Flint Residents Must Pay For Water They Still Can’t Drink Without Filter

"Residents in Flint, Mich., are about to start paying the full cost of their water again, even though what’s flowing from their taps has yet to be declared safe to drink without an approved filter.

On Wednesday, state officials will end a program that has helped pay residents’ bills since a series of ill-fated decisions by state-appointed emergency managers left the city’s water system contaminated with lead. Since that 2014 disaster, the state has spent roughly $41 million in credits to help offset local utility bills. Residents have gotten a 65 percent credit each month on their water use, while commercial accounts received a 20 percent credit.

Anna Heaton, a spokeswoman for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), said the credits are ending 'because the city’s water meets all federal water quality standards under the Lead and Copper Rule and Safe Drinking Water Act, the same standards as other cities.' She said the threshold honors an agreement reached by Snyder, the Flint government and state lawmakers who originally appropriated money for the utility bill credits. Even so, she added, the state will continue to provide water filters and filter replacement cartridges 'to assure residents that the water is safe for consumption even as lead service line replacement is underway.'"

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post February 28, 2017.