About two years ago, Flint switched their water source over to the Flint River in an effort to improve their financial circumstances. Recently, the townspeople have found out that the water they were using for everyday purposes was heavily contaminated with lead and iron. Throughout the past year, the increasing lead contamination has called for help in dealing with this problem that places the health and lives of Flint residents at risk. Residents of this town have used water bottles as a replacement water source in order to help them avoid further contamination as it may lead to serious health issues such as brain damage and fatal illnesses.
However, this discovery was pushed aside by the Department of Environmental Quality who stated that the problems were not serious. In an effort to help its people without the help of the DEQ, The State tried to move to Lake Huron but this effort was futile as all the pipes were damaged and contaminated by the high levels of lead, showing the world that this issue was irreversible and Flint, Michigan is in dire need of help. Despite the crucial health and environmental impact lead poisoning has, the people of Flint, Michigan are forced to continue living under these conditions until the issue is solved (estimated to take at least 15 years and may cost more than 460 million dollars). The victims of this unfortunate incident are stuck to deal it and provide for themselves while the government avoids its responsibility to care and help its people.