Flint Water: EPA Concerned With 'Inadequate' State And City Response

"Letter from federal officials to Michigan environmental authorities says city has not shown it has enough ‘qualified personnel’ to ensure healthy water"

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it has serious concerns over the 'inadequate' response to the Flint toxic water crisis by both the city and Michigan officials, pointing to a lack of expert help on the ground and a failure to provide a proper water treatment plan.

In a letter to the Michigan department of environmental quality (MDEQ), Mark Pollins, director of the EPA’s water enforcement division, said Flint has “not yet demonstrated that it has an adequate number of qualified personnel” to ensure safe drinking water standards are maintained.

Alongside the 'inadequate' staffing situation, Pollins said state and city had failed to put together a proper plan to deal with the crisis since federal intervention in January."

Oliver Milman reports for the Guardian February 20, 2016.