LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The latest on developments in the lead contamination of Flint’s water (all times local):
11 a.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to spend $195 million more to address Flint’s water crisis and another $165 million updating infrastructure across the state, including lead water pipes.
The Republican governor detailed the plans in his annual $54.9 billion budget presentation to the GOP-led Legislature Wednesday. Snyder, who has apologized for his administration’s role in the disaster, says “clean drinking water is a necessity” and that he’s dedicated to ensuring the problem is thoroughly resolved.
The proposal includes $25 million for infrastructure needs specific to Flint, which is grappling with lead-contaminated water.
Snyder and legislators previously directed more than $37 million toward the crisis, including funds for bottled water, filters and services.
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6:05 a.m.
Officials are working to ensure blind residents of Flint have access to all needed information and resources related to the city’s crisis with lead-tainted water.
Staff with the state’s Bureau of Services for Blind Persons contacted its nearly 40 clients living in Flint by home visit or phone. As part of the effort, officials offered assistance in obtaining bottled water, filters, replacement filter cartridges and water testing kits.
The bureau’s Director Edward Rodgers says in a statement that officials “will continue to provide assistance to any Flint resident who is blind or visually impaired.” It’s part of broader outreach efforts by state and local officials.
Information about the city’s water problems and efforts to address the crisis is available in braille by contacting the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons.
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3:10 a.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is set to propose spending $195 million more to address Flint’s water crisis and another $165 million updating infrastructure, including lead water pipes, across the state.
The plans will be detailed in the Republican governor’s annual $54.9 billion budget presentation to the GOP-led Legislature on Wednesday.
A spokesman for Snyder, who has apologized for his administration’s role in the disaster, says the $25 million for pipe replacement in Flint is a starting point and could grow once a full analysis is done.
The governor and legislators previously directed more than $37 million toward the crisis, including funds for bottled water, filters, testing, health care and other services.
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2:55 a.m.
An email written by a former Flint official says anti-corrosive treatments weren’t added to the Flint River water because of concerns about bacteria.
Officials have acknowledged the failure to control corrosion after Flint switched sources and began drawing water from the river in 2014 was a mistake that let lead leach from pipes into water that reached some homes.
In a Sept. 3 message, former public works director Howard Croft says lead treatments were discussed with state officials and an engineering firm as the city water plant was being readied to treat river water.
Croft says it was decided to wait for more data before choosing a lead-control method. He says most chemicals used for that are phosphate-based, which can encourage bacteria. He did not specify who made the decision.
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