If you’re lucky, you don’t think about water much. You just turn on the tap, and there it is: clean, clear, and ready to drink. 

    But for many people, it’s not that simple. In fact, 46 million Americans lack access to safe water in their homes.

    Just ask Mari Copeny, 18, of Flint, Michigan. For her, it all started in the spring of 2014. Mari was 6. She and her two younger siblings were taking a bath. The water smelled bad. It burned their eyes and skin. 

    Across Flint, other families were noticing similar things. Their water was a weird color. They had rashes and stomach pains. Some people’s hair fell out in clumps. 

    What was wrong with Flint’s water? And could the problem be fixed?

    If you’re lucky, you just turn on your tap and the water comes out clean and clear.

    But that’s not true for everyone. In fact, 46 million Americans don’t have access to safe water in their homes.

    Just ask Mari Copeny. She’s 18. She lives in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, Mari was 6. She and her two younger siblings were taking a bath. The water smelled bad. It burned their eyes and skin.

    The same thing was happening to other families across Flint. Their water was a weird color. They had rashes and stomach pains. Some people’s hair fell out in clumps.

    What was wrong with Flint’s water? And could the problem be fixed?

    If you’re lucky, you don’t think about water much. You just turn on the tap, and there it is: clean, clear, and ready to drink.

    But for many people, it’s not that simple—in fact, 46 million Americans lack access to safe water in their homes.

    For 18-year-old Mari Copeny of Flint, Michigan, it all started in the spring of 2014. Mari, then 6, was taking a bath with her two younger siblings, and the water smelled bad and burned their eyes and skin.

    Across Flint, other families were having similar experiences. Their water was a weird color. They had rashes and stomach pains, and some people’s hair was falling out in clumps.

    What was wrong with Flint’s water? And could the problem be fixed?

    The people of Flint complained about their yellow, smelly water. For 18 months, city officials told them it was safe. 

    So in September 2015, Flint residents got help. They had scientists test water from 252 homes. More than 40 percent had dangerous levels of lead.

    These findings pushed city officials to take action. In October, they told Flint residents to stop using the water. Every lead pipe in Flint would need to be replaced. 

    That would take years—and a lot of money. Until then, bottled water would be needed for drinking, cooking, and bathing. 

    Mari was frustrated. In 2016, she and her mom started posting videos on social media. Their goal was to call attention to what was happening in their city. 

    “I couldn’t sit back and watch my family suffer anymore,” Mari says. “Nobody was listening to the adults. So I decided to use my voice and speak out for the kids here.”

    Mari also wrote a letter to the president at the time, Barack Obama. She didn’t think he would see it, but she felt she had to try. Then one day, Mari got a letter back. Obama had read her letter—and he was coming to Flint.

    In May, Obama toured the city. He met with families, including Mari’s. And he brought national attention to what was happening. Donations of money and bottled water flowed into the city. 

    People in Flint complained. The water was yellow and smelly. For 18 months, city officials said it was safe.

    In September 2015, Flint residents got help. Scientists tested water from 252 homes. More than 40 percent had dangerous levels of lead.

    Now city officials had to act. In October, they told people to stop using the water. They said the pipes needed to be replaced.

    That would take years—and money. Until then, people had to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

    Mari was frustrated. In 2016, she and her mom started posting videos on social media. They wanted to call attention to the problem.

    “I couldn’t sit back and watch my family suffer anymore,” Mari says. “Nobody was listening to the adults. So I decided to use my voice and speak out for the kids here.”

    Mari also wrote a letter to the president at the time, Barack Obama. She didn’t think he would see it, but she felt she had to try. Then one day, she got a letter back. Obama had read her letter. He was coming to Flint.

    In May, Obama toured Flint. He met with families, including Mari’s. His visit drew attention to Flint. People donated money. They donated bottled water too. 

    The people of Flint complained about their yellow, smelly water—but for 18 months, city officials told them it was safe.

    So in September 2015, Flint residents got help. They asked scientists to test water from 252 homes, and the results showed that more than 40 percent had dangerous levels of lead.

    These findings pushed city officials to take action. In October, they told Flint residents to stop using the water, explaining that every lead pipe in Flint would need to be replaced.

    That would take years—and a considerable amount of money. Until then, bottled water would be needed for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

    Mari was frustrated. In 2016, she and her mom started posting videos on social media with the goal of calling attention to what was happening in their city.

    “I couldn’t sit back and watch my family suffer anymore,” Mari recalls. “Nobody was listening to the adults. So I decided to use my voice and speak out for the kids here.”

    Mari also wrote a letter to the president at the time, Barack Obama. She didn’t think he was likely to see it, but she felt she had to try. Then one day, Mari received a response. Obama had read her letter—and he was coming to Flint.

    In May, Obama toured the city and met with families, including Mari’s. He brought national attention to what was happening in Flint, and donations of money and bottled water flowed into the city.

    In the years since, Mari has kept working to help the children of Flint. That work has gone beyond fighting for clean water. She gives away school supplies in September. She also hands out candy at Halloween and toys at Christmas. 

    How is Flint doing now? In July 2025, the city announced that it had finally replaced all its lead pipes. The water was declared safe to drink. But residents are skeptical. After all, they’ve heard that before. 

    For 18 months, thousands of children—including Mari—had been exposed to poison. Now some of those children are facing health issues for life. 

    That’s why Mari thinks it’s important for young people to speak up about problems in their communities. “We get pushed to the side a lot,” she says. “But we deserve to have a voice.” 

    Since then, Mari has kept working to help Flint’s kids. She gives away school supplies in September. She hands out candy at Halloween and toys at Christmas.

    How is Flint doing now? In July 2025, city leaders said all the lead pipes had been replaced. They said the water is now safe. But residents are skeptical. After all, they’ve heard that before.

    For 18 months, thousands of kids—including Mari—were exposed to poison. Some will have health issues for life.

    That’s why Mari thinks it’s important for young people to speak up about problems in their communities. “We get pushed to the side a lot,” she says. “But we deserve to have a voice.” 

    In the years since, Mari has kept working to help the children of Flint in a variety of ways. She now gives away school supplies in September, and she also hands out candy at Halloween and toys at Christmas.

    How is Flint doing now? In July 2025, the city announced that it had finally replaced all of its lead pipes, and the water was declared safe to drink. But residents are skeptical. After all, they’ve heard that before.

    For 18 months, thousands of children—including Mari—had been exposed to poison. Now some of those children are facing lifelong health issues.

    That’s why Mari believes it’s important for young people to speak up about problems in their communities. “We get pushed to the side a lot,” she says. “But we deserve to have a voice.”