I heard this audio session on NPR today, and I was amazed at how the article was able to ignore or distort relevant facts surrounding the Flint water crisis. For instance, from the accompanying author interview article highlights:
1) The crisis was brought about by Flint city managers, whose inability to contain costs and balance the city budget led to near insolvency and resulted in the appointment of an emergency manager.
2) The highlights completely ignored the fact that Flint planned to build a new pipeline to Lake Huron for their water supply (and not use Flint River water) via the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA).
3) That the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) cancelled Flint’s water contract with one years notice (as was required under the contract) upon learning of Flint’s plan to change water sources and subsequent unsuccessful negotiation with Flint to retain their business. Some saw this one year termination notice as a retaliatory action by DWSD against Flint, as it was well known that it would take 2.5 years to complete the pipeline to Lake Huron. The DWSD contract termination left the city with little choice but to tap the Flint River temporarily.
So let’s see if I’ve got this right: A Democrat-controlled city failed to balance it’s budget, leading to an emergency manager looking for ways to cut costs. They found a way to cut water costs, but a vindictive Democrat-controlled Detroit water utility forced Flint to use Flint River water until the new water pipeline was ready. And now it’s all the fault of the Republican Governor for appointing the emergency manager??
Why is no one attacking the DWSD for cancelling their contract with Flint? If Flint’s water contract with DWSD had been allowed to continue until the new pipeline had been built none of this would have happened and Flint would now be enjoying less expensive water from their new Lake Huron source.
I think the following quote from a Michigan Radio article says a lot:
“A spokesman says the Detroit water department will have to look at its options to try and recoup investments made to Flint’s water system.”
Seems like fighting words to me….