Environmental Protection Agency Grilled Over Water Poisoning

On March 15th, a Congressional hearing was held to question officials within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—including those who had been in charge during, but had since left after the Flint water crisis—about mistakes made in overseeing and managing the crisis. The previous EPA administrator for Midwest Region 5 denied that the agency made mistakes, and instead insisted that it tried to get state officials to act as soon as it was notified of the city’s dangerously high lead levels. However, while she denied any mistakes, she did note that the EPA could have done more.

 

The problem started when the city of Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River in order to save money in April 2014. Soon after, locals were reporting severe discoloration and odors in the water, and researchers found elevated levels of lead in the water supply and in children’s blood samples. Not until October 2015 were residents told to stop drinking the water; one and a half years after the water supply source was switched to Flint River, the cause of the contamination.

 

Earlier Notice Stifled

The focus of the hearing appeared to be a memo that was written by an EPA scientist on June 24, 2015, stating that Flint was in violation of the federal lead and copper rule, and lacked corrosion control in the pipes to prevent lead from leaching into the water supply. While the EPA insists that it got in touch with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), urging corrosion control, others insist that the scientist pointing out the issue was, instead, silenced and retaliated against.

 

Specifically, email memos unearthed revealed disturbing statements made in internal EPA memos amongst employees, including scientists calling the agency out for being more interested in “maintain[ing] State/local relationships” than “protect[ing] children” and responses stating “I’m not so sure Flint is the community we want to go out on a limb for.”

 

“A Crime of Epic Proportions”

This was the second hearing conducted by the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the water crisis, which has called this a “crime of epic proportions” as lead poisoning in children can lead to permanent brain damage, learning disabilities, and other issues. In its defense, former administrator for Region 5 blamed an “imperfect statutory framework” for preventing the EPA from being more aggressive in getting the state of Michigan and its residents to test their water. However, the fact remains that MDEQ continued to insist that the water was safe to drink, and the EPA did not dispute this claim.

 

As a result of studies into corrosion control treatment failing to be done before the drinking water switch was made, the city has not only been contaminated and poisoned, but there has also been an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

 

Public & Environmental Health Attorneys

It is unconscionable that in so many communities, local environmental laws are violated, and this puts people put at risk in order to save money. We at Harrell & Nowak have spent years litigating to protect communities using the strongest environmental laws. If you have been affected by lead poisoning, give us a call and let us discuss your case with you for free.