Comparison of Detroit and Flint's water

Water found with heavy amounts of lead

The city of Flint, Michigan planned to switch their water source to Lake Huron.However due to problem with the Detroit Water and Seweage Department (DWSD), they rejected the idea and, instead, decided to treat the water from the Flint River. After the switch to the Flint River, city residents complained about the color, taste, and odor of the water which prompted inspection by Flint officials. The inspection led to the discovery of the problem of aging pipes which contained high levels of lead and bacteria due to chloride concentration. Flint voted to switch back to the Detroit water system in March 2015. The bacteria and lead caused children to have higher blood-lead levels and possibility of cancer or other diseases. In effort to solve the problem, residents used safe water and bottled water from providers, staying away from the polluted water and the city began constructing a new pipeline while using Detroit water.

A man opens a fire hydrant to discover lead water

A crane is pulled out of oil.

Fireboats putting out the fire on the oil rig

An high-pressure methane gas explosion on oil rig caused approximately 210 US gallons of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill spread to nearby wetlands and beaches which ended up devastating animal habitats and the environment. It affected 8,332 species of marine animals, birds, mollusks, crustaceans, sea turtles, and polychaetes. Fish became mutated with oozing sores and lesions. Shrimps were found lacking eyes or eye sockets. Marine death rates went up with incidents of dead marine animals washing up upon the shores. In efforts to contain the spill, BP ( the oil company) and oil cleanup crews used combustion(the burning of oil slicks before they reach the shores), skimmers(boats designed to pick up oil with collection booms), and booms(floating, physical barriers to oil, made of plastic, metal, or other materials).

A skimmer collecting oil out of the ocean

A cluster of garbage

Map of two garbage patches

Garbage has collected up in large clumps in the ocean and due to the currents and jet streams of the ocean. Currently there are 5 large “islands” of garbage located around the world. The largest known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the middle of the Pacific and measures about 1.6 million square kilometers. It is described as floating debris twice the size of Texas. The debris originates from the various countries around the Pacific, mainly China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Plastic can disintegrates into microplastics which are small enough for animals to ingest. The plastics will enter and effect the entire food chain since fish can be eaten by humans. The toxins on the plastics can disrupt the hormone levels in affected animals. Plastics can cause death through ingestions or trapping animals in them. Floating plastic in the ocean can drift to other regions in the world, allowing invasive species to spread. The size of the garbage is too large to clean up entirely, but cleanup crews have been on expeditions to try to clean up the patch.

Turtle eating a plastic bag

Site of Contamination

Before and After

Because of the carelessness from workers of Environmental Restoration LLC, the plug carrying waste mine water in the Gold King Mine broke and 3 million gallons of its contents spilled into Cement Creek which was also connected to the Animas River. The waste mine water contained heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic. The previously clear water has turned mustard-yellow due to the oxidation of iron and has become contaminated. The Animas River was closed and county officials warned residents to avoid contact with the river. It affected the daily lives of residents living nearby because they couldn’t drink or bathe in it. The waste water traveled downstream into various areas until diluting to a point where there were no danger in the usage of the water.

A Contaminated Stream