Flint residents seek
bottled water delivery as lead exposure persists
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[September 15, 2016]
By Serena Maria Daniels
DETROIT (Reuters) - Residents of Flint,
Michigan, on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order bottled water or
filters be provided to them to prevent further lead exposure, 2-1/2
years after the city's water supply was found to be contaminated.
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Attorneys for residents and for advocacy groups Concerned Pastors
for Social Action, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and
the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan argued in U.S.
District Court in Detroit that the city and state should be required
to deliver bottled water to people's homes or launch a program to
install water filters.
"After more than two years, Flint residents still cannot turn on
their taps without worrying about lead exposure," Dimple Chaudhary,
attorney for the NRDC, told Judge David Lawson in a hearing for a
preliminary injunction the group is seeking to force the bottled
water delivery. The hearing is scheduled to last two days.
The crisis drew international attention, resulted in the filing of
numerous lawsuits and led to calls by some critics for the
resignation of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder due to the state's poor
handling of the situation.
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Flint, a predominantly black city of 100,000, was under the control
of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its water
source in April 2014 to the Flint River from Lake Huron. The more
corrosive river water caused lead to leach from city pipes and into
the drinking water.
The city switched back last October after tests found high levels of
lead in blood samples taken from children, but the drinking water
has not returned fully to normal. Flint has been replacing lead
pipes running to homes and state officials have said the water is
safe to drink if properly filtered.
The plaintiffs' attorneys argued transportation and other access
issues have made it hard for many residents to acquire the water
from government-run water distribution sites and Flint's water
remains unsafe.
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The residents and advocacy groups sued the city and state in
January, alleging violations of the federal Safe Water Drinking Act
and seeking court intervention. The act requires water providers to
meet federal safety standards and allows private lawsuits to seek
injunctive relief enforcing it.
Mike Murphy, attorney for the state, said the problems are being
addressed, including replacing corroded lead water pipes. Officials
previously said in court documents they are working on a planned
water delivery program.
Flint's interim chief financial officer, David Sabuda, said in court
that delivering water would financially cripple the city.
Also on Wednesday, former Michigan Department of Health and Human
Services employee Corinne Miller entered into an agreement with
state prosecutors, pleading no contest to the misdemeanor charge of
willful neglect of duty by a public officer, avoiding jail time and
agreeing to cooperate with investigators.
(Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels; Additional reporting by David
Bailey in Minneapolis; Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by James
Dalgleish and Alden Bentley)
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