TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Federal regulators say Michigan should increase funding and staffing of its Department of Environmental Quality and take other steps to ensure its drinking water is safe.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made the recommendations Thursday in a report evaluating the state’s overall performance but emphasizing the situation in Flint, where residents were exposed to lead-contaminated water for at least 18 months.
EPA says its review found numerous deficiencies in how Michigan operates its drinking water program. Among them were inadequate electronic data management and a “notable failure” to carry out its rule on lead and copper pollution.
The report covers the period from October 2013 through September 2015, when the Flint crisis was at its height.
Michigan officials say they’ve already dealt with many of the problems EPA identified.
