Please use the ‘Comments’ section below to tell us your experiences with drinking water in the City of Flint. If you wish to share images and/or videos, please post them on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or email them to [email protected] and we will publish them on Facebook, Twitter, and this website.
Thanks for sharing!
I have owned my home in the 48503 area in Flint for over ten years. Previous to April 2014, we had no problems with our water and have diligently paid our high water bills averaging $140 a month which covers daily use for only my husband and me. We do not water our lawn or gardens with Flint city water.
We now have brown water flowing from every faucet and into our toilets daily. There is a reddish brown residue left on the shower floor after showers.
We are spending about thirty to forty dollars a month on drinking and cooking water. Both my husband and I work full time and pay property and income taxes to the city of Flint along with our water bills. We do not live off of the government; we are productive and contributing members of society. I cannot fathom why we are being treated as though we are not worthy of clean water and a safe neighborhood. Many people have suggested that we move from Flint but we cannot afford to now that our house has lost 50% of it’s value and we are still paying a mortgage.
This water crisis is not just affecting the poor. It greatly affects hard working responsible people who simply made the mistake in believing that Flint could be a viable place to live. No one could convince me that the crime rate and water problems in our city are not affecting the value of my home and neighborhood.
Is it a fair, temporary solution that I deduct $40 off of my water bill to cover the additional water I need to purchase at the grocery store? If I run my faucets for five minutes before using the water, how much money will be added to my bill to cover the water that is wasted in those five minutes? I work for a living and do not have time to collect and store water in my home from the faucets, so I chose to buy it and in turn have the right to deduct my grocery store purchased water from my bill.
Shame on everyone involved in this fiasco. Between the crime rate and poor water quality, along with what seems to be a dishonest government, I feel as though I am living in a third world county.
I am very scared to take vaths in flint water i am legally blind cant swe the color of water. My grandson age 14 lips are swollen not sure why. I will be taking him back to his Doctor. Ww do not gave shower i have to take baths. Im on a fixed ibcome i am unable to byy water for drinking and water to cook with. And then pay a high water bill i have not paid a water bill in 2 months. Im already behind on my water bill. My water bill was high as 200-400 dollars monthly. I worry daily that water will be cut of. OMG i dont know what to do also i donot gave a water filter. Whats gonna happen to my grandson and i. Will we die from this bad water plz help
How have you been getting by since your last comment? I am a private citizen in Fenton and my family would like to help you on some of these issues. Please reply asap. God Bless. Eric & Becky.
I have some questions about the study and the research done so far.
1. How much lead does the Flint river water contain before entering the Flint water system?
2. How much lead does the Detroit river water contain before it entered the Flint water system?
Those two questions involve baseline controls that are necessary before the amount of lead in Flint residential water can be evaluated.
3. How much lead was in the Flint water system prior to switching from the Detroit River water to Flint River water?
4. Are values of blood lead in Flint residents available prior to the water switch and after?
Answers to the above questions are pivotal to understanding the actual impact of the change in water sources.
I have not been able to find that information on this site or on the internet.
While I do not have answers to exact questions you ask, here is an interesting document I found on line when searching for info about Flint water before connecting to Detroit water in the mid 1960s. In those days there was less testing and there may have been a lead problem then that went unnoticed. The ph noted in this report in 1959 was usually around 7.2. Of course the water in the Flint river could have changed sine the 1950s.
In reply to some of your questions, the lead problem is not the result of lead in the Flint river or Lake Huron but from the corrosiveness of the water, which ate away the protective “scales” that had developed over the lead pipes and solder over the years. The Detroit water already had been treated to deal with corrosive water and thereby not causing lead leaching into the water supply. Flint is did not do this when it started using river water. That’s the heart of the blame game going on now. However, Flint is now adding more of that chemical into the Detroit water now being used by Flint (some form of phosphate) to hopefully speed up the replacement of the protective scales. There is talk that the corrosive river water also damaged the iron water mains, some of which are long overdue for replacement.
Could you please advise Flint residents regarding the safety of bathing/showering with Flint water given the outbreak and recent deaths from Legionaires disease and possible connection to Flint’s water problem? My understanding is Legionaires can be transmitted by inhaling contaminated water mist. I have not heard any advice on this topic. Thank you for all your work. You, Dr. Mona, Lee Ann Walters are all heroes!
Your water test results are truly shocking. However, the most recent report of residential testing provided by the city shows a much different result. Of the 5200 + samples included in this report the total city average for lead over 15ppb is 6.1%, with no zip code in the city exceeding 8%. While there are a few glaring examples of very high lead level homes in the city, only 363 of the total tested are over 15ppb, and if results are taken down to 6ppb are included, the number is 734. There seems to be no significant pattern as to the location of these high results. These figures are never reported in the media. While it is sometimes mentioned that residents get their homes tested, the media does not push that thought.
My own house (built in 1955) tested at 5ppb and I am using no filters or flushing (household of one over age 70 with no infant visitors). Only two houses in my subdivision have tested above 15ppb for lead, one at 543ppb and the other at 88ppb.
The website offering this data is http://michigan.gov/flintwater#HOME, and selecting the Excel format.
I am a resident in Washington state. There are numerous people here that are watching the Flint water debacle very intently.
What I find incredulous is the governor is still in control. How is this possible? Why hasn’t he been removed, as well as every single person from every agency that has been out-right lying or denying that the water had a problem? Had any normal citizen done this – poisoned an entire city, poor or wealthy, they’d be in jail until further notice. So, here we have Snyder supposedly ‘fixing’ the very nightmare he, himself, created. THIS is a slap in the face of every person in the state of Michigan.
The world is watching – yes, intently – on your plight. I wish I could scoop up every child and their parents and bring them to our state. Michigan has done the impossible: Committed mass destruction by poisoning 100K+ people. The destruction of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The destruction of the value of homes. The destruction of trust.
The destruction is epic. It is terrorism, pure and, apparently, simple.
Thanks you so much for your concern. I live in Flint and I applaud VA tech for coming here to help us. This water problem in Flint has been just terrible. When I personally complained to this city about the yellow sediment with black flecks to the city, I was blown off. They sent me around to various offices and never came to my house to see what the problem was. When I called to complain to try to get help, I was transferred to this office and that, and eventually hung up on. I sent water samples to the city for testing and never got results. VA tech called me RIGHT AWAY and gave me my water results, they came to my house and did testing also. Since these water problems I have had pneumonia twice. Moreover, my new water heater is not working right, and I’ve had various plumbing problems. The worst is my iron tub started leaking down to the basement, and I think the water in Flint corroded it. I has touched my heart that so many people from out of state has noticed the plight of the people here. Thank you for caring–Bethany Hazard
I have concerns about William Gun Sight Company, which is located in nearby Davison and operates very close to Kearsley Creek, which I believe flows into the Flint River. The company has operated at its current site for at least 50 years. My guess is that water flowing over thousands, if not millions, of lead bullets hidden in the ground might contribute to the presence of lead in the creek and the Flint River. Thank you.
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Flint Water Study Updates | Up-to-date information on our collaborative research and citizen science work with the residents of Flint, MI in light of reported water quality issues