First, residents learned that their complaints about brown, abrasive, nauseating water were ignored by state officials, and that water quality tests were manipulated to show lower levels of lead and other toxins.
Advertisement
Democrats in the U.S. Senate have proposed up to $400 million in emergency federal aid for Flint – contingent on the state matching the funds dollar for dollar.
A state legislative leader from Flint says the suggestion that the public also could drink from the water coolers is “insulting”.
Snyder’s spokesman Dave Murray said Friday the water coolers placed near public drinking fountains on each floor were for both employees and visitors. They also asked for other documents related to “the decision to switch Flint’s source of water” from January 2011 to the present.
On Jan. 21, 2015, nearly exactly a year ago, officials from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) administration attended an event in Flint City Hall in which they assured local residents there was no crisis with the city’s water system.
“Obviously, if you’ve already gotten a test back and it’s under 150 and you’ve been told your water is safe, continue to use the filters, OK”, Lurie said “But, to be clear: If you don’t know, let’s act out of an abundance of caution”.
Snyder said he has gotten support through what he called a “challenging” time. The latest state funding is meant to pay for bottled water, faucet filters, testing kits, additional school nurses, medical treatment and to help the city with unpaid water bills.
Rick Snyder overrode the rights of the people who live in Flint by appointing an “emergency manager” to run the city.
Regulators failed to ensure the water was treated properly and lead from pipes leached into the supply, leading to a spike in child lead exposure.
The effort caught the attention of Robert Rich III, who without any hesitation, offered to ship all the water to the beleaguered MI city.
He says his understanding is that the use of bottled water at the state building in Flint was because of warnings by the Flint officials that were issued at the time.
The water crisis in Flint began in April 2014 after the city switched the water supply from the “Detroit municipal water system and began drawing from the Flint River in an attempt to save money”, AP reports.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said “there’s no doubt” in her mind that if the water problem had occurred in a wealthy, white community, the state would have responded immediately.
John Kasich was the only candidate to get a question on the Flint water issue.
The state’s spending bill includes $500,000 for outside experts to study the integrity of the water system infrastructure.
Advertisement
In a memo dated two days prior to the email mentioned above, which highlights the fact that officials knew about the water crisis well before now, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) informed Flint officials that they would be protected from the dangers of the city water.
