Obama says budget includes more money for water systems

Faculty, staff and students from all three University of MI campuses are coming together over the water crisis in the city of Flint to offer everything from research expertise and accurate information on the situation to water filters and bottled water.

The city failed to put in place proper corrosion controls based on direction from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, so lead and other heavy metals leached into Flint’s drinking water, poisoning residents for over a year. Because the new water source was polluted, community members began complaining that their faucet water was the color of urine and caused rashes.

The email attachment mentioned the criteria for issuing a boiled water advisory.

Lead levels in Flint water have decreased, but during an interview Wednesday with CBS News, Snyder couldn’t say what the current lead levels are.

Gov. Rick Snyder has not been invited to testify before Congress on Flint’s lead-contamination water crisis, his spokesman said Thursday. “As such, all policies and protocols were followed in relation to the most-recent cyber attack on our system”. It said the agency’s oversight was hampered by “failures and resistance at the state and local levels”.

MARCH 19: Flint promises to spend $2.24 million on immediate improvements to its water supply. “What is inexplicable and inexcusable is once people figured out that there was a problem there, and that there was lead in the water, the notion that immediately families weren’t notified, things weren’t shut down”, Obama insisted. “It’s ironic when you live in the “Great Lake State” and you don’t have access to clean water”.

Gov. Snyder’s statement sounds like he intends to testify when/if he receives a congressional request.

– Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) January 18, 2016know what else distracts from solving the Flint water crisis?

October 8: Snyder calls for Flint to go back to using water from Detroit’s system again.

Since the change of water supply in April 2014, residents have had to contend with dirty brown tap water unsuitable for drinking. The legislation also includes money for water filters, inspections and lab testing. President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Flint, authorizing up to $5 million to help MI deal with this man-made disaster.

A spokesman with U.S. Sen. Snyder has refuted calls from protesters to resign from his post. Snyder responds the next day that politicizing the issue doesn’t help.

Shannon Nobles of Lansing, Michigan, joined the crowd outside the Michigan State Capitol on Tuesday to stand in support with residents of Flint. He reiterated that the crisis is “the result of missteps of government at all levels”.

His declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts to alleviate hardships and suffering caused by an emergency.

Also Thursday, Michigan officials said they still aren’t certain whether there’s a link between a drinking water crisis in Flint and an increase in local cases of Legionnaires’ Disease.