#WVBus: Five Years After the Start of the Water Crisis, How Safe Is Flint’s Water?

Many residents of Flint, Michigan still do not drink the water, years after the water crisis there began.
Many residents of Flint, Michigan still do not drink the water, years after the water crisis there began. Ashish Valentine / WBEZ
Many residents of Flint, Michigan still do not drink the water, years after the water crisis there began.
Many residents of Flint, Michigan still do not drink the water, years after the water crisis there began. Ashish Valentine / WBEZ

#WVBus: Five Years After the Start of the Water Crisis, How Safe Is Flint’s Water?

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Worldview is on the road. Today, our show comes to you from Flint, Michigan, where we’re talking to community members and local and national institutions about what water access looks like five years after the beginning of the water crisis.

We spoke with Jeremy Orr, staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who, along with the Concerned Pastors for Social Action and several other plaintiffs, sued the city government of Flint and the state of Michigan for their parts in the decision to reroute Flint’s water supply to the Flint River, which sparked the crisis in the first place. The case was settled in 2017 with the city and state agreeing to a $97 million dollar plan for replacing Flint’s lead and galvanized steel service lines over three years, providing water filters and testing for Flint residents in the meantime.

The Worldview bus tour is visiting communities throughout the Great Lakes region for a week as we celebrate the show’s twenty-fifth year on air. From water insecurity in Flint to indigenous rights in Kalamazoo, we are sharing stories that allow you to experience the world through the communities in your own backyard.