Gov. Rick Snyder welcomes recommendations from Flint Water Task Force to re-establish safe drinking water

LANSING, Mich. – January 27, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Gov. Rick Snyder today said he welcomes the Flint Water Task Force’s recommendations on methods to re-establish a reliable, safe water distribution system in Flint and efforts to determine the cause of an outbreak of Legionella in Genesee County.

The task force, an independent, bipartisan panel of experts, is reviewing all state, local and federal government actions in connection to the Flint water crisis and is charged with making long-term recommendations to protect the health and safety of Flint residents.

“I appreciate the task force’s thoughtful work on these important issues, and we’ll move quickly as possible to determine the best way to achieve the results,” Snyder said. “The Flint water crisis is the result of missteps of government at all levels – city, state and federal. We’re focused on fixing the problems and making sure nothing like this happens again in Flint or any other Michigan city.”

Snyder has declared an emergency in Flint. He also has activated the National Guard to make sure city residents have access to bottled water, water filters, replacement cartridges and testing kits. More than 30,000 homes in the city have been contacted.

Directors of the state Department of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services are committed to carrying out the task force’s recommendations addressing health concerns and water quality.

The administration has already started on some of the recommendations, including reaching out to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ask for the assistance of three experts versed in the Lead and Copper Rule.

Snyder in October appointed the task force. Members are Ken Sikkema, a senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants; Chris Kolb, president of the Michigan Environmental Council; Dr. Matthew Davis, professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System; Eric Rothstein, a national water issues consultant and principal at the Galardi Rothstein Group; and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, a pediatrician in Flint who serves as president of the Mott Children’s Health Center.

The state of Michigan continues to coordinate response efforts in partnership with the city of Flint, Genesee County, and local community organizations. For information about clean water resources available in Flint—such as bottled water, water filters, home testing kits, and replacement cartridges, please visit www.mi.gov/FlintWater. For information about donating or volunteering in Flint, please visit www.HelpForFlint.com.