Michael Moore's Open Letter: Don't Send Water To Flint

FLINT (CBS Detroit) - Documentary filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moore wrote an open letter on his website addressing what he feels is the most urgent need in the city right now -- and it's not water.

"Unfortunately, the honest answer to your offer of help is, sadly, you can't.

You can't help," wrote Moore.

While he acknowledges the practical needs of residents, he stresses that sending bottled water to Flint is not the answer, and offers a five-point plan which includes at the top of the list;

Demand the removal and arrest of Rick Snyder, the Governor of Michigan.

The post on Moore's site and the national attention this water crisis has generated is moving at viral speed.

"The amount of generosity since the national media finally started to cover this story has been tremendous. Pearl Jam sent 100,000 bottles of water. The next day the Detroit Lions showed up with a truck and 100,000 bottles of water. Yesterday, Puff Daddy and Mark Wahlberg donated 1,000,000 bottles of water! Unbelievably amazing," Moore says in his post.

Memo Shows Michigan Officials Ordered Bottled Water For State Employees In Flint Over A Year Ago

The problem originated when officials decided to use water from the Flint River, but neglected to add a corrosion inhibitor to the system. At the time, officials estimated the cost of buying water from Detroit this year at $16 million, and the overall annual cost of switching to the new Karegnondi Water Authority would be $12.5 million.

"Over all of this time, Flint residents have been exposed to this hazard without the protection of what's supposed to be in federal law, which is a corrosion control program to keep lead low in the water supply. So, the lead problem's been going on ever since the switch," said Mark Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor who oversaw research on the lead in Flint's drinking water.

[Get the latest news on the Flint water crisis HERE]