Lead in Flint's water is coming from the homes, not into them

To The Daily Sun,

In response to Ms. Bernadette Loesch's letter about the travesty of justice in Flint, Michigan, I can only respond that this is a hit piece of political inference, not an explanation of a scientific problem.

The issue of the water quality problem in Flint is one of the type of water being delivered, and its characteristics, as it pertains to corrosion. Ms. Loesch makes the whole issue political, because she hates Republicans. Period.

Online research brings up videos on MSNBC that highlight all of the talking points in her letter. No surprise there.

As to the real quality problem. The river water being used on a temporary basis to service Flint is a surface water, that is, "soft" instead of "hard," like groundwater. That means that the water wants to leach out components of materials it is in contact with. In this case, the materials it wants to attach to is the lead-based solder used in residential plumbing joints. Let's be clear about this. The "lead" in the water is not being supplied into the homes. The lead in the water is coming from the home. If the Flint home is less than 20 years old, then most likely, no lead is in the water consumed, because no-lead solder has been the standard for many years.

This is not a new problem. All municipal water systems have done tests for lead in the water consumed by the homeowner for decades now. And, there is a simple solution. Since the lead leaches out into the water during periods of no water flow through the pipes (like overnight stagnation), the simple solution is to flush the pipes with a minute of flow, before you capture the water to drink or cook with. Simple, low cost solution, and advertised by all water companies on their websites, including Flint, Michigan. Google Flint Michigan Water Quality Report, and all the official details are there. It indicates that of 100 samples taken from June to December 2014, none exceeded EPA standards. Just the facts folks. As for the rusty discolored water also shown in photos, that can be collected in each and every municipal town/city at some point. Just photo ops there.

So, instead of blaming the Republican administration of intentionally poisoning their subjects, all the reasonable Flint, Michigan, water customer has to do, is let the water flush out for a minute, before they use it. Simple, low cost and non-partisan.

By the way, I have over two decades of municipal water system operation experience and high levels of certification. Not so much in political hyperbole.

Gene Ronikier

Plymouth