EPA Urges Stronger Water Plan Following Flint
By Peak Johnson
Late last month, the U.S. EPA called for the development of a national plan that would better protect the nation’s drinking water amid the crisis in Flint, MI, according to Reuters.
In a blog post, Joel Beauvias, deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water, said that agency management will meet with state, local government, and public health officials this month.
“As a country, we can and must do more to make sure that every American has access to safe drinking water,” Beauvias wrote.
According to Beauvias, at least $384 billion in improvements will be needed through 2030 to maintain, upgrade, and replace thousands of miles of pipes and treatment plants.
Beauvais' announcement had come a day after lawyers for Flint residents filed a claim for $220.2 million in damages, according to Reuters. The claim alleged that negligence by the EPA contributed to dangerous lead levels in the city's water supply.
The man who ran Flint’s treatment plant and two state environmental officials were hit with felony charges just last month for allegedly misleading regulators about the poisoned water supply, NBC.com reported.
Beauvais said the EPA has sent letters to governors and environmental and health commissioners in states that implement the Safe Drinking Water Act, urging them to work with the agency to improve drinking water quality.
If more states were to implement the Safe Drinking Water Act, then it would authorize the EPA to establish minimum standards to protect tap water and require all owners or operators of public water systems to comply with these primary standards, he argued.
“Our nation’s record of progress in advancing public health under the Safe Drinking Water Act is significant,” Beauvais said in the blog post.
For all of our Flint coverage visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.