CHICAGO, IL, Oct. 16, 2015 -- Today, Susan Hedman, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator, established the Flint Safe Drinking Water Task Force to provide the Agency's technical expertise through regular conversations with designated officials from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the City of Flint.
The Task Force will be led by the Region 5 Deputy Regional Administrator and will assist with developing and implementing a plan to secure water quality, including measures to optimize corrosion control. Program members will be available to consult with MDEQ and the City of Flint on site. The Task Force will also coordinate as necessary with federal, state and local public health agencies to assist with protection of public health.
Specifically, it will provide technical assistance to the MDEQ and the City of Flint to reconnect the system to a new source of drinking water (to be supplied by the Great Lakes Water Authority) and to optimize corrosion control, starting. The Task Force will also provide technical assistance to the MDEQ and the City of Flint, as needed, in advance of and following connection of the water system to a new source of drinking water (to be supplied by the Karegnondi Water Authority) and to optimize corrosion control, starting in 2016.
The Task Force will be comprised of scientists and technical experts from the EPA Region 5 office in Chicago, the National Risk Management Research Lab in Cincinnati and the Agency's drinking water program. In addition, EPA will ask the Governor to designate a MDEQ official and the Mayor of Flint to designate a city official, to serve as points of contact for the Task Force.
See also:
"EPA awards $10M, five-year grant for Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program"
"EPA finalizes rule to reduce pollutants in waterways discharged from steam electric power plants"
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