Michigan Governor Rick Snyder aplogizes for the Flint Water Crisis. He feels the goverment has failed the people and vow to do everything in his power to find a solution.
ABC News reports that due to budgetary concerns, Flint drew water from the Flint River as opposed to being supplied by Detroit. The move was intended as a temporary measure until the pipeline to Port Huron Lake was completed and will be able to supply Flint's municipal water needs.
The river was improperly treated and allowed corroded lead to leach from the pipes and on to residents' homes, officials said yesterday.
The Governor outlined the immediate actions that were taken in response to the water crisis, including distribution of bottled water to affected residents, water testing kits, water filters and water filter replacements.
Snyder said that close to 21,000 homes have been visited by volunteers and emergency responders. He promised to provide resources to help anyone and everyone affected.
The Governor said the Michigan government has made budgetary recommendations to keep supplying Flint with Detroit's water line until end of 2016. The provisions in the budget also recommends that it will replace water pipes and filters in Flint schools and to provide follow-up care for affected residents by hiring specialized staff.
According to CNN, the Flint River had a reputation for nastiness and a 2011 study found that the water from the river could be made potable if treated with an anti-corrosion agent that would have cost the state about US$ 100 a day.
Virginia Tech researchers found the water was highly corrosive. A class action lawsuit was filed last year that alleges the state Department of Environmental Quality did not treat the water for corrosion. Since so many service lines in Flint are made of lead, the corrosion made the lead mix in to water that was being distributed into the city's homes.
City officials ignored these concerns and insisted the water was safe.
NBC News conducted interviews with various Flint residents and quite a handful were not pleased. They wanted the Governor's head on a stake and called for him to resign. Others were scared and disappointed, like Melissa Mays, a Flint resident and founder of the group "Water You Fighting For?"
In an interview with NBC, Ms. Mays was quoted as saying: "They pumped poison into our homes, we fed it to our children, we were promised it was safe."
Snyder admitted his office had advance knowledge about the complaints but they were given the runaround by state environment officials.
Feeling remorseful and in the interest of transparency, the Governor would release his emails regarding Flint from 2014 to 2015. He would also request the long-term monitoring of children and others who may have been exposed.
Finally, the Governor vowed that his office will not stop working for the people of Flint until clean water can be piped to each and every home every single day.
