EPA officials collecting data on Flint water lead levels

The water caused lead to leach from aging pipes and water lines into some homes.

Although five months have passed since Flint, Michigan, changed its water supply because of problems with lead contamination and discolored drinking water, about 9 percent of the city’s sites tested positive for more than permissible amount of lead in water, the governor’s office said Tuesday. “That’s why we are so appreciative of the residents who are willing to work with us to have their water regularly tested as part of this official scientific survey”.

The biofilm was destroyed after the city’s switched its water source to the Flint River in April 2014 and failed to properly treat the water with corrosion control. “Everyone, including pets, should only be drinking bottled or filtered water”, McCarthy said.

McCarthy encouraged residents to continue to flush their systems in the morning to move protective chemicals through the system.

“To grow up in Flint, and especially in my generation to grow up in Flint, you have to overcome a lot, you have to fight really hard”, she said Saturday.

Her statements at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint came as the state also released optimistic news about preliminary results from the second round of water testing of about 600 sentinel sites in Flint.

Meanwhile, Mark Durno, supervisory engineer for the EPA, explained Tuesday further steps the agency would take to improve the quality of the city’s water.

“When we built the app, it was to push information out and to provide people with the timely information they need at the time that they need it”, said Winn.

Durno suggested “dead areas” in the system could benefit by opening up fire hydrants to get water moving.

US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has since called on both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Congress to help address the presence of lead in the schools’ water.

“We fully expect the scope of our research to evolve as we get more input from the community and government in the coming months”, McElmurry said in a statement. The stats include: knocking on 7,000 doors, passing out 1,575 fact sheets, convening at 90 places of worship, libraries and senior centers.