Hydronarratives: The Confluence of Water and Environmental Justice

Introduction to the Flint Water Crisis

In April 2014 the city of Flint, Michigan changed its water supply from the regulated supply from the Detroit Water and Sewer Department to a cheaper but ultimately hazardous supply from the Flint River. Although the change seemed economically prudent at the time, the contaminated Flint River supply exposed the residents to harmful contaminants, including various forms of lead. The effects of that exposure impacted residents of all ages; long-term effects continue to this day. By looking at scientific and journalistic research, we can see racial factors associated with the Flint water crisis, which most readers don’t see; this is important because acknowledging such factors eventually led the Flint municipal government and the Michigan state government to admit that they had committed wrongful acts that jeopardized the health of their citizens. With the national exposure of the Flint crisis, communities across the United States that are vulnerable to infrastructural violence also received attention.

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