On Thursday, the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions hosted a panel discussion on the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan and how it relates to Indiana.
The discussion featured three professors, including an aquatic ecologist and an urban historian.
The panel centered around the issues that led to the Flint water crisis, and how to prevent a similar situation from occurring in cities in Indiana.
Recently, water in Greentown was found to contain up to 22 parts per billion of lead, greater than the Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 parts per billion.
Indiana has consistently ranked among the top five states for pollution emissions. This has some experts worried about long term effects to the state's water supply.
"What we have in Indiana are the coal industry and its contribution to air quality, plus our industrial agriculture," says Joe Varga, Professor of Labor Studies and Urban Historian. "If there was the political will, we would be able to move on these issues. I think we're in long term jeopardy if we don't do something about it."
The panelists said that the Flint crisis is unlikely to occur in Bloomington, due to a variety of factors.
"[Bloomington] is continually monitoring the water and then putting together the cost figures associated with advancing the technologies, expanding the capacity, and presenting that to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for adjustments to the rate," says Jeff White, Professor and Director of the Integrated Program in the Environment for Indiana University Bloomington. "A lot of those things were failing in Flint."
It was suggested, however, that economically struggling cities in the state could be susceptible to water issues.
"[The Flint water crisis] would never happen to a place like Bloomington," says Varga. "Gary would be an example of a place that has been subject to the types of industrialization that would be in Flint."
