Gore: Additives protect local water from lead contamination.
For several decades, at a recent increased cost of $315 per household annually, Flint had purchased Lake Huron water that was treated and supplied from Detroit, 70 miles from Flint.
Flint had built a water treatment plant years ago to allow use of water from the nearby Flint River should flow from Detroit be accidentally stopped.
Then, in 2014, with completion of the Huron pipeline just two years away, Flint began using water from the Flint River.
Flint had not previously used the Flint River as a permanent source of water because it contained high levels of “livestock country” fecal bacteria and required treatment with chlorine.
Sadly, even if Flint had waited until the Lake Huron pipeline had been completed, the lead poisoning issue would have occurred.
The Aqua Illinois CEO had indicated that it is commonplace that water suppliers add a chemical to raw water (orthophosphates) that reacts with lead and steel to continuously form a protective barrier between the water and the pipe.
As a result, lead poisoning from lead pipe is virtually unknown.
The protective orthophosphate barrier that had previously formed from the prior use of Detroit water then eroded allowing lead to dissolve into the tap water.
This procedure caused the lead concentrations to be less than one might obtain when drawing a single glass of water, increased the potential for harm and further delayed resolution of the issue.