Pima County Regional Flood District Monthly Brown Bag Series
Speaker: Sarah Randall, M.S. candidate — Water, Society and Policy, UA; graduate intern, Community Water Coalition of Southern Arizona
Date / Time: Wednesday, September 12, 12–1 PM
Location: 201 North Stone Ave, 9th Floor
The Flint water crisis was a devastating event that resulted in the exposure of lead to an estimated 12,000 children, and the deaths of at least 12 people. On April 25, 2014, Flint, Michigan, changed water sources without implementing the proper chemical treatments for the Flint River-sourced water. This water corroded the aging pipelines throughout the city, which then exposed lead pipes to the city’s water. Discoloration, odors, TTHMs, and coliform bacteria were the first warning signs of a health and safety threat, but lead contamination caused the switch away from Flint River water on October 16, 2015. As a Michigan resident and an undergraduate student at Michigan State University from 2012–2016, Sarah Randall offers her personal narrative of the events surrounding the Flint water crisis. From her experience at the University and her employment for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ms. Randall will present her perspective on the issues of transparency and trust between the public and the State of Michigan, and how the Michigan government failed to provide emergency management to the people of Flint.