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Hard to Swallow: Toxic Water Under a Toxic System in Flint

A growing number of cities in Michigan are finding themselves in one water-related crisis.

In a place that bills itself the Great Lakes State, you’d think people would understand and appreciate the universally critical importance of water.

But the frightening truth is, a growing number of cities around the state are finding themselves in one water-related crisis after another. And perhaps no Michigan city best exemplifies our worsening water woes more than Flint, the once-thriving auto manufacturing town whose emergency manager severed the city’s ties to the Detroit water and sewerage system and ordered that water from the Flint River be pumped into local ‘ homes and businesses.

Since then, water bills have continued to rise. Residents have complained that the water is not only smelly and brown, but has left some residents physically ill. Yet, despite their cries, city leaders insist that everything is alright. For Flint residents, though, those assurances have gone down about as easily as the water they’re being asked to drink.

As our mini-documentary points out, it’s all been “Hard To Swallow.”

To read more about Flint water, go to Democracy Watch.

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