In light of thedrinking water supply contamination crisisof April 2014 in Flint, Mich., someone likeErin Brockovichshould rise to bringawareness and justice to the Flint community. The corrosive Flint river water has forced lead from aging pipes to leak into the water supply, causing extremely elevated levels of the heavy metal.On Jan. 5, 2016, the city of Flint was declared to be in astate of emergency by the Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.
Hinkley Water Crisis.
In Erin Brockovich's case, however, the water contamination took place in Hinkley, Calif.
where the water being supplied by the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) was contaminated with the cancer-causing Chromium-6 chemical.According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC), 5,363 water systems in the United States have violated the Lead and Copper Ruleand, just like in the Hinkley water crisis, the authorities had failed to carry out tests on the water supply reaching the community.
Mystic rivers.
It has been claimed further that Flint was not even considered to be among the cities in danger of polluted river water supply. Flint was accused of not treating its drinking water supply when it switched its supply from Huron Lake to theFlint River to prevent lead from leaking from old pipes into the city's drinking water supply sourced from the Flint River.
The drinking water supply from the 'mystic rivers' has caused widespread panic across the United States.
President Obama's visit to Flint.
To give assurance to the Flint community (and the country in general), President Obama made a personal visit to Flint and drank water filtered by the Flint authorities on May 4. The Huffington Post reported that the president called theFlint Water Crisis "Inexplicable and Inexcusable".
He said; "What is inexplicable and inexcusable is once people figured out that there was a problem there, and that there was lead in the water, the notion that immediately families weren't notified, things weren't shut down was inexcusable." That shouldn't happen anywhere.
The real Erin Brockovich.
The real Erin Brockovich'splight for justice was turned into an Academy-Award winning film starring Julia Roberts who won an Oscar for her portrayal of areal-life single mother taking down a powerful corporation like PG&E to help herself as well as the whole community (and America in general).
Erin took down the PG&E corporation after realizing that the water they had been drinking was making people ill, and even the death of one of the former PG&E employee, Charles Embry's, cousin after drinking the poisoned water in the community.
The PG&E files.
Erin Brockovich starts with her own investigation and decides to take the company to court all by herself. In the process, Erin manages to convince Charles Embry of bringing the corporation to its knees and, therefore, Embry gives Erin Brockovich the documents, which include a 1966 memo proving corporate headquarters knew the water was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, did nothing about it, and advised the Hinkley operation to keep this secret.
The judge had ordered PG&E to pay a settlement amount of $333 million to be distributed among the plaintiffs.
The Hollywood treatment.
Erin Brockovich (2000) *****
A must-watch film: not only because it's based on a true story but also to get inspiration and, just like Ms.Brockovich, raise awareness and 'bring down' big federal corporations that fail to check and test their drinking water supply to the community.
