By Ron Fonger
Flint, MI -- The Flint water crisis (click here) occurred in part because of failures in the state of Michigan's oversight, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.
Two years in the making, the report says the state Department of Environmental Quality failed to properly oversee and manage the city's change in water sources in April 2014, resulting in the use of lower quality raw water from the Flint River.
"The circumstances surrounding the city's switch to a lower quality water source appear to have been unusual," the report says. "But MDEQ was unprepared to deal with this situation and failed to recognize how the (Lead and Copper Rule) should have been applied, resulting in a confused and ineffective implementation of the LRC in Flint."
Ya think? See, the problem was that the switch was ordered. There was no study leading up to the conversion of one water source to another. Snyder should have ordered a study from the MDEQ to tap the Flint River BEFORE the switch.
THERE WERE NO PROPER PROCEDURES USED. There are ways departments of a state handle themselves and communicate. This was bizarre and literally, MDEQ was stumped when the switch was ordered.
The report says many deficiencies in the state drinking water program stem from inefficient and antiquated data management systems in DEQ and suggests the hiring of additional staff or contractors with specific water data management expertise."Staff departures and retirements have caused a significant loss of expertise and technical knowledge ... staff have not been replaced due to lack of resources and/or hiring constraints, which presents a threat to future implementation of an effective program."...
This is still Snyder. Republicans love to deprive the agencies of sufficient operating monies when it comes to the environment. The department was under attack by a hostile administration, people retired or moved on looking for a job that mattered. What was left was low and inefficient staff.
This is typical of Republican administrations. The people are on their own. Snyder is the worst governor Michigan has ever had and this is more proof. The blame for Flint's water poisoning falls to his office over and over due to his very poor regard for safety and human rights allowing rushed procedures with ineffective monitoring and oversight.
Snyder also has a regulation czar. He is just as responsible as Snyder.
