Mindful of Flint

The other night, I pulled up the “NOVA” episode about the Flint, Michigan, water tragedy. It was well-documented and presented all the issues faced by the residents. It also chronicled the lengthy fight between the officials who constantly dismissed the conclusions and reports about water quality. Years later, when all excuses were gone, the city finally admitted it made a mistake and there were problems with water purity. The program also flashed back to the Washington, D.C., issue, where drinking water was unsafe for consumption. Different circumstances but the same result. Children and adults are left with dealing with myriad health issues, which are also dismissed by those responsible.

Toward the end of the program, a map of the U.S. was displayed with multiple points of possible contamination. There were too many sites shown and I was astounded by the number. It didn’t seem possible that all these people would not have access to clean drinking water in America. It was then I thought about Airway Heights and wondered whether they too would have lasting problems by the consumption of contaminated water.

Joan DeGroot

Spokane Valley