It is clear that Edwards feels that the pipes are better after thorough flushing to clean the pipes out. He said that he is not sure, however, until they do more sampling. Edwards also added that the EPA still advises residents to use bottled water, and that they should know by early August if if the water has improved more. This was the information given forth today by Edwards.
To be honest, the concept of a protective coating forming on leached out, and corroded pipes throughout the entire city after the correct chemicals were added to the water sounds far-fetched. I'm no water expert, but come on. I still say, as do many others, that THE PIPES ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED! It just doesn't seem logical to me that a uniform layer of protective coating can be evenly dispersed throughout the water infrastructure of Flint. I mean I imagine that some lines are more damaged, corroded and leached out than other lines. If one cannot see inside the pipes underneath their homes then how can anyone know for sure.. People will say that is where the water testing comes into play. But, I have read that levels of contamination in service lines may vary from time to time. How are people to really know if their drinking and bathing water is truly safe?
Mayor Weavers Fast Start initiative to replace all service lines has stalled. Please don't tell me that it has to do with saving money. Surely, human lives are more important than money, right? Dear god, I hope so.
As for Marc Edwards, Water Defense and the EPA, it's hard to know who to trust these days in regard to the Flint Water Crisis. For the sake of everyone in Flint, replace the water service lines and put an end to the speculation.
Jeff Brown
Editor/Publisher
Purple Walrus Press
hope so.
Nice article Jeff. I will state that our water (we are city of Flint residents) still smells and tastes very strong of chemicals. The pets won't come near it. My concern is no longer with the lead but with the chemicals used to coat the pipes. What carcinogenics are we subjected to now?
ReplyDeleteI am also a Flint resident. The "chemicals" added to restore the protective biofilm are the same that were used for the entire time, 50+ years, with the Detroit system. They did add additional amounts of the Polyphosphates to speed up the process but have lowered that back down to normal levels. I am trusting that Dr. Edwards and his associates are telling us the truth.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that despite all that the pipes still need to be replaced. I would further state that our entire infrastructure needs to be replaced because the higher corrosive water from the Flint River w/o the proper treatment took an additional 12 years of useful life out of our already 60 - 100+ year old infrastructure. They need to be replaced.
Thanks for sharing this news!
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