With Flint, Michigan now over the water crisis that plagued the city, we look back at the origin, some lead pipe history and the reality of the toxic water levels. Dr. Amy Pruden of Virginia Tech and the Flint Water Study gives us insight.

This interview was recorded January 28, 2016

Highlights: 

Highlights of the interview are included for convenient listening.

• Original purpose of the Flint Water Study (1:39)
• Cause of contamination (2:24)
• History and danger of lead pipes (4:16)
• Water issues around the world  (6:59)
• Water level and use (11:02)
• Resolving the water issues (15:42)
• Lead pipes and alternatives (18:41)

Resources: 

• Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know, November 2018, NRDC  https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know
• The Unfinished Business of Flint’s Water Crisis, January 22, 2021, Pro Publica https://www.propublica.org/article/the-unfinished-business-of-flints-water-crisis
• How water crisis in Flint, Mich., became federal state of emergency, January 19, 2016, USA Today