In the midst of crisis this message surfaced.
Good news for a bad news situation.
The state will spend an additional $47 million to help ensure safe drinking water in Flint by replacing lead pipes and providing free bottled water under a proposed settlement announced Monday, Robert Snell of The Detroit News reports. A settlement hearing is set for 1 p.m. Tuesday before U.S. District Judge David Lawson.
The money is in addition to $40 million previously budgeted to address Flint’s widespread lead-contamination crisis. The state also will set aside $10 million to cover unexpected costs, bringing the total to $97 million.
The lawsuit was filed last year by a coalition of religious, environmental and civil rights activists, who insisted the Flint water was not safe to drink because state and city officials were violating the Safe Drinking Water Act.
“We think this proposed agreement provides a comprehensive framework to address lead contamination in Flint’s tap water,” Dimple Chaudhary, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council and lead plaintiffs’ counsel on the case, told the News. “It covers a number of critical issues related to water safety.”
