Image The Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to intervene earlier and stop the water crisis in Flint, Mich., exposed a need for wholesale changes to how federal officials monitor drinking water systems, a government watchdog said Thursday.
A report from the E.P.A.’s Office of Inspector General said management weaknesses hobbled the agency’s response to the lead and other contaminants that poisoned Flint’s drinking water for more than a year and that federal officials should have taken stronger action to correct repeated blunders by state regulators.
“While Flint residents were being exposed to lead in drinking water, the federal response was delayed, in part, because the E.P.A.
inspector general has previously faulted the agency’s response in Flint, and residents for years have blamed the tainted water on failures at all levels of government, especially the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which is responsible for ensuring safe drinking water in the state.
Several state and local officials have been charged with crimes for their roles in the city’s water crisis.
could have used its authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to intervene earlier and more forcefully in Flint.
Enesta Jones, a spokeswoman for the E.P.A., said in a statement that the agency agreed with the inspector general’s recommendations and “is actively engaging with states to improve communications and compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to safeguard human health.” The E.P.A.’s missteps and lax oversight outlined in the report occurred during the administration of President Barack Obama.
The report was seen by some as a powerful warning to other cities and states to not stray from federal drinking water standards.
And many residents were outraged earlier this year when Michigan officials ended free bottled water distribution and insisted that the city’s water now meets federal lead standards.
and other agencies that let his city down.