The Stream, February 25, 2021: Judge Needs More Time To Review Arguments In Flint Water Crisis Case

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• A judge in Flint, Michigan requested more time to understand arguments to throw out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder.
• Climate change is increasing the risk of avalanches in the United States.
• North Carolina issues almost $300 million to water and wastewater projects.
• The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court denies an appeal to a settlement between a local government and a mining company responsible for the Brumadinho dam collapse.

A Memphis utility says customers can expect to be under a boil-water advisory for an unknown amount of time.

“We are continually moving in the right direction. We see our pumping stations getting better every day, we’re still a little in the red, but we’re better.” – Memphis Light, Gas & Water President J.T. Young. The Commercial Appeal reports that MLGW couldn’t say how long customers can expect to remain under a boil-water advisory after cold temperatures and heavy snow hit the Mid-South last week. Several factors are still affecting water system pressure, including customers leaving their faucets running to prevent them from freezing, broken water mains, and frozen reservoirs. Water shutoffs have been suspended until further notice, the company said.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

Michigan Rivers Changing Due to Climate Disruption

Rivers are in much better shape than when rivers such as the Rouge and Cuyahoga caught fire in the 1960s. But, with the growing challenges caused by climate change, people, colleges, governments, and non-profits will have to work together to find solutions. But it won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap.

Climate Change is Affecting The King of Fish You Can Catch in Michigan’s Inland Lakes

Anglers and researchers are noticing a number of changes on inland lakes in the upper Midwest. Sometimes you can’t catch the fish you always found in your favorite lake in the past. Scientists say things have changed and more change is coming. It’s a trend that’s happening across the Great Lakes region.

In Case You Missed It:  

The Future of Lake Superior with Climate Disruption – Climate change is affecting Lake Superior in some volatile ways.

Like Developing Nations, Texas Confronts Lingering Water Crisis – More than 1,100 water suppliers affected, nearly half the state’s residents scavenge for clean water.

Climate Change Is Increasing The Risk of Avalanches

Climate factors like extreme temperature swings, long dry spells, and more intense storms could be exacerbating dangerous conditions that have triggered a number of avalanches this year in the United States, InsideClimate News reports. The number of deaths due to avalanches halfway through the winter is already higher than the annual average and some social psychologists have begun asking whether global warming, on top of the coronavirus pandemic, is contributing to the high death count.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

$282 MILLION

The Center Square reports that the North Carolina State Water Infrastructure Authority has issued $282 million in loans and grants for 94 water and wastewater projects. Over 10 percent of the funding went to Davie County, Brunswick County, and the cities of Lumberton and Goldsboro. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in total, studies have shown that upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure statewide could cost between $17 billion and $26 billion.

In context: North Carolina Panel Designates Financially Distressed Water and Sewer Systems

20,000 PEOPLE

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) denied an appeal from environmental groups and political figures against the settlement signed by the mining company Vale Limited and the government of Minas Gerais for socio-economic and environmental damages caused by the Brumadinho dam collapse in 2019. Mining.com reports that groups argued that the deal excludes 20,000 people who were impacted by the disaster, but the STF minister ruled that they did not present arguments that would require direct action by the Supreme Court.

ON THE RADAR

District Judge William Crawford II said he doesn’t know whether he can make a decision about whether prosecutors filed the case against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in the wrong county. Crawford asked lawyers on both sides of the case to submit more briefs before returning to court next Tuesday and he said he needs more time to research the case, the Associated Press reports. Snyder’s legal team wants two misdemeanor charges against him to be dismissed because he worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, during the time of the Flint water crisis. The Michigan attorney general’s office, which filed the charges, insists that the “indictments are sound.”

Jane Johnston

Jane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was the host of the Community Service Learning Center podcast Be the Change. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jane enjoys listening to music, reading and spending time outdoors.