Rick Synder, Governor of Michigan, has come under fire for his role in exacerbating the murky situation unfolding in Flint, Michigan involving a lead-contaminated water supply.
In an interview aired on MSNBC, filmmaker Michael Moore explained the role Governor Snyder has played in the incident. Moore attributes Snyder’s cutback on spending as a reason for the contamination, due to the fact that Mr. Snyder no longer wanted to import water from Lake Heron — clean, glacial-runoff water.
Instead of taking water from Lake Heron, Flint, Michigan’s water supply shifted its dependency to water flowing from the Flint River. The problem with the Flint River lies beneath the surface, in the passageways that carry the water to homes, where lead pipes are eroding, causing the lead to seep into the water and contaminate the supply.
The Flint River has not been a source of drinkable water for some time now, though, as a result of a number of industries dumping their waste into the water. Since it is an activity that has been going on for over 100 years now, the River is an absolute cesspool of waste. In an effort to clean up the Flint River and make its waters suitable for drinking, Governor Snyder attempted to employ a chemical intended to help disperse of some of the waste. The results were anything but helpful.
The chemical that was scattered within the Flint River caused the lead pipes within it to erode and seep into the water supply. Although Governor Snyder was warned by water and environmental agencies such as the EPA, he chose to ignore their red flags and continue to use the Flint River as Flint’s major water supply.
Concerns over the state of the water supply have existed in Flint since 2014, but as more and more reports unfold indicating a surge in the amount of children with high levels of lead in their bloodstream, uproar continues to increase in volume.
Michael Moore asserts that Mr. Snyder's actions are reprehensible and deserve to land him in jail. As the Governor's back was turned to the health and betterment of the people of Flint merely in an attempt to cut back on spending, one can understand where Moore's coming from.
Sign Michael Moore's petition here.