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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Pastors threaten lawsuit over Flint River water, demand reconnection to Detroit system
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on April 08, 2015 at 4:40 PM, updated April 08, 2015 at 6:38 PM
The Rev. Alfred Harris, president of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, speaks during a news conference at Flint City Hall today, April 8.
Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal
FLINT, MI -- Pastors in Flint are threatening to go to court if that's what it takes to end the use of the Flint River as the city's source of drinking water.
The Rev. Alfred Harris, president of Concerned Pastors for Social Action, demanded Wednesday, April 8, that state officials reconnect Flint to the Detroit water system.
Harris said the cost of such a switch -- estimated by emergency manager Jerry Ambrose at $12 million a year -- isn't the issue.
"If the best possible source is the Detroit source, we owe it to the people to hook up to it. Place our health and our welfare above everything else," Harris said.
Flint pastors warn they'll go to court to get city off Flint River water
Alfred Harris, president of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, renewed his call for the state of Michigan to reconnect the city of Flint to the Detroit Water at a news conference today, April 8.
The city issued a statement Wednesday saying it is moving ahead with a series of actions to improve water quality, including the installation of a granulated active charcoal filter at the Flint water treatment plant.
The $1.5 million filtering system is expected to be authorized by Ambrose this week, the city's statement says, and will help to keep the level of total trihalomethanes (TTHM) within allowable limits as warmer weather approaches.
Flint is in violation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act because the annual average level of TTHM at two testing locations in the city had been above maximum limits since April 2014.
That's when the city disconnected from the Detroit water system and began using the Flint River as its source of drinking water until the new Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline is complete.
Since that time, the city has struggled to keep bacteria out of the water supply, residents have complained about the color and odor of their water, and two citywide warnings have been issued because of TTHM, which is a byproduct of chlorinating water.
The most recent testing of city water by the state Department of Environmental Quality showed each of eight sampling locations in the city had acceptable levels of TTHM.
Dave Murray, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Snyder, said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal that the state, "continues to support the city in its efforts to address the long-term issues associated with its water infrastructure, including the recent $2 million in grants and $2.24 million debt restructuring that will allow a variety of projects to help with odor and discoloration issues."
"Administration leaders have met with Concerned Pastors members and Gov. Snyder shares their belief that all Michigan residents deserve clean, safe water. We appreciate their passion in serving their congregation members and determination in helping all the people in their city."
Harris said that's not enough, and said he will host a meeting April 16 to discuss "whatever it takes, (including) legal steps ... to get this situation fixed."
The pastor quoted a Bible verse from Psalm 41, saying city residents don't deserve a lesser quality of water because many of them are poor.
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble," the passage says.
In addition to the Concerned Pastors, members of the Democracy Defense League, Flint Water Class Action Group, and Councilman Eric Mays joined in Wednesday's news conference.
The city's news release included a statement from Ambrose that says a return to the Detroit water system would be a waste of resources and is "not going to happen."
"Those advocating for a return to DWSD do not want to recognize the financial realities of such a move," Ambrose's statement says. "Not only would such a move increase the city's costs by more than $1 million per month, but the water from Detroit is no safer than Flint water.
"Why anyone would want to send a million dollars a month to DWSD rather than make necessary repairs to the city's own system is beyond me."
Flint officials have said Flint River water is more difficult to treat than water from Detroit, which is from Lake Huron and is treated before delivery by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.
Detroit terminated Flint's contract to purchase water in 2014 after Flint and Genesee County announced plans to partner in building a new water pipeline to Lake Huron.
Detroit Water officials have said since that time that they would return to supplying water to Flint, if requested, until the new pipeline is completed at some point in 2016. |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 6:57 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Where were all of the community activists when the argument for using the Flint River for our water source first began around the year 2000? Studies were being done then an the Anderson Report (paid for by the Mott Foundation) actually recommended allowing either Flint or Genesee County to use the Flint River to save money. Flint then controlled the Detroit water contract and the county paid Flint for their water. I don't remember anyone asking the county if they wanted to use Flint River water,. However, even then the Anderson Report indicated residents would consider using the Flint River to be tantamount to using an inferior water source.
Just like the present times, Flint did not have the capability to properly treat the water. Detroit never provided Flint with secondary water source, as promised in our original contract. Complaints over the cost of water and no secondary water source prompted Detroit to threaten Flint with the construction of a secondary lie that Flint residents would have to pay for,
The state stepped in and demanded improvements to the Flint water plant in case of a problem with the one and only Detroit water line. In past years some on the council fought these improvements, usually in a dispute with the mayor in charge at the time.
The real problem, as I see it, is the incompetence of the leaders at the top. Cronyism trikes again! When you place people in positions who do not meet the criteria of the job, you are asking for trouble.
