USA - Erin Brockovich says Flint water an example of just how bad it can get

FLINT, MI -- Environmental activist Erin Brockovich says Flint's water shows "Sadly how bad it can get."

In comments on Facebook Wednesday, Sept. 16, Brockovich commented in response to a photo showing a hydrant with brown water flushing from it in the area of Bradley Street and Corunna Road.

Flint Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft said the water discoloration was caused by maintenance work -- the replacement of two valves in the area -- on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The work "required water to be off for a period of time and that is what is generating the dirty water and extensive hydrant flushing," Croft said in an email to The Flint Journal-MLive.

"We are replacing valves that have been identified by our extensive valve exercising that was done over the last four months and many of these have been broken for a while, where a greater amount of sediment has built up," the statement says.

But Brockovich said when hydrant water runs brown for hours, "that's not flushing ... that is the water quality in Flint."

"They can look you straight in the face and say it is safe to drink ... I don't need a lab test to tell me this is a violation ... they still add corrosive/toxic fluoride to the mix ... then dump it into the local rivers and streams," she commented.

"When will they take the free advice we offered over 6 months ago? Why do they feel compelled to continue to poison the community? This highly corrosive water is causing serious (lead) and copper leaching throughout the community and is in complete violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act," Brockovich's comment says.