The industrial town of Flint, Mich., seemingly can’t catch a break. Once a prosperous city dominated by General Motors, it was devastated by the steep decline in automotive assembly-line jobs, even before the Great Recession. That tale of woe was made nationally famous by filmmaker Michael Moore in the documentary Roger and Me.
Recently, Flint has been in the news for another reason: horror stories about its drinking water. Angry residents complain the water is discolored and tastes bad. What’s worse, they pay some of the highest water bills in the nation.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling insists that the city’s water is safe, but concedes that it contains by-products from the chemicals that are used to treat highly polluted water from the Flint River. The city is moving to another provider who will supply better-quality water from Lake Huron. But that will take time, and the system’s pipes are old, rusty, and leaky.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder awarded Flint a $2 million grant to help improve the system. But Mayor Walling estimates that his impoverished city needs $50 million or more to deal with its water crisis. Flint, which recently emerged from emergency management, may never have that kind of money.
Flint may be most important as a canary in the coal mine for other cities in Michigan, Ohio, and other states where infrastructure has been poorly maintained for years. Bay City, Mich., and its surrounding county nearly ran out of water last August, when workers had trouble finding a massive water main leak.
Detroit has been plagued with water main breaks and some pipes that were installed in the 19th century. Toledo has water issues as well, to say the least.
Politicians are notoriously reluctant to spend money on projects that people can’t see, and people who insist that all taxes are bad make matters worse. Mayors seldom run for re-election by posing for pictures with new sewer pipes.
But more than political careers is at stake here. The price of civilization is maintaining and investing in necessary public infrastructure.
The ancient Romans knew that; they built roads and aqueducts at public expense. We forget that truth today at our peril.
First Published February 11, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
