Article

2016-01-22 Government

See ya, Suz: Regional EPA Chief down the Flint River w/o paddle

[Mail] A regional director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has resigned in connection with the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Susan Hedman, the head of the agency's regional office in Chicago whose jurisdiction includes the state, will step down on February 1 so the government can focus solely on the crisis in the city.

An Obama-appointed official resigned? Wow, must be really bad...

High levels of lead have been detected in the impoverished city's water since officials switched from the Detroit municipal system and began drawing from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in April 2014.

Some children's blood has tested positive for lead, a potent neurotoxin linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems.

Posted by Besoeker 2016-01-22 08:41|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 WC Fields was right - don't drink water.

Posted by Glenmore 2016-01-22 08:55|| 2016-01-22 08:55|| Front Page Top

#2 High levels of lead have been detected in the impoverished city's water since officials switched from the Detroit municipal system and began drawing from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in April 2014.

That would be -
Donk city officials
who were seeking 'cost-saving' measures to cover
union 'negotiated' wages and pensions.

Remember - it's for the children.

Of course the desperate guilty parties want to blame the Trunk governor.

Posted by Procopius2k 2016-01-22 09:02|| 2016-01-22 09:02|| Front Page Top

#3 You know why Fields said don't drink the water? "Because fish f*ck in it..."

Posted by M. Murcek 2016-01-22 09:10|| 2016-01-22 09:10|| Front Page Top

#4 She refused to issue the report on contaminated water until negotiations on what to do about it were finished. This was last April. The govourner wasn't informed until late September so, since he's a Republican and the mayors of Flint and Detroit as well as the EPA official are Democrats, blame the Republican.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2016-01-22 10:43|| 2016-01-22 10:43|| Front Page Top

#5 At the risk of going full sci-nerd, the lead is not in the river water. The river water has high levels of chloride which leaches lead from Flint's ancient plumbing (most of which is residential, I'd wager).

Proper water treatment removes the chloride. The Detroit water system does this, for example.

Flint itself is a classic Michigan third world city. The State appointed the first emergency city manager to help the city get it's act together back around 2002

Posted by SteveS 2016-01-22 11:44|| 2016-01-22 11:44|| Front Page Top

#6 linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems.

Much like Islam which, I believe, is also very common in Flint.

"Because fish f*ck in it..."

Technically I don't think fish f*ck at all. The female lays the eggs and the male spooches all over them to fertilize them. Probably not that much fun for either one.
Of course you do have all that excess Spooch in the water... Drink Up!

Posted by CrazyFool 2016-01-22 12:22|| 2016-01-22 12:22|| Front Page Top

#7 WC Fields was right - don't drink water.

Yes. But if they have breweries or distilleries in Flint that could be a problem.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2016-01-22 12:32|| 2016-01-22 12:32|| Front Page Top

#8 What #2 P2k said.

Posted by Barbara 2016-01-22 14:01|| 2016-01-22 14:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Where would we be without this crap government creating crises everywhere?

Posted by newc 2016-01-22 15:15|| 2016-01-22 15:15|| Front Page Top

#10 The #FlintWaterCrisis has captured the nation’s attention: many pundits have seized upon the fact Michigan is governed by a Republican, Rick Snyder, and have thus spun the disaster as one primarily caused by conservative indifference to poor black people. During last Sunday’s Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton explicitly blamed the crisis on Snyder’s leadership. . . .

She reiterated this stance during an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who holds the same view. Michael Moore, who hails from Flint, all but accused Snyder of pouring lead in the water supply himself. Elsewhere at Salon, writer Elias Isquith blamed “austerity,” since the root of the problem was the decision to seek a more efficient, cheaper water supply. That decision was not made by Snyder, nor was it made by his emergency financial manager, a Democrat. In fact, Flint’s own city council and mayor approved the idea. State treasurer Andy Dillon—also a Democrat—signed off on it.

In hindsight, the execution of the decision to seek a new water supply was a disaster of epic proportions. But it is one entirely caused by government actors—most of them local government actors—and ignored by regulators until it was too late. The people who have thus far done too little to fix the crisis are also government actors—at the local, state, and even federal levels. Flint is mostly a failure of governance, not a failure of markets.

At the same time, let’s not forget the reason why local authorities felt the need to find a cheaper water source: Flint is broke and its desperately poor citizens can’t afford higher taxes to pay the pensions of city government retirees. As recently as 2011, it would have cost every person in Flint $10,000 each to cover the unfunded legacy costs of the city’s public employees.

The #FlintWaterCrisis is not a blueprint for what would happen if libertarians abolished government and let poor people drink poisoned water, as some enemies of free markets are no doubt claiming. Instead, it’s a great example of government failing to efficiently provide even the most basic of public services due to a characteristically toxic combination of administrative bloat and financial mismanagement.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2016-01-22 16:14|| 2016-01-22 16:14|| Front Page Top

#11 Need an Alaska Paul comment.

Posted by Shipman 2016-01-22 17:25|| 2016-01-22 17:25|| Front Page Top

#12 You may seeze me, but I'ze here.....

Lead and copper are part of the EPA's list of primary contaminants. If water is acidic, it can leach out copper from pipes in homes, and lead from the old 50%lead/50%tin solder joints in copper tubing in residences. This type of solder was outlawed in 1986. Water can be made more alkaline by adding chemicals like soda ash. So there are ways to mitigate lead and copper in domestic water by slightly changing its chemistry.

So the problem is due to old solder joints and lack of lead and copper control water treatment, which goes back to a bankrupt city that does not meet its basic responsibilities.

Detroit municipal water was not such a bad bargain. And the responsibility was on Detroit to do the proper testing at their treatment plants. Flint just had to do some quality control monitoring. Idiots. It is Flint's problem, not the Michigan governor's.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2016-01-22 19:34|| 2016-01-22 19:34|| Front Page Top

#13 Yep. "Municipal Water Supply"

Posted by Frank G 2016-01-22 21:17|| 2016-01-22 21:17|| Front Page Top

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