What's In The Water? - a photo on Flickriver

            Sometimes it’s lead… 

I wasn’t planning this image when I took a few photos of a dripping water faucet. But when I began playing around with the images, combining several using Photoshop layering, then experimenting further with various filters, I ended up with the image of the faucet and the black-edged water droplets that you see here.

It made me think about what happened in Flint, Michigan, USA. The city of about 100,000 was thrust into the national spotlight in early 2016 when a state of emergency was declared due to unsafe levels of lead in the local water supply. Later reports also linked the water to a higher than normal incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in the community. So I combined the faucet image with a photo of the Flint Water Plant and used an appropriate textural background to illustrate the problem. And because August is National Water Quality Month, now seems like an appropriate time to post it.

The Flint water crisis began after the city, under state emergency management, switched to a new source of water in 2014 as a way to save money. The new water was more corrosive than the previous water source, causing the lead in the city’s aging water pipes to leach into the city water supply. Despite resident complaints about discolored and foul tasting water, officials denied that there was something wrong with the water until the fall of 2015. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin that can be particularly harmful to the developing brains of  young children, and its effects are irreversible. 

Today, Flint may have dropped out of the national headlines, but the water crisis is far from over. Though the city has switched back to its original water source and remedial efforts by the state and city are underway, the question of whether Flint water is yet safe to drink seems a matter of conjecture, with conflicting reports in the press. Lawsuits have been filed, and some current and former state and city officials are facing criminal charges. Residents have been provided with water filters for use in their homes, as well as bottled water, but a city and state program to replace the city’s lead pipes could take years to complete.

Sorry for the long narrative, folks, but I thought the image needed a bit of explanation for those who may not have heard of the sad and disturbing situation in Flint. 

HSS

Taken in: United States / Michigan / Flint (show map)

Taken on: March 12, 2017

Tags:

Flint

HSS

Michigan

Sliders Sunday

Tokina 100mm f2.8 AT-X Pro D

composites

digital art

drips

droplets

drops

faucets

fixtures

lead

power poles

water plants

water towers

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Groups appears in: • FlickrCentral • FlickrToday (only 1 pic per day) more » • textures and patterns • Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro • Art Meets Photography • Post Processing Addicts • ***Flickr Global • artland • Sliders Sunday -- Post Processed To The MAX! • ` FLICKR ´ • Pixielated Pixels Creative World Gallery • flickr (unofficial) • The Blind Pig Speakeasy • Artist.Com • NikonD750 • NIKON D750/D780 CLUB • D750 nikon • Art Dreamed ¤ No Second Life Images • Today's Flickr • 60+ photographers « less

Camera: Nikon D750, f/22.0, 1/60 sec, 100mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	Tokina AT-X M100 PRO D 100mm F2.8 MACRO
Aperture:	f/22.0
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	100mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	On, Return not detected
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.12 (Macintosh)
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