The Flint Water Crisis: A Narrative with Administrative Recommendations*

Abstract

The Flint Water Crisis is a true governmental failure, defined by environmental safeguards left ignored and systemic breakdowns at all levels of regulatory intervention. Though the water itself is certainly the catalyst of this disaster the current state of Flint, Michigan also highlights many of the serious challenges facing American cities today. The story of Flint illuminates the tenuous state of urban infrastructure in America, the financial stress of city management, and the sociocultural and economic hardships of urban minorities (predominantly African Americans). The water crisis in Flint serves as a bleak but worthwhile case study of how urban decay, coupled with racial disenfranchisement, can often result in toxic hopelessness.

            In order to address the layers of failure brought forward by the Flint Water Crisis, this assignment proposes several administrative recommendations which would potentially remedy the current state of government affairs. On the local government level, an open government approach should be taken with regard to matters of environmental protection and public health, community building initiatives must be fostered and funded, and elected officials need to reflect the communities they represent. On the state government level, increased interagency cooperation and greater clarity of institutional role would allow for more effective communication with the general public during times of crisis. Lastly, the federal level of government would be well served by committing to a regulatory overhaul of the Environmental Protection Agency, which fails to function properly as currently constituted.

Key words: Flint, water, crisis, administrative, EPA, recommendations