The pastors need to look at the fact that Flint sold a portion of the transmission line from Detroit to the county. |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:18 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Has everyone forgotten when people flocked to City Council to demand using the Flint River to lower water costs? |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:19 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint councilman equates water troubles to 'genocide' by governor
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on April 06, 2015 at 2:00 PM, updated April 06, 2015 at 2:02 PM
Flint Journal file photo
FLINT, MI -- A city councilman says Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint emergency manager Jerry Ambrose are attempting to carry out a genocide on Flint residents with "contaminated, unhealthy water."
Council Vice President Wantwaz Davis posted the comment on his Facebook page on Sunday, April 5, and stood behind it today.
"I feel the emergency manager and governor should be held more accountable... I do believe maybe five, maybe 10 years from now, some people are going to contract a disease... they cannot ever get rid of," Davis told The Flint Journal today, April 6.
In his Facebook post, Davis used the word genocide -- the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group -- three times in describing the city's water situation.
A spokesmen for Snyder called Davis' comments "incendiary and inaccurate," and a spokesman for Ambrose said the comments are untrue and "unnecessarily (increase) the anxiety of Flint residents about the safety of their drinking water."
Davis has been an outspoken critic of the price and quality of Flint water since the city began using the Flint River as its source of drinking water a year ago.
His remarks come a month after the Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the Michigan chapter of Al Sharpton's National Action Network, said Flint water is "almost as bad as gas chambers for Jews."
Flint is in violation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act because the annual average level of total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at two testing locations in the city since April 2014 was too high. TTHM is a byproduct of chlorinating water.
Despite the violation -- first issued in January -- the most recent testing showed each of eight sampling locations in the city had acceptable levels of TTHM.
A notice of the water violation was sent to water customers just last week, but test results for TTHM have steadily improved since peaking in August.
Notices warn customers that people who drink water containing TTHM in excess of 80 parts per billion over many years may experience problems with their kidney, liver or central nervous system, and may increase the risk of cancer.
Resident have also protested the price and overall quality of Flint water, including issues of discoloration and odor, which city officials have said is a result of an aging collection of water transmission pipes and not an indication that water is unsafe.
Davis said in his Facebook post that the condition of water constitutes "an obvious genocide against the residents in Flint, Michigan, who are forced to drink the contaminated, unhealthy water, that is going to commit an imminent danger to the lives of those who have a compromised immune system, and infants who biologically doesn't have a fully developed immune system...
"When I become mayor, I will certainly make the governor and all who took part in continuing to have the residents in Flint, Michigan exposed to this injustice and inexcusable danger accountable ...," the comment says. "Someone has to be charged with this neglect and imposition of danger amongst a helpless people ..."
Dave Murray, a spokesman for the governor, said Flint is currently producing water that meets all state and federal standards.
"It's unfortunate that the councilman made such incendiary and inaccurate remarks," Murray said in a statement to MLive-The Flint Journal. "The governor believes all Michigan residents need and deserve safe, clean water ...
"The state continues working with city leaders to help with the city's water infrastructure challenges, which were decades in the making. That assistance includes $2 million in grants to help with pipeline leaks and other issues, which allow the city to prioritize its repairs. That's part of a long-term solution to the city's needs."
Flint spokesman Jason Lorenz said in an email to The Journal that the city continues to address problems of safety and quality as they arise.
"The quality of Flint's drinking water has been confirmed to be safe by numerous tests, including tests recently conducted by (the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality)," Lorenz statement says. "The most recent tests conducted by MDEQ show Flint water to be within EPA guidelines. These are the same guidelines used to monitor all municipal drinking water systems, including the Detroit system."
Davis said the only way for the city's water issues to be resolved will be for it to reconnect to the Detroit Water system.
The city had purchased treated Lake Huron water from Detroit for decades before its contract was terminated following its decision to join Genesee County in building the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline. Since then, the city has been treating Flint River water for its own use until the KWA pipeline is completed.
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superwrench
The real question is 1) since the Flint water treatment plant can't produce decent quality water from the Flint River water, what makes you think that it will be able to produce quality water from Lake Huron water, 2) when the Flint water treatment plant can't produce quality water from Lake Huron water, where is the money going to come from to invest in and upgrade the water plant to get quality water produced from it, 3) will it be possible for Flint to connect to either the Genesee County water supply, or reconnect to the Detroit water supply, and where will the money come from if either of these options are necessary???
catgirldo
@superwrench Part of the problem may also be our infrastructure which is going on 80-90 years old in some neighborhoods. We wonder what is the lead content of the pipes, etc. It would cost millions and millions to replace all the pipes. Most of us can afford to replace the pipes going from our houses to the sewers (usually at about $1200.00 to $1500.00) but if our pipes are good we're still dealing with the main sewer pipes. It is a big problem.
