A federal judge won’t force the state to immediately resume giving out bottled water to Flint residents affected by the city’s lead-tainted tap water crisis.
The decision Friday concerns the case of Flint resident Allen Bryant Jr. A recently filed lawsuit says that Bryant and other residents still have dangerous levels of lead in their tap water.
The state announced it was ending the program earlier this month and closed its remaining distribution sights last week.
Following the hearing, Hunter Shkolnik, the plaintiff’s lead attorney, said he felt that the judge had looked at the facts and determined that Bryant may not be "the right plaintiff" to request the injunction.
"But there are a lot of other people [in Flint] that have homes that have lead levels that are hundreds of times higher than they should be," Shkolnik said.
Shkolnik said that a lot of people in Flint don’t trust the filters that the state has provided.
However, attorneys for the state argued that there’s "submitted proof" that the the filters are effective for lead removal.
They said state had the right to stop providing bottled water.
Earlier this week, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said she was exploring "legal options" following an unsuccessful meeting with Gov.
Snyder about restarting the water distribution program.