Flint, MI (and other cities) Lead Water Problem

My hometown isn't too far from Flint, but it is white and all middle class. But, I am not too happy about what has happened there. And it isn't just the Governor or the emergency manager to blame. I would say that the people who polluted the water in the first place are to blame. And the EPA or health agencies for not warning home owners that they had lead pipes. The real estate agents and the city for not having the records of which homes have lead pipes. And the media for not covering it until now, and still not explaining what happened and what needs to be fixed. And where is the plan to fix it? Yes, some things can't be fixed like the health of the kids without extra help. But, if they have a dollar figure in mind, they must know what it takes to do the job.

But, do they just want money to create jobs to fix the problem, or do they want a bunch of volunteers and homeowners digging up their own yards to replace the pipes quickly and for less money? I'm not sure what the answer is. How many other cities have similar problems with lead pipes? And why is it safe to drink some chemical in the water that prevents lead from ending up in the water? How much of the city infrastructure is lead pipe and not concrete or PVC? How much lead pipe is on the inside of people's homes?

How many of you would be calling the "Call Before You Dig 811" number and digging down to the pipe yourself as soon as the ground was unfrozen?

(I'm not sure if this should get posted in General Discussions or Life, but it is now Political since CNN just had a debate there. I was in Flint last December to watch the new Star Wars movie on the IMAX screen there, and it isn't all bad. I will be back at the end of the month and can see first hand what is going on there.)

 

Here is a video about the history of the problem and the political decisions that created the problem. Although it doesn't get into who put in the lead pipes in the first place, why they haven't been removed, and why the Flint river would corrode metal.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ULFSaMooA


Michigan voted Tuesday, and Genesee County (where Flint is) had these results:
Clinton: 31,284
Sanders: 28,117
Trump: 16,756
Cruz: 9,824
Kasich: 7,730
Rubio: 3,630

Now, I'm not sure how 9,824 people living there voted for a guy who is in the same camp as the representative who is blocking federal funding for this disaster as part of the anti-government Tea Party caucus. But at least Cruz isn't blocking the bill anymore.

Flint Water Crisis: Utah Senator Blocks Federal Aid