The Flint River contained more corrosive water, which led to lead from an aging pipe system being leached into the water as it ran through. “This situation has been explicitly explained to MDEQ and numerous city’s officials …”
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Before it ‘fessed up to not ensuring correct water treatment in October, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality assured the governor’s office and the public the lead issue wasn’t serious. The mist may come from air-conditioning units for large buildings, hot tubs or showers.
Flint’s ongoing water crisis had been the subject of a Congressional committee meeting earlier this week. However, Lee-Anne Walters, the Flint resident who was found to have extremely high lead levels in her tap water in early 2015, reportedly delivered the harshest testimony and said that her early appeals for help from officials were “dismissed”.
Although it has been suspected that the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was caused by the switch in water sources, there was previously no evidence that the state was aware of that connection. The emails don’t prove that’s false, but they shows that Snyder probably should have known about it.
The main defendant in the lawsuit is McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint, as well as six others who are employed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The highest lead reading registered 4,000 ppb of lead in that testing.
“I did not accept a service of a subpoena with such short notice”, he added.
Both Wyant and Wurfel resigned December 29. Snyder said he had been notified of public health emergency days before the announcement.
“Important information flow isn’t always forthcoming”, he said in mid-January on WKAR-TV’s “Off The Record” show. And while Flint Mayor Dr. Karen Weaver agrees with Snyder that the water system’s lead contamination was due to the government’s failure at every level, she feels that the state is the one ultimately responsible, according to Think Progress.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was not asked to testify and was not present at the hearing.
“When Harvey Hollins received the March email, he requested the DEQ look into the concerns, check with its experts, and get the facts”.
Snyder acknowledged in January a potential link between the spike in Legionnaires’ disease and the water.
On Thursday, Snyder’s office also said the governor has requested an economic disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration for Flint and Genesee County.
“The county was alerting and alarmed and seeking cooperation and help from outside agencies”, Stout told the AP. “What good is the EPA if they don’t tell them?” They say Michigan’s health department didn’t alert the public soon enough about the hospital’s Legionnaires outbreak, and the hospital failed to protect its patients against the bacteria.
“When there are unacceptable levels of lead in people’s drinking water, they should immediately be told about it”, Congressman Dan Kildee said.
In Flint, Michigan on Thursday, the EPA said lead levels are dropping, and that filters appear to be working.
“More than 40 cases reported since last April”, Wurfel said in the e-mail.
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“The city, the state, the local government officials, the governor, all know that this was catastrophically wrong”, Murphy said.
