FLINT, MI — A top aide to Rick Snyder says he told the governor that bottled water was "no longer needed" in Flint because of improvements in tap water quality.
Rich Baird, transformation manager for the state, told city church leaders in an April 6 letter that Flint water quality was stable and "well below federal action levels for nearly two years."
State-recognized testing shows lead levels have been below the federal action limit of 15 parts per billion in Flint since the first half of 2016.
"As a result of the data and monitoring results, I recommended to the governor that bottled water provisions in Flint are no longer needed," says Baird’s letter, which was written the same day Snyder shared similar news with Mayor Karen Weaver.
Snyder has agreed to meet with Weaver to discuss her objections to the end of state-funded bottled water — a face-to-face session that’s expected to occur next week.
The mayor’s office said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal that Weaver plans to discuss "many vital issues facing the Flint community and what can be done to help residents progress as the recovery process continues."
Baird’s letter to Flint church leaders says the city’s future requires "much more than confidence in water quality."
Flint church leaders, particularly the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, have been key players in responding to the water crisis, filing a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union and others against the state, and distributing faucet filters before state government recognized the water emergency.
The Rev.
Alfred Harris, president of the group, said the state’s decision to cut off bottled water is in compliance with a settlement agreement between the pastors and the state but still leaves residents with water that may not be safe to drink.