"BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — A Michigan city that is urging residents not to drink tap water failed to timely warn people about high levels of lead and must make improvements at the water plant, federal regulators said Tuesday after an inspection revealed a variety of problems.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the situation was dire enough to order Benton Harbor to consider turning the water system over to someone else.
“The people of Benton Harbor have suffered for too long,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a written statement. “EPA is fully engaged and working to support the community, and today, we are taking a critical next step to ensure that drinking water is safe and reliable.”
Benton Harbor is a predominantly Black, mostly low-income community of 9,100 people, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Chicago. "
