State boosting level of testing, services in Flint

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Friday he invited Snyder and EPA chief Gina McCarthy to testify on the Flint crisis. They said the data should help determine when and where the corrosion control treatment has been effective. Water from the Flint river had for months corroded lead from the inside of water pipes before flowing into thousands of households across the city.

A Virginia Tech expert who first raised public concerns about lead in Flint’s water told the Associated Press that the comment by Craft was a “contrived explanation after the fact that makes no sense”.

State environmental and health officials say they are boosting the level of data collected as well as the services offered to Flint residents affected by lead-tainted drinking water. The Detroit News is reporting that Flint’s water department said in a press statement: The department “is working to get pressure restored, and water staff will be taking other remedial actions such as flushing and collecting bacteriological samples from around the system”. “But actually answering tough questions others might have”.

The Republican governor detailed the plans in his annual $54.9 billion budget presentation to the GOP-led Legislature Wednesday.

Snyder, a former accountant who has been keen to fatten the state’s savings account, called for shifting $165 million he had planned for the rainy day fund to a new Michigan Infrastructure Fund. A commission he announced in his recent State of the State address would recommend how to prioritize the money.

State and local officials have also turned to Congress for support, but on Wednesday, negotiations in the Senate over a measure that would have provided federal emergency aid to the state appeared to fall apart as lawmakers failed to reach agreement on how to pay for it.

Hanna-Attisha said help is still needed for children’s needs from the federal government. The water from the Flint River was much more corrosive than the water that had been piped in from Detroit, and it caused lead found in plumbing materials to leach into people’s tap water.

The School District of Beloit is asking the community to take part in a water collection drive for residents in Flint, Michigan.

Shurooq Hasan, a Genesee County Health Department epidemiologist, wrote in a February 10, 2015, e-mail, “We have investigated a hospital as a potential source for the disease, but have expanded our investigation to include the city water supply”.

For DPS, Snyder asked for an immediate $50 million to enable the state’s largest public school system to continue paying employees and vendors.

Many have been angry with the governor for not spending time with the victims of the crisis.

His proposal Wednesday drew mostly positive reaction from lawmakers who will consider the legislation in the coming months and likely approve a plan in early June.

Following the visit the health center, Clinton met with plumbers from the UA Local 370 who have been replacing faucets, delivering water and installing water filters in Flint homes.

“I’d say he’s wrong based on what he said and based on what I have in my hand”.