Elin Betanzo and Curt Guyette’s Persistent Pursuit of the Truth in Flint

How a water quality expert and a journalist’s insistence changed the course of the Flint water crisis

Elin Betanzo is a life-long friend of Dr. Mona, author of “What the Eyes Don’t See,” and worked for the EPA during the Flint Water Crisis. She is the person who told Dr. Mona there was something wrong with the water. She is the founder of Safe Water Engineering LLC, a consulting firm working to improve access to safe drinking water through engineering and policy consulting. Betanzo details how she suspected Flint water was not safe in spite of government reassurances — and how she spoke up.

Curt Guyette was among the first journalists covering the Flint Water Crisis was. In his conversation with Stephen Henderson he details his reporting, describing his time going door-to-door searching for the truth about Flint water. 

Click on the player above to hear Stephen Henderson’s conversations with former EPA official and water quality expert Elin Betanzo and ACLU investigative journalist Curt Guyette.

WDET’s “Created Equal” Season 2 focuses on the Flint Water Crisis and the elected officials, health care and environmental experts, and citizens who were on the ground from the beginning. 

The podcast season is a companion to the book “What the Eyes Don’t See,” written by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, above, whose research showed Flint children had elevated lead levels in their blood after the switch. 

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.