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Flint Water Crisis

Feb 12, 2016

Living in a developed country, we rarely, if ever, think about what comes out of the tap when we turn it on. Like most modern conveniences, we assume that our water will always be healthy and clean, but for residents in Flint, Michigan, it’s a different story.

In case you haven’t heard about the water crisis in Flint, here’s the issue in a nutshell:

  • A cost-cutting decision in April led to state-appointed administrators to use locally treated water from the Flint River instead of drinking water from Lake Huron.
  • The corrosive river water eventually started to leach iron and lead from pipes in the city and residents’ homes, which lead to a spike in lead poisoning among children and other health issues.

With everything that’s happening in Flint, the question of the hour is, “What’s City Utilities doing to keep the same thing from happening in Springfield?” As with everything we do for the community, we are committed to delivering the best we can for our community and that includes your drinking water.

A recent article from the Springfield News-Leader summarizes our dedication well:

“’We collect about 8,000 to 10,000 samples a year, from source to tap,” said Todd Brewer, manager of CU’s water quality labs. Results from those tests are funneled into a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week monitoring system that allows the 100-odd staff in the utility’s water division to ensure the water flowing from local treatment plants into customers’ homes is of consistently high quality.”

The first step in ensuring clean water for Springfield is prevention. We start the testing and treatment process long before the water makes it to the plants. The sources of water are protected from pollution through partnerships with local organizations; we’re protecting both our sources of water and the environment for the betterment of the future.

Water testing continues at all steps in the flow of water from the source to your home. Samples are collected daily from various sites including source water, treatment center water and water directly from your home.