity in the last couple of months, has been the case for years now.

 

[tomwaits]

This country needs to bite the bullet and invest Billions, if not Trillions into infrastructure over the next decade.

Gas lines, Water works, flood protection, road ways, bridges, power grid.

All of it needs a boost.

We already spent that money on bombs to blow up infrastructure in other countries.

 

[Tapxe]

We already spent that money on bombs to blow up infrastructure in other countries.

 

[SaintJ]

People Are Dying in Flint and All Signs Point to the Water



Someone should face criminal charges it would seem.

We'll get after them with the same fury that we prosecuted the fraudsters who almost tanked the world's economy in 2008.

 

[SaintJ]

This country needs to bite the bullet and invest Billions, if not Trillions into infrastructure over the next decade.

Gas lines, Water works, flood protection, road ways, bridges, power grid.

All of it needs a boost.

It would be tax money spent to make us better and more productive here, instead of making things to blow them up over there, where the only thing we make is enemies.

Crazy idea, huh?

 

[Saintamaniac]

I'm guessing Bernie.

I said it before, Sanders is a home run or strike out (boom or bust, for the NFL analogy), and Hillary is a reliable single/double.

That would mean that Cruz would be a pop-up foul ball out and Trump would be a bases loaded 2-strike foul ball bunt?

 

[MLU]

Being an expat of Michigan (granted, the other side of the state), people want to focus on the switching of the water supply, which did lead to a slightly lower pH, thus leached lead out of old pipes as the issue.

To me, the issue is that all these houses have old lead pipes.

That infrastructure needs to be updated, and I'm not sure how much of it is from the city vs homeowners.

I would be on shaky ground trying to argue that my home water was killing me, when I drank out of a mug made of babbit metal (lead alloy).

The water source isn't the issue (even though it was the catalyst), but the lead pipes are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

The lead pipes are a very, very small concern. The samples taken from homes do take into consideration lead pipes in older structures. Samples taken directly from the Flint River show that the levels of lead corrosiveness were extremely high which is why the issues really started after the switch and not when they drew water from Detroit.

 

[Tapxe]

So much for being open and honest with the emails released.

Finally, We Know Exactly What Led to the Flint Water Crisis

Of course, they probably redacted so much because it would prove how callous and dismissive they were.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/us/flint-michigan-lead-water-crisis.html?_r=1