The Real Cost of a Water Crisis

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has now reached the attention of President Obama, who’s declared it a federal emergency and will provide up to $5 million for water, filters, and other supplies. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has offered an additional $28 million from the state. But as Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told a gathering of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., this week, that’s “not enough.” As CityLab’s Laura Bliss has reported, it may ultimately be necessary to replace all of Flint’s corrupted water pipes, a process that could cost as much as $1.5 billion.

Weaver took office late last year, well after it became clear that the decision to stop buying water from Detroit and instead draw it from the Flint River was a huge mistake. The situation Weaver inherited has already cost Flint residents countless health problems and possibly as many as ten lost lives. Neither EPA, nor the state, nor the previous mayoral administration can claim clean hands in this travesty.