Population Update: Flint Water Crisis

• NPG
• May 10, 2016
• NPG Commentary
• 0 Comments

In recent months, Americans from coast to coast have been watching the tragedy unfold in Flint, Michigan. It has been a story that read like a best-selling fictional drama, with high-ranking city and state officials making nefarious decisions to put citizens’ lives at risk – particularly the elderly and small children – for the sake of saving money.

As NPG reported to you in March, a state-appointed emergency manager decided that – as a cost-saving measure – water from the Flint River would be used as tap water for almost 18 months. However, when the River water wasn’t treated to stop corrosion, the city’s aging pipes began to seep toxic lead into local homes and businesses.

Now, it has become a criminal case – with several state and city officials being “charged with official misconduct, evidence-tampering and other offenses.” This is good news, of course. But you may be wondering – why is NPG interested in what’s happening in Flint?

Because there are direct links between U.S. population growth, our decaying infrastructure, and the deteriorating quality – and availability – of America’s fresh water supplies.

In Flint, the tap water crisis was brought about when the city needed to install new water pipes – a necessity due to aging infrastructure and the growing demands of its population. However, in August 2014 NPG reported to you about the toxic tap water in Toledo, Ohio – which resulted in a “tap water ban” that impacted 400,000 citizens. (This crisis was also a direct result of population growth – in this case, it was linked to agricultural runoff due to overdevelopment in the area.)

In 2012, the NPG Forum paper The Southwest: Ground-Zero for Global Warming explored how climate change and a growing population will spell deadly drought and dangerous water shortages for the American southwest. And just last year, our Forum paper Dying of Thirst: Population Growth, Climate Change Aggravate Water Shortages demonstrated that our nation has some serious water woes ahead as we continue to grow – and place more strain on limited water resources.

The facts are very simple: America simply has a larger population than our natural resources and infrastructure can support. U.S. population currently stands at 323 million people – and we are growing by an average of 1 person every 13 seconds. At this rate, the U.S. is projected to add another 77 million people and reach 400 million by 2051.

To help spread this critical message, NPG has maintained a wide variety of powerful programs, including: publications, national Press Releases and advertisements, annual Scholarship Contests, and NPG Teacher’s Packets. And as the November elections rapidly approach, we are hard at work with NPG’s Educate the Candidates Campaign – reaching out to every single candidate for President to provide them with the real facts about population growth in the U.S.

But it is only with the help of dedicated NPG supporters like you that we are able to continue these critical programs. Your loyal commitment to our cause enables us to get our message out to more Americans than ever before. Thank you, as always, for standing beside us in the fight for America’s future.