Back in January of this year, news sources exploded with the intensely devastating and important Flint water crisis. For two weeks, writers, politicians, and civilians argued across party lines about the faults and failures leading to the lead contamination of Flint, Michigan's water supply. The issue was explosive, and rightfully so.

However, ongoing news about the crisis has quieted to nearly inaudible levels in recent weeks. Perhaps it's coverage of the primary elections or the collective short attention span of Internet news users, but Flint and its pressing need for remedial attention has slipped below the surface. Here's what's been going on in recent weeks.

Water Quality

While many faucets in the city have been supplied with water-filtration systems, improving the quality of the water that passes through them, the comprehensive threat of lead-lined pipes all throughout the city remains unabated. The situation with these filters and what they do and do not remove from water sources has been marked "unstable" by the EPA.

To account for discrepancies like this, churches and food banks are still distributing huge amounts of bottled water. One church reported receiving 21 pallets of water per week to donate to residents in need, as of April 8th. The issue has, as a whole, been addressed as beyond a fixable size, given the size of the city and how many pipes risk contaminating its water supply.

Governor Snyder

Michigan governor Rick Snyder underwent a court hearing on March 17th, but since then, the punishment that many of his constituents have demanded has gone unanswered--and the seemingly general consensus reported by many news sources that Snyder and his staff were at fault has little pull beyond its shock value.

So despite his well-documented fault at managing the water sources and systems of Flint, Governor Snyder appears to be getting off rather easily. Given the recent silence surround the issue, it's unlikely (and unfortunately so) that this will change anytime soon.

What's Next?

It's important to remember that, no matter who you are, the Flint water crisis is an ongoing tragedy worthy of everyone's attention. Remaining aware of Flint's victimization by the Michigan governor's administration is the first step in rectifying it. As citizens, we cannot allow this crisis to go unheard, even as progress begins to stagnate.