MI governor names panel to fix Flint’s contaminated water system

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said Wednesday that Edwards has been hired by the city oversee water testing done by the state and federal governments. Flint has since switched back to Detroit water, but tests have shown high lead levels in the blood of some Flint children.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Chief among the priorities national and local NAACP leaders listed Tuesday for the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint is the repeal of Michigan’s emergency manager law, which they view as a contributor to the public health emergency.

A lawsuit filed earlier in the day by environmental and civil rights groups asked a federal judge to order the prompt replacement of all lead pipes in Flint’s water system at no cost to customers.

“Would more have been done, and at a much faster pace, if almost 40 percent of Flint residents were not living below the poverty line?”

She announced that Virginia Tech Scientist Mark Edwards has been retained by the city of Flint.

“For the sake of my kids and the people of Flint, we need a federal court to fix Flint’s water problems because these city and state agencies failed us on their own”.

Calling it “outrageous” that Flint residents are being forced to pay for water that is unsafe to drink, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Monday that he may take steps to halt the charges, reports NBC News.

A statement released via Diddy’s news platform REVOLT added that the company was “working closely with MI state and emergency management in a long-term commitment until the water issue is resolved”.

Not until residents elevated public awareness and helped bring national attention on Flint did government officials belatedly acknowledge a problem, and to date, the problems in Flint have not been fixed. They could not immediately be reached for comment. Concerns about the water first surfaced in April 2014, when in an effort to save money, officials began drawing the city’s water from the Flint River, instead of relying on water from Detroit. Some of that water has come from Racine; much of it through a partnership with Racine Police, local pastors and Merchants Moving and Storage.

City officials had chose to switch to the Karegnondi Water Authority in Genesee County. Flint also has a large population of children between the ages of five and 16, who are more susceptible to lead poisoning. It alleges the city is not providing comprehensive, reliable information to identify locations with lead lines and is under-testing homes with a higher risk of lead exposure.

Already, Susan Hedman, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regional administrator for Flint, has resigned.

“We’re trying to take action that is specific, that’s focused, that’s urgent and speaks to the people’s needs”, he said.

Snyder compared Flint’s unemployment struggles and other economic woes to what people in Detroit have endured in recent years, and he said his administration is responsible for improvements there. A task force he created also has recommended that an unbiased third party declare when the water is safe to drink again without a filter.

The claims were untrue, according to Neavling, and Detroit’s water system urgently tried to get Flint to sign a short-term contract to avoid the health dangers of the Flint River, but Earley insisted on using the Flint River and signed off on the decision.

Even with these known problems, it was only a few decades ago that plumbing codes were changed to require water pipes be made of materials other than lead.