After Flint, E.P.A. Urged to Change How It Monitors Water Systems

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 had hobbled the E.P.A.’s response to lead and other contaminants that poisoned Flint’s drinking water for more than a year.
“While Flint residents were being exposed to lead in drinking water, the federal response was delayed, in part, because the E.P.A.
did not establish clear roles and responsibilities, risk assessment procedures, effective communication and proactive oversight tools,” the 74-page report said.
The inspector general called for the E.P.A.
to create annual checks on states to make sure they are complying with federal lead and copper rules and to improve its response to water contamination emergencies.
The report comes more than four years after Flint, a financially struggling city of just under 100,000 residents, switched its drinking water source.
The move to draw water from the Flint River was made to save money, but officials failed to treat the river water with required chemicals that prevent pipes from corroding.
inspector general had previously faulted the agency’s response in Flint, and residents for years have blamed the tainted water on failures at all levels of government.
Several state and local officials have been charged with felonies for their roles in the water crisis.

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