The Wichita Contamination - Essay Example

The “Wichita Contamination” The Wichita located in the of Kansas in the United s of America was faced with the problem of contamination in the year 1990. Various chemicals that are potentially dangerous were found in water. Various organizations were the potential polluters of the water body and they included a famous manufacturer of camping materials called Coleman, banks, homes and other industries. The duration that would take to clean up the river was a span of up to 20 years costing up to a maximum of $20 million (Stillman 136).

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recommended two major options in the cleanup of the Wichita City and the first proposal was that all the businesses in the city that contributed to the pollution of the water should take part in the cleanup process however the major disadvantage of this proposal was that reaching a consensus by all the businesses involved in water pollution would be cumbersome. The second proposal of the cleanup was that the Environmental Protection Agency was to effect the clean through a superfund which is a highly inefficient program.

The Wichita mayor Bob Knight dismissed all the two proposals as ineffective in the cleaning of the Wichita city. The case of Wichita contamination is a good illustration of Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) which involve two main features all illustrated in the Wichita contamination. Stillman points out that the Mayor of Wichita city, Bob Knight realized that the bargaining power was critical in appeasing all the relevant parties involved in the pollution of the water body (136). The city was almost becoming a ghost town and all the business units had different goals for example the banks wanted to lend money to people, Coleman wanted to continue manufacturing the camping materials and the citizens of Wichita city did not want to be displaced or move away from Wichita as a result of water pollution.

The mayor had an easy time convincing the different parties since they had nothing to lose. If the parties involved took no action in cleaning up the contamination, the Environmental protection agency would step in and take up the responsibility of cleaning up the mess. Knight was able to solve the problem in good time because he was able to use all the available resources considering the fact that party would act unilaterally in solving the water pollution menace therefore through bargaining with all the parties involved in the water pollution, a workable plan was developed (O?Toole 56). Coalition building is seen when the different parties involved in the water pollution come together to clean up the water body.

Rosegrant (149) noted …….”a survey of obstacles made it clear that the ultimate success of the plan would depend on a complex collaboration between multiple, and sometimes opposed constituencies.” All the parties involved came together all united towards a common goal. Their coalition was enhanced by the city mayor, Bob Knight who united the residents of Wichita City and educated them on the importance of cleaning up the polluted water body. Coleman who polluted the water body through his manufacture of camping materials paid a great amount in the clean exercise while the government paid another huge amount.

Coalition was important since one party would have not been able to do the entire cleanup by itself. Outcomes are influenced in various ways in that people who have divergent views are influenced into pursuing issues which are meant to benefit the entire public rather than satisfying individual gains. When people unite together, peace and harmony is achieved since people are able to interact and exchange ideas that help in the nation building. In conclusion, the spirit of cohesion helped in the cleaning up of the Wichita City since the people came together and cleaned up the water menace.

Through team spirit and coalition people of Wichita City were able to solve the problem of pollution within a short period of time. The leadership of the Wichita City Mayor Bob Knight was important in the achievements realized in the city. He was persuasive enough even to the most skeptical people of Wichita City and his actions mirrored his passion for the state rather than his own selfish gains. The economic development was dramatically strengthened within a very short period of time. Some other businesses were able to escape the responsibility of pollution especially after Coleman shouldered the burden by paying half the amount needed in the cleanup exercise.

Many people had lost trust in the EPA superfund because of its ineffectiveness thus Bob Knight was reluctant with charging EPA with the responsibility of cleanup. Works cited Stillman, Joseph. Public Administration: Concepts and Cases. Boston, Mass: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Rosegrant, S. Wichita confronts contamination. In R.J. Stillman (Ed.), Public administration: concepts and cases (8th Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. print O?Toole, Junior. (1999). American intergovernmental relations: An overview. In R.J.

Stillman (Ed.), Public administration: concepts and cases (8th ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. Print