Risky Waters
Water seeks connections. Over this last week we were reminded of the essential role of safe, clean, affordable water for human life. While Donald Trump drew attention to his destruction and destabilization of international relationships, his new hometown was suffering from a water crisis. Tens of thousands of people in Washington D.C. were warned not to drink their water. For over a week, a temporary drop in water pressure due to an infrastructure failure resulted in a boil water advisory to much of the city. When water pressure drops, the possibility of toxins entering the water system soars.
The advisory in D.C. was poorly handled and many residents are concerned that children and elders were exposed to contamination long before anyone received word of the problem. The sheer dimensions of the contamination made it difficult for officials to contact people in a timely way.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, people on the East Side once again faced massive flooding from failures in the water infrastructure. People throughout the northeast section of the city reported street closures due to flooding and basements with 4 to 5 feet of water in them. At a time of year when temperatures soar, people will now have to cope with standing, stagnant waters that breed disease.
Water not flowing in D.C. or flooding in Detroit are two sides of the same massive problem. Both put people at risk. Both demonstrate the lack of thoughtfulness in addressing how we as a people will protect one another and the waters that are essential to sustain life.
These problems of infrastructure are compounded in Detroit by the resumption of intensive water shut-offs. After a brief suspension during the July 4th holiday when temperatures climbed above 90 degrees, water shut-offs are back.
These shut-offs put everyone at risk. As in D.C., many neighborhoods face decreased pressure on their lines, accelerating the possibility of toxins entering the system for those where water flows. At the same time, water shut-offs make basic sanitation more and more difficult. Nearly 20 thousand households, more than 50,000 people, are at risk of losing water. Homrich Wrecking continues to drive through the city, turning off life-giving water, earning its $7.8 million dollar contract. We spend nearly 3 times as much to turn people off than to keep people on.
Recent studies are now helping us see just how much this foolish policy puts all of us at risk. The Peoples Water Board recently released a study by George Gains, former director of public health in Detroit, documenting the increase in infectious diseases most commonly associated with unsanitary conditions created by lack of access to clean water.
Gains looks at public health data as well as the recent study by Henry Ford Hospital and notes that from 2012 to 2015 “GI outbreaks annually averaged 10.2.” As water shut-offs accelerated, “2016 had 45 and 2017 had 87 outbreaks.”
He concluded, “Water shut-off city policy is ultimately setting up for compromised sanitation that feeds the disease agents.” His recommendation is straightforward “Stop the Water Shutoffs.”
Stopping the water shut-offs is an essential first step. But the reality of providing clean, safe, affordable water to all people requires much more substantial changes in how we understand our responsibilities to each other and the waters upon which we all depend.