Audit Faults Michigan Regulators in Flint Water Crisis
Source: Associated Press
Audit Faults Michigan Regulators in Flint Water Crisis
By JOHN FLESHER, AP ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER
Mar 4, 2016, 12:49 PM ET
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality made crucial errors as the city of Flint began using a new drinking water source that would become contaminated with lead, but the rules the agency failed to heed may not be strong enough to protect the public, auditors said Friday.
A report by the state auditor general found that staffers in the DEQ's drinking water office failed to order the city to treat its water with anti-corrosion chemicals as it switched to Flint River in April 2014. The city had been using Lake Huron water from Detroit but made the change to save money, planning eventually to join a consortium that would have its own pipeline to the lake.
The corrosive river water scraped away lead from aging pipes that tainted water in some homes and schools, and has been blamed for elevated lead levels in some children's bloodstreams.
"DEQ needs to improve its oversight and monitoring of community water supplies that implement a new water source or treatment process to ensure that DEQ meets its mission of promoting wise management of water resources to support healthy communities," the audit said.
The department has acknowledged that its staffers who worked with Flint misread federal regulations designed to prevent lead and copper pollution of drinking water supplies. Gov. Rick Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the state's response and three DEQ employees, including the director, have lost their jobs as a result.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/audit-faults-michigan-regulators-flint-water-crisis-37399548
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