Snyder is the midst of a growing scandal over lead in the Flint water system. But not until the fall of 2015, when the water was found to have elevated levels of lead that were reflected in children’s blood, did state officials swing into action. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children. “And that is something I apologize for in terms of the state’s role in all of this”. He cites “major issues” at the Department of Environmental Quality, whose director recently resigned. Instead of getting Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, as the city had for years, Flint started drawing more corrosive and polluted water from the Flint River and treating it at the city water treatment plan.
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“We need these resources for the citizens of my community”, says Ananich.
Rafael Lemaitre, director of public affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C., said on Twitter on Friday that FEMA has deployed two liaison officers to the Michigan Emergency Operations Center to provide technical assistance. The state is working with local officials on the effort.
“I have a degree of responsibility”, Snyder says, “And that’s why we’re tried to be prudent about taking actions to address where those problems were and what those issues were”. About half of the service lines to homes in Flint are made of lead and because the water wasn’t properly treated, lead began leaching into the water supply, in addition to the iron.
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the administration is “very concerned” about the Flint situation and “watching it very closely”. They spent a week attacking her before reversing their narrative and admitting she was right.
The state is talking to the federal government about Flint’s lead in water crisis but isn’t ready to request a national disaster declaration, Gov. Rick Snyder said here today. The statement urged residents to only use filter water for drinking supplies and food preparation.
The door-to-door distribution follows an announcement Saturday that water would be available free at fire stations throughout the city. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of MI is also investigating.
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Snyder pledged Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and want to be tested for lead exposure while his embattled administration works on a long-term solution to the city’s water crisis.
