Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Impression Management From The Department Of Environmental Quality In The Flint Water Crisis, Haley E Boles

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The citizens of Flint, Michigan have been at a disadvantage for decades, even before the water crisis. After Flint switched their water source from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to the Flint Water Treatment Plant in April 2014, its citizens began to complain about foul-smelling, discolored, and contaminated water. However, government officials in Flint ignored complaints until Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha revealed an increase in Flint children’s blood-lead levels in September of 2015. After the crisis became public, Governor Rick Snyder released ninety-nine PDF files containing emails from the various government agencies involved, and Flint switched back to the DWSD …