Analytical Support for the Drinking Water Emergency in Flint, Michigan
Analytical Support for the Drinking Water Emergency in Flint, Michigan
Helping 100,000 Residents Affected by Elevated Lead Levels in Local Water Supply
Lead contamination found in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan had a catastrophic impact on the community and its residents. CSS supported EPA’s response to the crisis by providing mobile and fixed analytical laboratory services and data review. Over a nine-month period, our chemists analyzed and/or reviewed more than 3,400 samples. To meet the fast turn-around required for analytical results, CSS identified and adapted a standard method (522.2 Haloacetic Acids) and performed specialty analytical methods that were not commercially available. In addition, we supported a health pilot study to assess potential chemical sources of rashes reported by affected residents. The analytical data produced by CSS for the Flint response was used by the EPA to ensure that corrective actions were working and that the water was safe for human consumption.
Additional Projects
Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency
CSS assisted with planning and executing a demonstration of three decontamination technologies on a USCG vessel contaminated with a benign surrogate for anthrax.
Guiding Wildfire Response and Recovery
CSS supports communities following catastrophic wildfires to ensure that items discarded during site cleanup are properly identified, sorted, and sent to an appropriate disposal facility.
Analytical Chemistry Support for the US EPA National Aquatic Resource Survey
CSS chemically analyzes hundreds of water samples collected annually from the US EPA’s National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS), a critical contribution to the EPA assessments of the condition of the nation’s water bodies.
Service Areas
Emergency Preparedness & Response
We help our clients prepare for and protect the health and environment of communities after disasters and hazmat releases.
Safety, Health, & Environmental Compliance
We provide our clients with tools to protect their workforce, the public, and the environment.
Space Science Application Support & Operations
We deliver scientific support to advance our clients’ research goals.
Satellite Science & Environmental Intelligence
Helping create a more environmentally sustainable, weather-ready, and secure nation through application of earth observation data
Facilities Operations & Maintenance
We understand your facility support needs and deliver customized solutions.
Environmental Resource Assessment & Management
We apply science to address challenges affecting the nation’s natural resources.
Get in touch
Contact us to learn more about our projects, capabilities, solutions, and service offerings.