State of emergency declared in Flint, Michigan, over contaminated drinking water

The U.S. Attorney's office said Tuesday it would investigate the contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan, the same day Gov. Rick Snyder (R) declared a state of emergency for Flint and Genesee County.

In 2014, Flint was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager and to save money the city switched its water source from Lake Huron to the more polluted Flint River. Following the change, residents complained about the water's taste, smell, and appearance, and children were found to have high levels of lead in their systems, which can cause irreversible brain damage. In October, the water supply was switched back to Lake Huron, but there are concerns that the corrosive river water damaged the water distribution center, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Most of the blame has fallen on the state's Department of Environmental Quality, and its director resigned late last month. Rev. Allen Overton, chairman of the Coalition for Clean Water in Flint, told the Free Press that declaring a state of emergency is a step in the right direction. "We're going to need some major financing to fix the infrastructure in the city of Flint," he said. "Until that happens, we're not going to be able to do a lot, including drinking the water."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up