FLINT, MI – Primary responsibility for the Flint water crisis lies with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, according to the final report of a governor-appointed task force examining the city's water woes.
The report, released Wednesday, March 23, includes 36 findings and 44 recommendations for state and local officials following the crisis.
UPDATE: Flint water task force calls for review of emergency manager law
The 62-page report chides the DEQ's handling of the crisis, and knocks the ongoing effort of state officials to place blame for the crisis at multiple levels of government.
"Even as the state is aggressively engaged in mitigation efforts in Flint, the statement that the Flint water crisis was a local, state, and federal failure implies that blame is attributable equally to all three levels of government," the report claims. "Primary responsibility for the water contamination in Flint lies with MDEQ."
The report also blames the Environmental Protection Agency of delaying enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act and Lead and Copper Rule, which prolonged the effects of the water crisis.
Ultimately, accountability for executive office decisions rests with Gov. Rick Snyder, the report concludes.
Snyder is expected to meet Thursday morning with media members at Mott Community College to discuss the report's findings.
The report goes on to acknowledge the steps the governor's office has taken to rectify the situation, including the state declaration of emergency, the establishment of both the Flint Water Inter-Agency Coordinating Council and Mission Flint, additional funding for addressing the health issues faced by lead-poisoned children in Flint, partial reimbursement for water bills paid during the time of lead contamination and progress on a plan to replace lead service lines.
"It was a catastrophic failure by government for the people of Flint and, most disturbingly, their complaints were dismissed for far too long," task force co-chair Chris Kolb said. "One of the biggest lessons we hope to impart in our report is the need for government leaders to listen to their constituents; in Flint that didn't happen."
The task force has interviewed 63 people, deliberated 20 times and reviewed tens of thousands of the emails released by Snyder's office. In addition to reviewing crisis actions, the group has been considering long-term financing models for a more robust health public program.
Snyder appointed the task force in October to review "actions regarding water use and testing in Flint" and to make recommendations for future guidelines.
The governor has been receptive to recommendations made by the group so far, but state Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, and others have cautioned that the task force is limited by lack of subpoena power and is not requiring sworn testimony.
In December, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant resigned after the task force laid most of the blame for the city's water crisis at the feet of his agency.
Elevated blood lead levels were found in some the city's youngest residents after the city began using the Flint River as its drinking water source in April 2014. Corrosive river water caused lead to leach from pipes and plumbing after DEQ officials told the city water department that corrosion control was not needed. The switch was made in an effort to save money while the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager.
According to the report, the emergency managers "had the responsibility to ensure that Flint water system operations were adequately resourced and supported by personnel and consultants with adequate training and experience."
The report also concluded that the decision to switch the source of the city's drinking water was made by the state-appointed emergency managers, not local officials.
"Although it is true that some locally elected officials supported, acknowledged, embraced, and even celebrated some of the decisions, the decisions were not theirs to make," the report states. "The state-appointed EMs made the decisions."
Former emergency manager Ed Kurtz authorized the use of the river as the water source, the report states.
Earlier reports from the task force also made multiple recommendations to the governor in response to the city's water crisis, including recommending the state seek help from the federal government and independent experts to restore faith in the city's troubled drinking water system.
Members of the state task force include Sikkema of Public Sector Consultants, Chris Kolb of the Michigan Environmental Council, Dr. Matthew Davis of the University of Michigan Health System, Eric Rothstein of the Galardi Rothstein Group and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds of Mott Children's Hospital.
Flint Task Force Findings
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