“We have a lot of communities around this country who have lead pipes, and a very deteriorating water system”.
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“There could be many more”, Gov. Rick Snyder told CNN, “and we’re assuming that”. So did Susan Hedman, the EPA’s regional administrator, after it was revealed that the agency knew as long ago as February that Flint residents might be drinking lead-tainted water. Edwards’ discovery was initially met with skepticism from state regulators leading to prolonged efforts to get the crisis under control.
Next door to Flint, the city of Burton – using the state of Michigan’s revolving fund for drinking water infrastructure projects – has likewise begun to replace its 1930s water mains, but with cheaper, non-corrosive, environmentally-friendly PVC pipes. The Legislature is expected to direct $28 million in additional funding toward Flint on Thursday. As many as 7,000 children have been “poisoned because of lack of proper government oversight” of Flint’s water supply, Durbin said. It will help Flint residents recover from the trauma, and it will help inform elected leaders how to prevent this kind of problem in the future.
He said they’re looking at how exposures during pregnancy can affect not just the baby a mom is carrying, but also her grandchildren. Some children’s blood has tested positive for lead, a potent neurotoxin linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems. While under state financial management, the city switched its water source to the Flint River but without controlling corrosion. “We are asking a federal court to step in because the people of Flint simply can not rely on the same government agencies that oversaw the destruction of its infrastructure and contamination of its water to address this crisis”.
It remains unclear how badly the lead service lines were damaged by the river water. Snyder said work is being done to find lead service lines, to be followed by a cost calculation for replacing them. “The short-term issue is about recoating the pipes and that will be based on third-party experts saying the water is safe”, reported the Associated Press.
The water crisis emerged after the city switched water sources in April 2014. Without fail, every single person I met with had a horror story to share about the criminally negligent conditions they’ve experienced across the state. “There doesn’t seem to be any unit or level of government that didn’t screw up here”.
Other plaintiffs include the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, Concerned Pastors for Social Action, and Flint resident Melissa Mays. The suit announced today seeks a forward-looking fix to Flint’s lead-contamination crisis, making it different from the class action suits that have been announced previously that seek damages for harms already suffered by Flint residents. Senate Democrats proposed that amount in emergency federal aid to Flint, with a requirement that the state match the spending on Flint pipes, dollar for dollar.
As 17 members of the council look for an answer.
Later, during a 50-minute town-hall style telephone call with almost 8,000 listeners, Snyder told a questioner about 200 Flint children with elevated blood-lead levels have been identified.
Sadly, the Flint water crisis might not be only contained in the one MI city. And it might not be limited to Flint-a new study reportedly found higher-than-normal lead levels in several MI cities including Grand Rapids, Detroit, Saginaw, Muskegon and Holland.
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Families from Flint were furious that it took this long for the world to hear and understand what they’ve been knowing.
