Ex-prosecutor to spearhead investigation into Flint water

MI officials had said earlier Wednesday that water samples in Flint are “trending better”, but that it’s too soon to give the go-ahead to residents to resume drinking unfiltered water.

Research has tied high levels of lead in blood to learning disabilities, poor classroom performance, impaired growth, and even hearing loss.

The committee includes Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, who has extensively studied the issue in Flint and elsewhere, and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who is credited with bringing the problem to the public’s attention after state agencies initially dismissed her concerns.

The move was considered temporary while the city waited to connect to a new regional water system, but residents immediately complained about the smell, taste and appearance of the water.

Filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moore has been particularly vocal, saying the governor should be arrested for his role in the water crisis.

A state plan to save $15 million on Flint’s water bills may now cost $1.5 billion in clean-up, Moore said in his online petition for help from President Barack Obama.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Wednesday appointed a group of government officials, health and other experts to implement long-term fixes for Flint’s lead-contaminated water system as he faced criticism for the state’s handling of a crisis that has become a national scandal.

Organizers also want free home inspections to determine the extent of damage caused by lead that leached out of aging pipes.

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said the probe into Flint – which will be led by a former assistant prosecutor for Wayne County and a retired head of Detroit’s Federal Bureau of Investigation office – should wait until a Snyder-appointed panel finishes its work.

One of the topics the governor may also discuss with the mayor today is his request for additional federal aid to make sure everyone under 21 in the city – who may have been affected by exposure to lead – has access to long term healthcare, regardless of their income or insurance coverage.

Water treatment plants across the country are required to closely monitor lead levels in tap water and use chemicals to reduce acidity and coat pipes to prevent corrosion.

The state is also working to map out exactly where the old lead pipes are in Flint so it can “come up with the proper priorities about how we replace that infrastructure”, Snyder said.

Flint switched from Detroit’s municipal water system while under emergency state management and began drawing from the Flint River in 2014 to save money, but the water was not properly treated.

Flint – Arguing the water in Flint is still not safe to drink because state and city officials are violating the Safe Drinking Water Act, a coalition of religious, environmental and civil rights activists is asking a federal judge for help.

“This case is about the government’s failure to comply with the federal law that requires cities to deliver safe drinking water to the public”, says the complaint filed Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court in Detroit. “The truth is the population in Flint, Michigan is about 105,000 people & it takes at least 9 bottles per person a day just to use to bathe, brush their teeth, drink & cook with”, he wrote in Instagram post with a screengrab of his bank statement showing the donation.

Much of the blame for the emergency has been put on the state Department of Environmental Quality because staff told Flint water officials not to treat it for corrosion until after two six-month monitoring periods.

The suit seeks injunctive and declaratory relief, rather than damages.