Targets of the litigation include government officials, a hospital tied to the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, and the engineering firm that advised Flint on its water treatment facility. In this photo taken on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy listens to Flint resident Tia Simpson at her home on Flint’s south side, in Mich. Murthy said he wants to connect health ca…
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Water officials are reaching out to the communities they serve to assure residents what occurred in Flint will not happen in their community. Sadly, there have since been numerous high-profile cases of contamination, such as in Toledo, Ohio, in 2014, where agricultural runoff and crumbling infrastructure led to an algal bloom in Lake Erie that made the city’s drinking water unsafe.
But now, a recent study also found they were paying higher rates for that lead-filled water than anyone else in the United States. A spokeswoman said the EPA’s ability to oversee the situation was limited by “resistance and failures at the state and local levels to work with EPA in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner”.
“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.
Thursday, Snyder announced that $2 million will be available for the city to replace lines at several hundred homes. The river water had already been flowing into resident’s taps for more than a year by the time the levels were detected.
States have first-line enforcement responsibilities to compel public water systems to comply with drinking water regulations, the report said.
Lead levels in the city’s water are “far under” the federal action limit and quality checks are performed every four hours, Brown added.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, a laissez-fairyland corporate ideologue, supported the switch of Flint’s water source from Lake Huron to the cheaper stuff in the contaminated Flint River, claiming that this could cut some $2 million from the city’s budget. It would not cover the entirety of the charges for the foul and undrinkable water, but 65 percent for residential customers and 20 percent for businesses.
Snyder sent a supplemental budget request to the Legislature, including $25 million to be used for water infrastructure, like pipe replacement in Flint.
Activists expressed outrage about last year’s water bills in Flint, which is 57% black and 41% impoverished.
If consumed, lead can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. Snyder has apologized for his administration’s role in the lead contamination of Flint’s water supply. He’s faced criticism and protests, but has said he’s focusing on resolving the crisis.
The announcement of the increased funding comes the same day as U.S Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell made a visit to Flint in a response to the water crisis.
If a group of lawyers and Flint residents have their way, a class-action lawsuit will emerge as the solution to go after government officials responsible for the devastating water crisis.
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A state House committee has OK’d an emergency spending measure to help Flint residents with a portion of their water bills.
