Snyder aides considered Flint water filters in March Jonathan Oosting and Chad
Livengood, Detroit News Lansing Bureau Top aides to Gov. Rick Snyder began
exploring the use of faucet filters to address water complaints from Flint
residents in early March, nearly six months before the governor's office quietly
helped distribute 1,500 filters on Sept. 1, according to state emails obtained
by The Detroit News. 'If this idea begins to get legs, I'd suggest testing
some different models on the local water at the customer level to see if they
work,' Brad Wurfel, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality, wrote in a March 5 email to top Snyder aides Rich Baird and Harvey
Hollins, current chief of staff Jarrod Agen and department Director Dan Wyant.
'I'd also suggest the idea be focused on tap-mounted models to promote clean,
appealing drinking water. Wurfel, who would resign in late December along
with Wyant, indicated recipients had discussed the filter idea on a conference
call earlier that same week. He made no mention of the lead contamination
crisis that at the time had not been publicly exposed by independent
researchers. Instead, the discussion focused on improving the taste and quality
of
tap water, which residents had complained about since the city began drawing
from the Flint River in April of 2014. 'While the state has provided residents
in some communities with bottled water in the past, it always has to do with
their water somehow being contaminated ' as in, some kind of chemical plume
that impaired drinking water sources,' Wurfel wrote. 'This would be the first
time the state took steps to deal with what is an aesthetic issue on a system
where the water is meeting state drinking water standards. Other emails
reviewed by The Detroit News indicate the Snyder administration was exploring
options
to address water color and odor complaints from Flint residents. State and city
officials gathered March 9 at The Sterling Corp. consulting firm in Lansing
to hear a pitch from a Novi company that specializes in ozone water
disinfectant technology. The initial discussions did not spur immediate action.
Instead,
Hollins would spend several months exploring distribution and vendor options.
The Snyder administration eventually worked with two undisclosed companies
that donated 1,500 water filters, which a group called Concerned Pastors for
Social Action handed out on Sept. 1. Agen told The News Thursday the delay
between initial discussions and distribution was caused, in part, by an
incorrect shipment of filters in July. The pastors' group received the correct
shipment in early August and scheduled the giveaway event. 'Unfortunately,
there was not the level of urgency necessary because this was all during a time
when DEQ was advocating that the water was safe to drink,' Agen said. Less than
a month after the filter giveway, with fears over water contamination escalating
and state health officials confirming elevated lead levels in the blood of some
children, Snyder announced an 'action plan' that included free water filters
for all residents. Flint residents continue to rely on filters and bottled
water. As of Wednesday, the state said it had distributed more than 104,500
filters and 211,200 replacement cartridges.
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