Learning from the Flint Water Crisis
In January of 2016 Flint, Michigan made national and international headlines when it was revealed that thousands of the city’s residents – up to 40% of Flint homes – had been exposed to toxic levels of lead in their drinking water.
For scholars and policymakers, Flint’s water crisis highlights the need for a better understanding of the stresses on water management in postindustrial cities and the extent to which Flint’s experience should be seen as a warning for others in the region and beyond.
Flint’s Lessons
Our work on this topic has resulted in a paper published in Perspectives on Politics that synthesizes the policy lessons from the Flint water crisis, and particularly the role that the Safe Drinking Water Act and Michigan’s PA 436 played in the city’s experience. We also show that responses to the Flint water crisis have largely failed to address the systemic issues behind the city’s experience, instead focusing on technical fixes. The Flint water crisis shows us that access to safe and affordable drinking water is more than a technical challenge, it requires policy that invests in and supports both infrastructure and the communities that depend on it.
The Role of Municipal Takeovers
We are also evaluating the implementation of Michigan’s Public Act 436, or “Emergency Manager Law.” Our work shows that common measures of financial distress, including those outlined in PA 436, are not good predictors of state takeover under this law. We also find that communities that have been taken over by the state are much more likely to experiences changes to their drinking water system: increased rates, privatization, and water shutoffs. State support is critical to local financial health; policies must support financial health while maintaining equitable service delivery and democratic accountability. Find our final paper here.
Resources for Teaching
We have incorporated these insights into a virtual learning module hosted by Michigan Sustainability Cases. The case poses the question: “Could the Flint water crisis happen somewhere else?” and guides students through a multidimensional analysis of the events in Flint. The module is freely available to educators and stakeholders:
Read our policy recommendation: “Fund Drinking Water Infrastructure to Reduce COVID-19 Disparities”