Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. listens to concerns about contaminated water during a community forum at Woodside Church in Flint, Mich. Flint, a majority-black impoverished community in a state run by Republicans, has become a dominant issue for the Democratic candidates before Tuesday¿s primary in MI, so much so that they will return to the city for the seventh Democratic debate on Sunday.
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The contamination of Flint drinking water happened when the city changed its water system to cut costs. The city had stopped purchasing Lake Huron water from Detroit to save money. The corrosive river water scraped lead from aging pipes that tainted water in some homes and schools, and has been blamed for elevated lead levels in some children’s bloodstreams.
However, the DEQ, in a response in the report, also called the federal lead and copper rule “ambiguous”. Three DEQ employees, including the director, have lost their jobs. Mike Lee, a Republican, said in a statement Friday.
As introduced, the legislation would provide $100 million in “drinking water state revolving funds” available to any state with a drinking water emergency; provide $70 million to back water infrastructure loans; and provide $50 million to prevent and address lead poisoning.
However, the DEQ “did not independently verify that community water supplies (in Flint and elsewhere) tested sites that meet LCR requirements”, the audit said.
The auditor noted that LCR compliance does not require monitoring for human exposure to lead and it is generally limited to single-family residences in larger communities, omitting other important places such as schools and hospitals.
Other DEQ shortcomings it noted included a failure to ensure that Flint drew enough water samples for testing from high-risk homes with lead pipes or fixtures. “The DEQ will put in place appropriate audit procedures that will increase the confidence and accuracy of water supply submissions”.
Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee said the visit allowed federal lawmakers to hear about Flint’s problems firsthand. Some surveys are past due by anywhere from two months to six years.
“And by the way, the politicizing of it I think is unfair, because I don’t think that someone woke up one morning and said, ‘Let’s figure out how to poison the water system to hurt someone, ‘” Rubio said.
Snyder, addressing a committee of experts charged with finding solutions to the Flint crisis, said Friday it’s taking longer than expected to locate all the lead pipes in the city.
And when it’s determined lead service lines need to be replaced, the law only provides for replacement of the portion of the water service lines owned by the system. As of today, residents still are advised not to drink the water without using a lead filter, and Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver are tussling over how quickly lead service lines in Flint must be dug up and replaced.
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On Wednesday, state House Republican Speaker Kevin Cotter said he does not plan to take up any further supplemental appropriations for the Flint water crisis.
