Mayor Karen Weaver has declared a State of Emergency in response to a man-made disaster caused by the City switching to the Flint River as a water source. This switch has resulted in elevated lead levels in drinking water which prompted both the City and the County Health department to issue a health advisory earlier this year.
Mayor Weaver states that this was one of the things she had promised to do while campaigning for mayor.
Declaring an emergency intends to help raise awareness of the issue that the water is still not safe to drink and activates the City’s Emergency Support Plan in order to respond to the crisis.
On October 16 of this year, the City switched back to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department as the source of water, however lead levels remain well above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion in many homes. Residents are advised to continue using water filters while long term solutions are being developed.
The Mayor will hold a press conference about the State of Emergency on Tuesday, December 15 at 2pm at City Hall.
