The mayor of Flint, Mich., is battling the state’s governor over her city’s access to safe water, three years after intolerable levels of lead were discovered.
Republican Gov.
Mayor, Karen Weaver, threatened to sue the state because she said the city is still reeling from the effects of the crisis.
"You still have a public health issue and you have to protect yourselves, so the need for bottled and filtered water is still real," Weaver said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar.
The governor’s office announced its decision to end free bottled water for Flint after nearly two years of test results showed decreasing lead levels in the city’s running water.
In a statement, Snyder’s office said taxpayers have provided $350 million to Flint, in addition to $100 million the city received from the federal government.
Weaver told Cheddar she will not rest until the medical community signs off on Flint’s water quality.
"You put us in this situation and you need to make us whole and see us getting through this process."
Flint residents have little faith in their water supply, and trust in the government’s ability to address the systemic issues has eroded.
"For a year and a half, we were told the water was good, when people know brown water is bad," said Weaver.