Suit seeks replacement of lead water pipes…

It alleges repeated violations by the state and City of Flint of federal laws related to providing safe drinking water to the public and says such violations are likely to continue without court intervention. “Relief workers are calling us, at Virginia Tech, and asking us to talk to residents who are refusing to bathe or shower because they are so scared and they don’t trust what the state and federal government are saying about the water being safe for bathing and showering”, Edwards says.

“For years the state told us we were insane, that our water was safe, which wasn’t true”, said Melissa Mays of Water You Fighting For, a Flint-based organization which joined the American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council in filing the lawsuit.

In a brief, yet stern, statement – Flint Mayor Karen Weaver challenged the state to step up in the Flint water crisis. Flint re-commissioned a water treatment plant and treated water from the Flint River instead of purchasing more expensive water from Detroit.

“My heart went out to those people and I wanted to give water, because I know that’s what we need to live”, said Tougaloo Senior Diamond Williams who dug into her college budget to purchase cases of bottled water for the drive.

He was present at last week’s State of the State address and says they are helping coordinate the state response to the crisis in Flint.

The pipes are on private property, but Smitherman said the city has a responsibility to inform residents if their water is tainted. “We need those pipes replaced, and not a single pipe has been replaced since they discovered lead in the water”. Health officials said its impacts can take years to manifest and require heightened monitoring to identify. The governor again took responsibility for the failure to protect Flint households from lead, which leached into the water supply from aging pipes when the city switched to the more corrosive river water and the state neglected to add protective chemicals. Craigconnects, Newmark’s online philanthropic initiative, will make donations until Newmark hits the match goal of $50,000.

Teams from the Environmental Protection Agency are preparing to collect samples to confirm that lead is being removed by water filters in Flint.

Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint on January 5 and then activated the Michigan National Guard, which has been assisting with water distribution efforts.

Rick Snyder has named a group of medical and field experts to a committee that will determine long-term solutions to fix Flint’s water system and help residents who have been exposed to lead.

The Safe Drinking Water Act, which was passed in 1974, orders U.S. water utilities to rigorously test and treat their drinking water for contaminants.

The state investigation will determine “whether any MI laws were violated in the process that created a major public health crisis for Flint residents”.

In April 2014, the city of Flint switched its source of drinking water from Lake Huron from the Detroit Sewerage and Water Department to the Flint River.