WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal watchdog is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its oversight of state drinking water systems nationally and respond more quickly to public health emergencies such as the lead-in-the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
In a 74-page report released Thursday, the EPA’s inspector general report pointed to "oversight lapses" at the federal, state and local levels in the response to Flint’s contaminated drinking water.
The EPA said in a statement it agrees with the inspector general’s recommendations and is adopting them "expeditiously."
"The agency is actively engaging with states to improve communications and compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to safeguard human health," the statement said.
Flint’s tap water became contaminated in 2014 after officials switched from the Detroit system to the Flint River to save money, exposing many residents to lead, a potent neurotoxin.
After tests showed high levels of lead in a home in April 2015, Miguel Del Toral, a water regulations official in EPA’s Chicago office, contacted officials with Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality.
After a draft of Del Toral’s report was leaked, EPA’s regional administrator apologized to the city.
Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy acknowledged during congressional hearings that her agency should have been more aggressive in testing the water and requiring changes but said the federal agency "couldn’t get a straight answer" from Michigan officials about what was being done in Flint.
Snyder ended water distribution in Flint last April, saying water quality had improved significantly.
The state environmental agency this week said tests during the latest six-month monitoring showed lead levels were beneath the action threshold and better than those of some other Michigan cities.