Federal prosecutors working with EPA on Flint water probe

Days after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) apologized for toxic tap water in the city of Flint and accepted the resignations of multiple state officials, the U.S. Justice Department said it has opened an investigation into what went wrong. The city declared a local emergency in mid December.

Additionally, the declaration requests another $2 million to reimburse the city for the cost to switch back to Detroit and $6 million for healthcare initiatives for those poisoned by lead in the water.

“The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and we’re committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation”, Snyder said in a news release.

The governor has appointed an independent panel to review local, state and federal actions related to the drinking water situation and is working with city and county leaders, he said.

The SEOC is the emergency operations center for the state of MI. “We want to offer this opportunity for dialogue and bidirectional learning so that the “experts” can learn from the perspectives of the community impacted by this crisis”, said Dr. Suzanne Selig, director of UM Flint’s Department of Public Health and Health Sciences, which is sponsoring the course.

But in the interim, residents reported the water was a discolored brown and smelled and tasted unusual.

Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade, said federal prosecutors are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate lead contamination in the city’s water supply, but declined to detail the specifics of the probe, The Flint Journal reports. This was followed by studies showing that lead piping elevated lead levels 10 times higher than they had previously measured. She also indicated that more funding will be needed for mental health services, “an increase in the juvenile justice system”, and that there would be a greater need for adoptive and foster parents “as a result of social services needed due to the detrimental effects of the high blood lead levels”.

On Jan. 4, Genesee County declared a “local state of emergency,” which activated local emergency response and recovery plans.

Officials later said water from the Flint River became tainted by old, corroding underground pipes. “I don’t trust it”.