The recent major water crisis at Flint in the state of Michigan had affected the indoor plumbing of its residents. It all began when Flint changed its water source to the Flint River; the drinking water pouring into the homes of the residents had high levels of lead contamination. The water from Flint River was corrosive in nature and prompted the lead from old pipes to leak into the water supply. The pipelines in Flint were installed in the early 1900s. The cast iron water mains had service lines leading to the resident’s homes. These service lines were made of lead at that time, due to its low cost as well as its high malleability.
This presented the public with a serious range of health problems when the water source was changed to the Flint River. The Flint River did not have corrosion inhibitors applied to it, leading to lead contamination. The blood lead levels in the children of Flint had risen to 5% by 2015 due to the leaking of lead into the drinking water.
In midst of this, the Governor issued a public apology as well as a promise to fix the problem immediately.
The Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) members took matters into their own hands and started installing recently donated plumbing items and faucets in the citizens’ homes. The PMI members also installed the Brita water filters donated by the state government in houses and buildings in Flint. The 300 PMI members who participated in this humanity drive belong to the local union from all across the country, even from Canada.
The residents were overwhelmed with the goodwill gesture of the American public. The donated plumbing supplies came from all over the country and the services of the PMI members worked as a salve against the water troubles the residents have been enduring through.