A document shows that the state of MI blocked Flint from switching to a better water source under the terms of a $7 million loan to transition the city from state management.
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Flint, a predominantly African-American city of 100,000 about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched the source of its tap water from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in April 2014.
For 18 months, corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from old plumbing.
The Obama administration said Monday it would keep a closer watch on state agencies in charge of drinking water safety, urging them to prevent more cases such as Flint, Michigan, where the system has been tainted with lead.
The city did return to using Detroit water in the fall of 2015 when the state legislature appropriated $6 million to help reconnect Flint to the system in light of its unsafe drinking water. Shortly after, a top Democrat became the first state lawmaker to call for Snyder to resign.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon said Wednesday that Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration forced the “dirty water deal” despite it knowing of serious problems with the Flint River water.
House Minority Leader Tim Greimel later added: “Given the actions of negligence and indifference by the governor, and a culture he has created that lacks transparency and accountability, the very serious call for resignation is warranted”.
State lawmakers are sending $30 million to Flint, but the money covers only a portion of the water bills. He also criticized Greimel’s “politically charged press conference” instead of attending a legislative briefing on Flint with the governor’s office.
Snyder spokesman Dave Murray, who was removed from his position last week, blasted his former MLive.com colleagues, accusing them of “milking” the crisis for web hits by writing [four] stories in one day about the implications of Flint’s contaminated water. But state-appointed emergency manager Jerry Ambrose said no, calling it “incomprehensible”.
Treasury spokesman Terry Stanton noted that the loan agreement contained several provisions designed “to ensure the city remain on solid financial footing” and pointed out that any provision could have been waived with a city request and state treasurer approval.
“What happened in Flint is a crisis, but Flint is not alone”, Adler said.
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“I think that the state of MI had a plan for the city and the direction they wanted to go and they were assuring that whether the emergency manager was there or not they were going to continue on that path”, Freeman said.
