Michigan officials were concerned enough about the water quality in Flint, Michigan, that they gave bottled water to state employees a full year before providing safe water to Flint residents, according to documents obtained Thursday by Progress Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget made a move in January 2015 to provide water coolers for staffers under Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, while authorities told residents of Flint that “corrective actions” were not necessary to ensure water quality.
“It appears the state wasn’t as slow as we first thought in responding to the Flint Water Crisis,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan in a statement. “Sadly, the only response was to protect the Snyder administration from future liability and not to protect the children of Flint from lead poisoning.”
BREAKING: Snyder Admin Trucked in Clean Water to State Building 10 Months Before Acknowledging #FlintWaterCrisis https://t.co/CdUwRlTZYy
— Progress Michigan (@ProgressMich)
January 28, 2016
The notice in 2015 informed employees that water coolers would be available on every floor of the building “as long as the public water does not meet treatment requirements.” While boiled water advisories were issued in August and September 2014, in January 2015 Flint residents were told the water was safe to consume.
“While residents were being told to relax and not worry about the water, the Snyder administration was taking steps to limit exposure in its own building,” continued Scott.
The news comes as it also came to light that Flint has no plans to replace damaged water pipes that have leached lead into the water supply. Governor Snyder, who has refused to resign over the water scandal, said Wednesday that the city has no short-term plans to rework the heavily corroded infrastructure, telling reporters “it’s a lot of work to take out pipes.”
Facts from the ground. #FlintWaterCrisis pic.twitter.com/wLZbUPG78Q
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour)
January 25, 2016
The Flint water crisis was sparked by a decision in April 2014 to switch Flint’s water from the Detroit water system to the long-polluted Flint River in a bid to save money in the cash-strapped and poverty-stricken city.
The corrosive Flint River caused major damage to water pipes in Flint, resulting in lead poisoning that was shown in September 2015 to have caused dangerously elevated blood lead levels in young children in Flint. The poisoned tap water is also suspected of being linked to the outbreak of legionnaires disease that has killed 10 people.
Residents are outraged that they continue to receive water bills for the poisoned water in Flint. According to local resident Melissa Mays who spoke out at a recent protest, water bills have even gone up in Flint, Democracy Now reported. Residents and advocates, including award-winning director Michael Moore, have called for Michigan authorities to be held accountable and for the state to pay for the disaster.
My NEW letter on Flint. "Do Not Send Us Bottles Of Water. Instead, Join Us In A Revolt." https://t.co/hfvJFk6p9Y RT! pic.twitter.com/9iwIYSpzmV
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint)
January 27, 2016
Many raised concern about the fact that officials were slow to respond to complaints over water in Flint, which has been interpreted as a consequence of structural poverty and inequality. Although Michigan state officials knew about the risk of contaminated water as early as July 2014 and were concerned about the water quality as early as January 2015, given they provided bottled water to employees, they did not take any wider action until October 2015.
RELATED: Jesse Jackson: Flint Water Crisis a Crime Against Humanity
But the new documents point to a different story about authorities’ response to the crisis.
“This shows that the response was not only late and so far ineffective, but it was also unequal,” Scott added. “Governor Snyder needs to explain to the people of Flint why his administration trucked water into a state building while allowing residents to drink unsafe water.”
In January 2015, Detroit offered to reconnect Flint to its water system at no charge, but unelected emergency manager Darnell Earley, who oversaw the switch to the Flint River and now oversees Detroit’s crisis-ridden public school system, declined the offer.
It wasn’t until October 2015 that Flint’s water was switched back to the Detroit water system, leaving corroded pipes and lead contamination as the legacy of polluted water flowing into Flint homes for 18 months.
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