Michigan State Police Delivering Water Door-to-Door in Flint

Gov. Rick Snyder said Monday the state will step up its efforts to respond to a public health crisis resulting from lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water and said he may need to ask the Legislature for more money to address the issue before he presents his state budget in February.

He was flanked by state officials and peppered with questions by journalists during a news conference at Flint City Hall.

Since October, more than 12,000 filters have been distributed, more than 2,000 blood tests have been done – uncovering 43 cases of elevated lead levels – and more than 700 water tests have been conducted, Snyder said. “Flint residents are the victims in this crisis and they deserve a more urgent response equal to the gravity of this crisis”, he said in a statement earlier this week.

Residents there have been dependent on filtered and bottled water since it was announced the city’s drinking water is contaminated with extremely high levels of lead. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children.

The latest efforts come “as Governor Rick Snyder faced a growing crescendo of criticism over the weekend on the state’s handling of the crisis”, Michigan Radio reports.

Indicated he didn’t realize Flint had a problem with lead in the water supply until approximately October 1 even though city test results sent to the state showed lead levels on the rise immediately after the city began using the Flint River as its water source.

When asked if he was surprised that city officials have not requested federal help, Pastor Jackson explained, “We just got a new mayor elected and she filed a petition to declare it an emergency and the governor just did and he said that before we can receive help, they have to do an assessment”.

Said the state will look for new opportunities to expand assistance to Flint, including economic and community development, education, and “whatever else we can do”.

Flint’s switched from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management.

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Interim Director Keith Creagh gave no timeline for when the tap water would be OK to drink, saying additional testing is needed.

Snyder said Monday he signed a measure establishing an inter-agency committee tasked with finding a long-term solution to the water situation. The e-mail, sent to Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, was among a large number of e-mails and other records obtained under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by Virginia Tech researcher Marc Edwards, a drinking water expert who helped expose the crisis. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of MI is also investigating.