Flint Residents Outraged After Discovering the City is Quietly Seeking Bids from Private Water Companies Think Progress » Flint, Michigan city officials issued a request for proposal (RFP) for a private company to conduct an analysis of the city’s water system and make recommendations for improvements. City residents believe this is an opening for water privatization and have expressed their opposition. Reports by the Food & Water Watch, a consumer watchdog group, found out of the U.S.’s 500 largest water systems, privately run utilities charged 59% more than those under local government control and can result in service declines and local job losses. Michelle2018-02-02T09:20:21-08:00May 2nd, 2016|Flint Water Crisis, Michigan, Privatization, Water|
What’s underground? Michigan, Flint to commission infrastructure study on lead pipes Michigan Live » The State of Michigan will contract with the engineering firm Rowe Professional Services for a study to determine where lead pipes and service lines are located within the city of Flint. Information about the city’s pipe system is stored on 45,000 index cards. Officials estimate there are 5,000 lead service lines; 25,000 non-lead service lines; and 25,000 service lines made of unidentified material. Michelle2018-02-02T09:21:31-08:00February 10th, 2016|Flint Water Crisis, Michigan, Privatization, Water|
Class-action lawsuit seeks $150 million refund for water bills and fixing pipes Michigan Live » More than 30,000 residents of Flint, Michigan have filed a class-action lawsuit against several state and city officials seeking $75 million in refunds for water bills, and $75 million to assist with costs for incidental damage and the replacement of residential lead pipes. The lawsuit claims state and city officials were aware of the water problem, provided bottled water to state employees, and prevented residents from being informed. The State of Michigan and the City of Flint have not yet responded to the allegations. Michelle2018-02-02T09:22:28-08:00February 2nd, 2016|Flint Water Crisis, Michigan, Privatization, Water|
Emergency manager calls City Council’s Flint River vote ‘incomprehensible’ Michigan Live » The Flint City Council voted to approve purchasing water from Detroit instead of continuing to use Flint River as the water source. The city’s Emergency Manager, who was appointed by the Governor, claims it will cost $12 million more per year to make this change, and that water from Detroit is no safer than water from Flint. Residents have complained about the water quality since April 2014, and testing in early 2015 found Flint water to be in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Michelle2018-02-02T09:24:44-08:00March 24th, 2015|Flint Water Crisis, Michigan, Privatization, Water|
See initial water quality report from Flint consultant Veolia North America Michigan Live » The Flint, Michigan City Council hired Veolia North America to test the city’s water system and provide recommendations for improvements. Although the poor water quality violated the Safe Drinking Water Act, the consultants found the water to be safe for consumption. This article provides a slide show of Veolia’s Interim Water Quality Report. Michelle2018-02-02T10:11:02-08:00February 20th, 2015|Flint Water Crisis, Michigan, Privatization, Water|
