BREAKING: DEQ Director Resigns Over Flint Water Crisis

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LANSING, MI – The director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has resigned over the Flint water debacle, Gov. Rick Snyder said Tuesday.

DEQ Director Dan Wyant “has offered his resignation, and I’ve determined that it’s appropriate to accept it,” Snyder said in a statement.

The governor said he will be “making other personnel changes at MDEQ” as well.

State officials encouraged officials in Flint, where the mayor has asked for federal emergency relief to deal with a public health crisis resulting from high lead levels in water, to understate the results, according to e-mails obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech researcher who helped bring the water crisis to the forefront.

After the testing revealed dangerous lead levels in June, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality wrongly indicated the water was safe to drink, according to the e-mails.

Related

• Erin Brockovich Keeping an Eye on Flint’s ‘Poop Water’
• Pediatrician Exposed Crisis of Lead in Flint Water
• State Delayed Action on Lead in Flint Water

The financially struggling city of Flint turned off the taps to water from Detroit, which gets its supply from Lake Huron, and switched to water from the Flint River in a money-saving move in 2014. Flint was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager at the time.

The e-mail trail suggests state officials were aware of the impending water crisis well ahead of a study released in September by West Bloomfield pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatric residency director at Flint’s Hurley Children’s Hospital.

The consequences of lead poisoning are serious and long lasting.

Lead’s trail is virtually invisible, discoverable only through finger-prick blood test or when children begin showing signs of learning disabilities, reduced IQ, behavioral changes, anti-social behavior, anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and a plethora of other neurological and behavioral problems that are thought to be irreversible, according to the World Health Organization.

The e-mails showed that DEQ district coordinator Stephen Busch told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in February that Flint had “an optimized corrosion control program” to prevent lead from getting into the water system when, in fact, the city had no corrosion control program at all.

In his statement, the governor apologized to the residents of Flint and to residents of other cities with aging infrastructure.

“I want the Flint community to know how very sorry I am that this has happened. And I want all Michigan citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure,” he wrote.

Changes in leadership and staff aren’t enough, Snyder said. The statement continued:

“I understand there can be disagreements within the scientific community. That is why I have directed both the departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services to invite every external scientist who has worked on this issue to be our partners in helping us improve Flint water.

“Let’s share research on water and blood lead level testing so we can arrive at accurate and mutually supported conclusions,” he wrote. “Together, we should work to affirm that we’re using the very best testing protocols to ensure Flint residents have safe drinking water and that we’re taking steps to protect their health over the short and long term.

“I know many Flint citizens are angry and want more than an apology. That’s why I’m taking the actions today to ensure a culture of openness and trust. We’ve already allocated $10 million to test the water, distribute water filters, and help in other ways. Last week, I called Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, and we’re going to meet soon to discuss other ways the state can offer assistance.

“These are only initial steps — we fully expect to take more actions following the recommendations of our task force. When it comes to matters of health and quality of life, we’re committed to doing everything we can to protect the well-being of our citizens.”

» Screenshot of Dan Wyant via YouTube