A federal task force will help the city of Flint with its drinking water problems.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been criticized for not being more involved in solving Flint’s water crisis.
Now the EPA is forming a special task force to provide “technical expertise” to the city and the state Department of Environmental Quality as
Flint returns to Detroit water and eventually transitions to a new pipeline going online next year.
“EPA is committed to working with our state and local partners to ensure a safe and reliable drinking water supply for the residents of Flint, Michigan,” says Susan Hedman, administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters, D-Mich., welcomed the announcement of the EPA’s new Flint Safe Drinking Water Task Force.
“All Michiganders deserve access to safe and clean drinking water, and the increased lead levels found in the Flint water system are simply unacceptable,” says Peters.
Problems have been mounting since Flint started using its namesake river as the city’s drinking water source a year and a half ago.
This week, the state and city of Flint approved spending millions of dollars to pay for water from Detroit. A local foundation is also chipping in money.
