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You Can Read The Flint Document Production.....
from Governor Snyder's office here: http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57577_57657-376716--,00.html The documents were produced in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from attorneys for the Natural Resource Defense Council. It's very interesting to dig through them if you've got some spare time.
There are thousands of documents. In November 2015 the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services put out a community outreach plan that included this background statement:
Drinking water analytical reports find that the water meets the federal drinking water standards and is safe for public consumption. The aesthetic quality of the water, which may make the water unappealing to drink or use, does not make the water unsafe. Poor aesthetic quality, if true, will be a barrier to conducting an effective public health outreach campaign. Lead is not found to be elevated in the drinking water at the source; however, citizens have reported high lead levels in their tap water. Sources of lead to the tap water are likely from lead piping or solder in or entering the home. Lead piping and solder are sources that the home-owner needs to know how to address. Additionally, older homes (pre-1978) can have lead containing paint and homes near historic high-traffic areas can have elevated lead levels in soil.
Couldn't be the water, could it? Must be the homeowner's fault. Or maybe lead paint. Or maybe lead in the soil. Anything but the water. Somewhere in this document dump must be some very interesting information about the lack of concern for the city's residents-or at least less concern for them than for the financial implications of providing safe drinking water.
