Flint water crisis
A change of water source without corrosion control caused lead to leach from service lines across Flint, Michigan, exposing a city of around 100,000 people, and was compounded by official denial.
Key facts
- Event type
- Contamination incident
- Started
- 2014-04-25
- Ended
- 2019-12-31
Cause
The switch to Flint River water without orthophosphate corrosion control. The more corrosive water stripped protective scale from lead service lines, releasing lead directly into supply.
Impact
- Widespread elevated lead in tap water, and elevated blood lead in children
- An associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreak with at least 12 deaths
- Complete collapse of public trust in the water supply
Response
Residents’ complaints and independent testing by academic and clinical researchers established the problem while officials continued to state the water met standards.
Aftermath
Drove revision of the US Lead and Copper Rule, national attention to lead service line replacement, and criminal proceedings against officials. The decisive failure was regulatory and institutional, not technical: corrosion control is routine, well understood, and inexpensive.
Relationships
- Located in: United States
Related intelligence
Sources
- Peer-reviewed scientific literature — Open-access hydrology, water chemistry and water use research. Public but restricted · Publisher terms — public access, reuse not clearly granted