JANUARY 2015: Flint seeks an evaluation of its efforts to improve the water amid concerns that it contains potentially harmful levels of a disinfection byproduct.
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If the request is granted, it could provide millions of dollars to pay for clean water, filters and other essentials.
Muchmore said he expects Snyder will detail a comprehensive and funded plan to address water and infrastructure problems in Flint and across MI in his State of the State address on Tuesday.
The corrosive nature of Flint’s drinking water is causing lead from pipes and pathogens to get into the town’s water supply, according to a study by Virginia Tech. And the state auditor general and a task force earlier faulted the Department of Environmental Quality for not requiring Flint to treat the river water for corrosion and for belittling the public’s fears.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says his office is investigating the Flint water crisis.
He said emergency measures could cost $41 million, including $10 million for a three-month supply of clean drinking water and millions more for filters, filter cartridges and water testing kits.
The agency says it will send a recommendation to President Barack Obama as “expeditiously as possible”. Flint was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager at the time. Residents and a growing number of local and national officials have accused Snyder of ignoring a public health emergency, with some calling for him to step down as a result. Worse, residents didn’t learn they were drinking tainted water until the state issued warnings a year and a half after the switch was made.
The tap water in Flint, population 99,000, became contaminated after the city in 2014 switched its water supply to the Flint River while a pipeline to Lake Huron is under construction.
One child was found to have a blood lead level of 6.4 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dl), well above the lead poisoning threshold of 5 mcg/dl. Lead exposure can cause learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children. On Thursday night, Gov. Rick Snyder called on the federal government to assist with the cost of emergency services associated with the lead contamination, The Washington Post reported.
Lead is highly toxic, especially to young children. This disaster occurred on his watch and he has to find the money, either within the state budget, from private sources or by begging for a handout from the federal government.
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“We need some finances coming here”, Mayor Karen Weaver told The Detroit News Friday evening at the North American International Auto Show Charity Preview. “They deserve a response equal to the gravity of this crisis”, Kildee said in a written statement. He says work on the investigation will begin immediately. Even with a filter, she said, she does not feel safe letting her children, ages 17, 8 and 5, use the tap water in her house on Flint’s west side. The governor apologized for the state’s performance, Michigan’s top environmental regulator resigned, and federal agencies announced that they were investigating.
