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       US, Michigan Officials Trade Blame Over Flint's Toxic Water Crisis

   by Ken Bredemeier

   U.S. and Michigan state environmental officials are blaming each other
   for not moving quickly enough to avert the toxic water crisis in the
   city of Flint that has left at least 200 children with elevated levels
   of lead in their bloodstream.

   In prepared testimony ahead of a congressional hearing Wednesday,
   Kenneth Creagh, the director of the Michigan environmental agency,
   conceded that officials in the northern state should have required
   Flint to take steps to control corrosion of its water pipes once the
   problem became apparent a year ago. He also said, however, that
   officials in Flint, a poor, predominately black city of 100,000
   residents, ignored the advice of their own consultants to take action.

   Additionally, Creagh blamed U.S. environmental regulators, saying they
   "did not display the sense of urgency that the situation demanded." He
   said, "Legitimate concerns raised by EPA's own expert staff were not
   elevated or provided to either the city or the state for review and
   action until the state's response was well under way."

   Officials: Corrosion control treatment unnecessary

   A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official, Joel Beauvais, said
   state officials "incorrectly advised the city of Flint that corrosion
   control treatment was not necessary, resulting in leaching of lead into
   the city's drinking water."

   Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has joined other
   agencies in investigating the lead contamination to see if any
   officials should be held criminally culpable.

   ''The toxic water scandal evolved as the debt-ridden city, under state
   management in early 2014, switched its water supply from Lake Huron,
   via the large Detroit system, to water drawn from the Flint River that
   courses through the city, to save several million dollars.The water was
   not properly treated, leading to the lead contamination.

   Detroit switch

   Flint subsequently switched back to the Detroit system last October,
   but officials say the water is still not safe to drink. Federal and
   state officials, along with charitable groups, have trucked in water
   filters and thousands of bottles of safe drinking water for Flint's
   residents.

   Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has accepted blame for the crisis and is
   proposing $30 million in state funding to help pay the water bills of
   residents who have still been billed for their water even though
   officials now acknowledge it is toxic.

   Lead exposure is dangerous for all people but can have devastating
   effects on children, irreversibly harming their brain development,
   lowering their intelligence, stunting growth and leading to aggressive
   and anti-social behavior.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-michigan-offiicals-trade-blame-over-flints-toxic-water-crisis/3174918.html