harpcc
This is yet another absurd analogical statement from an illustrious city council member. Davis doesn't even realize what a clown he has become to the populace as a whole. Yes, there are real water concerns but to compare it to genocide is ridiculous. His statements demonstrate his true lack of knowledge and his scare tactics are for pure publicity. This over sensationalism of these issues does a great disservice to real issues that warrant real attention. The misguided efforts by many of the city council's members demonstrates their inability to address the real problems in the city, crime and jobs. |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:32 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Has everyone forgotten the huge debates that ensued when the county first proposed the KWA water pipeline? Jeff Wright, Genesee County Drain Commissioner, gave speech after speech to council an community groups. Paranoia then.as now, was rampant and probably delayed the launching of the project.
Corruption the Kwame Kilpatrick era causes substantial increases in the cot of water. Detroit just hit Genesee County with a 16% increase they have to pay for Detroit water. The Walling administration was guilty of corruption too according to the report former State Treasurer Andy Dillon prepared. It was reported they used water and sewer funds for the general funds without creating the proper procedures for repayment. Obviously the water and sewer users are expected to make up the shortfall!
At least Davis is trying to educate himself and the public on the issues of the contaminants in the water. Let us remember that the City Administration (yes that mean Croft too) kept the residents in the dark about the issues for at least three quarterly reports.
There are any elderly residents in the 5th ward . The elderly and those with weak immune systems will be more susceptible to the unreported excesses in our water. Already I am hearing many stories of lot pets due to huge cancer growth an other tumors. I lost a dog and I am told Michigan State veterinary services have indicated our water source as a contributing factor in some pet deaths.
For years there has been periodic instances where the water has had a strong chlorine smell. I always figure there was a problem with contamination when this happened. |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:52 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Yes Flint has an aging infrastructure. The Williamson administration estimated $50 to $75 million to repair and the cost has greatly increased since then.
While only some federal money can be used to upgrade infrastructure in poorer census blocks, the Emergency managers have one so primarily only in Smith Village. Instead we have build and/or rehabilitated houses with huge subsidies and had trouble selling them. Smith Village did not have o be built at this time, despite what Walling and Eason claimed.
If some frequent trouble areas had been dealt with using available federal monies would our infrastructure problems be increasing? |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:00 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| There were instances in the past when Detroit had serious issues with their water distribution systems. The county built larger water storage tanks and Flint used the Flint River. The pipes from Detroit are aging too! |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:06 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Pundits are stating the water issues will lead to Walling's defeat in the next Mayoral election. That could explain the medias negative response to thoe opposing our current water situation. The media appears to be too invested in downtown.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling: I drink Flint water every day
Mayor Dayne Walling says Flint water is of comparable quality with Lake Huron water from Detroit.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on April 02, 2015 at 12:52 PM, updated April 02, 2015 at 12:55 PM
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling speaks during a news conference at the Flint Water Plant in this Flint Journal file photo.
Flint Journal file photo
FLINT, MI -- Mayor Dayne Walling has said it before, and he's saying it again -- just as residents are receiving notices that Flint remains in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
"(My) family and I drink and use the Flint water everyday, at home, work, and schools," Walling tweeted today, April 2.
Walling has said previously that he drinks Flint water, which has come under scrutiny since the city switched to treating water from the Flint River in April 2014.
Walling said earlier this week that recent tests have shown Flint's water quality is comparable to water from Lake Huron, where Flint used to get its water by way of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.
The most recent testing of Flint water shows it meets all quality and safety standards and has levels of total trihalomethanes (TTHM) that are well below allowable levels.
But the city was required to notify water customers this week -- for the second time in less than a year -- that it is out of compliance with the SDWA because the annual average level of TTHM at one or more test sites was above allowable levels.
Some residents and the majority of the Flint City Council have advocated for the city to end its use of the Flint River as its source of drinking water until the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline is completed.
City officials, including emergency manager Jerry Ambrose, have said Flint water is currently safe and returning to purchasing Lake Huron from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department would habe "extremely negative financial consequences for the city."
Present tense
Mayor Walling says he drinks his water implying the water protestor should shut up and drink theirs.
The bad water as to discoloration, taste, smell and rash causing to children is in areas of the city other than court street. Families on Flint are suffering.
I am glad for Mayor Walling that his family is okay.
It is very dishonest to imply the rest of the city is okay.
It is more than the TTHM level. Just where are the other problems occurring. I would look first to the boil ares.
Walling you cannot explain away the notices.
Walling You cannot minimize the foul smelling rash causing yellow water coming out of some flint faucets . I hold you personally responsible for Flints water problems and am infuriated by you insensitivity!
When she takes office our next Flint Mayor will be more compassionate? By Terry Bankert |
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:12 am |
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