Back in 2014, the city temporarily switched from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water in order to save money.
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The county and city determined local resources would be insufficient to address the ongoing water crisis.
Then, residents complained about the smell, taste and appearance. Government agencies passed out over 6,000 water filters, said Michigan Department of Community Health Director Nick Lyon.
The governor says the emergency declaration is part of an effort to find short- and long-term solutions to ensure the safety of Flint’s drinking water. Plans are moving forward to seek more help handling problems with Flint’s water system.
The U.S. attorney’s office is working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address the concerns of Flint residents and investigate the contamination of Flint’s water supply, according to Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney.
“We’re just confirming that we’re looking into it”, Balaya told the Free Press.
In November, Flint citizens filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of victims of high levels of lead against Snyder, the state of MI, the city of Flint and other state and city officials. The MDEQ continued to deny a lead poisoning problem even as evidence mounted a year ago.
Newsweek said the crisis is “one of the nastiest cases of toxic discharge in 2015” and said that parents in the city “can look forward to a 2016 living in fear for their children’s brain development after learning their water is full of too much lead”.
These effects are believed to be irreversible.
Cher took to Twitter Tuesday night to share her thoughts about lead discovered in Flint’s drinking water.
Flint citizens have filed a civil suit.
He added: “I know many Flint citizens are angry and want more than an apology. I don’t trust it”.
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“There was a dark cloud hanging over this city”, Flint City Council President Kerry Nelson said after Snyder’s declaration Tuesday.
