Student Journalists: Arianne B.
Grade: 5th Grade
School: Seminole Elementary in Miami, Florida
Editor: Milton Fernandez, 5th Grade Teacher

In April 2014, people in Flint, Michigan were drinking contaminated water. The government decided to change the water source from the Detroit river to the Flint river to save money. During the summer of 2014, people in Flint started getting headaches, rashes and they said the water smelled and tasted unnatural. Zaricka Reeves said to The New York Times: Upfront that “It tastes funny, and stains the tub.” Residents also lost clumps of hair in the shower. At that was the beginning of the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis.

            You could probably be saying “What is causing this problem? The Flint River had lead in it. Led can lead to brain damage which messes up your brain and has no cure. In the Science World Scholastic website, the author states “Children with too much lead in their blood can experience long-term health issues, including behavior and learning problems, developmental delays, slowed growth, hearing problems, irritability, fatigue, vomiting, and stomach pain.”

            However, on October 16 of 2016, the government changed the water source back to the previous one, thankfully. But, the pipes still have lead in them, no matter the water source. All those people who have been affected by the water still have brain damage. At the time, Obama provided $80 million to help victims of the water crisis. Many citizens of Flint are still refusing to drink water from their homes. As Hunter, a lifelong Flint resident said to the CNN “A lot of people are buying bottled water, I don’t trust it.”