Some people are thinking ‘Well I’m suffering from this, but not that so maybe it’s not lead poisoning, ‘ ” said Flint attorney Trachelle Young, according to Mlive.com.
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(Jake May /The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP).
The Senate will likely take up the measure on Tuesday.
The Michigan House approved $30 million on Thursday to help pay Flint residents’ water bills in the aftermath of the city’s lead-contamination crisis. This is the second step to know what you’re dealing with in terms of underground infrastructure and how best to approach it. The third step is this replacement of pipes.
“I appreciate that the Governor has answered our call to bring additional resources to the table so we can start getting lead pipes out of Flint”, Weaver said in a press release. The bill also would require the EPA to develop a strategic plan for improving information sharing and public communication. It will take a month for the engineering firm to identify the location of lead pipes, which is necessary before replacement work can begin, Snyder said.
The financing will come in the form of grant funding, meant to reimburse the city for the $2 million it paid as part of the state-local agreement to reconnect with the Detroit water system last October. A lack of corrosion control in the water caused lead to leach from old plumbing.
If consumed, lead can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities in children. The study, performed by Food and Water Watch, found Flint residents paid an average of $864.32 to drink tainted water, as of January 2015.
The Detroit News said state testing data showed only 7 percent of the 10,000 homes they studied still have lead levels above the federal safety standard, but residents have been urged to continue drinking bottled water. State Treasurer Nick Khouri says that five thousand of the 29,000 residential water customers in Flint are delinquent on their bills.
He also expects that the pipes, from the street to the meter will be replaced. On Monday, the NAACP threatened a mass protest if Snyder does not present a pipe plan within 30 days, including a timeline and the cost. But he added “there is not an urgent reason to get the pipes out of the ground” until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finishes its sampling.
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Unfortunately, Flint is a microcosm of a systemic problem, and only one example of habitual pattern that we have in this country of avoidance of clear indications and consistent warnings that we’ve done grave environmental damage.
