State of Emergency: Flint Water Crisis

On January 5, 2016, President Obama declared the the city of Flint, Michigan officially under a federal state of emergency. 

The Breakdown. As a way to Band-Aid a financial emergency in Michigan, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a way to save money until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The Flint river which was known to be disgusting and unfitting for human consumption was debuted as the city's new water supply in April 2014. Not long after the switch, residents began complaining that their water looked, smelled and tasted funny.

Researchers at Virginia Tech found the water was highly corrosive. A class-action lawsuit alleges the state Department of Environmental Quality didn't treat the water for corrosion as part of the federal law guidelines, and because so many service lines to Flint are made of lead, the toxic element spread into the water of the city's homes.

Raising Awareness. What was at first unknown to the rest of the country is now spreading like wildfire. Celebrities, politicians and presidential candidates alike are all voicing their opinion and raising  concern for this crisis that could easily effect all of us. 

Reading About Michigan's GOV.&HIS EMERGENCY MANAGERS😱POISON WATER IS TIP OF ICEBERG‼️NEEDS 2B FULL SCALE INVESTIGATION. 🙏🏻4POOR. #STOPGOVNOW

— Cher (@cher) January 18, 2016

WE HAVE TO SAVE OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN! #Flint I hope people start TO https://t.co/uyMdFPGWI2 LONG ARE WE GONNA BE STUPID ON PURPOSE?

— Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) January 19, 2016

Why we worried about the Oscars? We need to be worried about what's going on in Flint and Chicago. Mlk didn't die for shows and trophies.

— Young Jeezy (@Jeezy) January 19, 2016

History of "Bad Water". In January 2015, a public meeting was held, where citizens complained about the "bad water." Residents complained about the taste, smell and appearance of the water for 18 months before a Flint physician found highly elevated blood lead levels in the children of Flint while the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality insisted the water was safe to drink. It was determined that river water, which is more corrosive than lake water, was carrying lead into homes through the aging pipes.

Now every child, about 9,000, in Flint is assumed to have lead poisoning. The Governor also acknowledged that an outbreak of Legionnaires disease killed at least 10 people in the Flint area and it is strongly believed to be related to the poisoned water.

LeeAnne Walters of Flint, Mich., shows water samples from her home. (The Associated Press)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no safe level of lead exposure. The CDC reports that for children: "Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. And effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected."